The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-09-22


for the People will never consent to 'love, ho-
nor, and obey" a Government which, instead OF
treating them with conjugal Affection shall at
tempt TO rule them with such a cruel hand.
Another objection TO this new-fangled scheme
is the cost of 1.-THE expense which il will en-
tan upon the Government. After all the caution
with which the trainers Of this bill have guard
ed IT, they admit that il viii cost the Govern
ment about thirty thousand dollars 10 pat 10 IN
operation, and nearly that amount per annum TO
carry II on afterwards. Now sir, every one
knows that in matters of this kind, the previous
| estimate always fall far short Of the ultimate
cost. In carrying into effect new system OF
finance which is intended to be permanent il is
impossible to foretel or provide for the addition
al expense that will be daily accruing. And once
the system is adopted-once it is put in opera
| uon-Congress will not stop at any expense ne
| cessary to complete it. Like all the works OF
public improvement in the country, after il has
been commenced you will call it folly you will
call II faction, to refuse to carry it on TO compile
| ton. Look at the splendid ediices going
up in this city for your Treasury and Post Office
departments. The former, according to the es
innate, was to cost two hundred thousand dol
lars; il is now evident that it will exceed mil
lion of dollars. The latter, from the estimates,
was to cost under 100000, it is now admitted
will cost 100000 The new custom house in N.
York is still more garing instance. We were
told that its cost would not exceed two hundred
thousand dollars it has already cost more than a
million-thousands having been spent in finish
ing it in the most costly style of Grecian arch-
lecture, contrary 10 all good taste well econ
omy Estimates Why, what are your estimates
worth? Your estimates were sent in for Post
Office Department Of granite, and you are putting
up one of marble. And what do we want with
marble Post Office Department. One of mud
and straw would be too good for such as in lat
tor Ip,a haun min Ictar ad tie
Marble Post Offices and marble Custom-houses.
Does the party in power wish to be able, on their
retirement from Office on the 4th of March next,
to make a boast similar to that of Augustus2-
That crafty prince, when about to die, boosted
that he had found Rome built of brick, but that
he left il built of marble. He might have added
that he found it enjoying liberty, but left it in
slavery. And that is what the historian may and
will say of this Administration, when recording
the events of the present time.
Make your sub Treasury the law Of the land,
put it in operation, and session after session we
shall be called on to vote additional appropria-
tons, which were not and could not be foreseen
at its passage. You will be told, again and
again, that the public interest requires the en-
ployment Of additional clerks No one can
doubt this who sees that, in most of the Depart
ments, the number Of clerks has been nearly
doubled in the last ten years, as was brought to
light by my friend from Ohio, Mr.. BoND,) and
| that by party, too, that came into power pedg-
ed TO reform abuses, and to administer the Go
vernment economically. We shall be called up
| on to erect splendid edifces for the Offices of
these modern QuRstors, to enable them to keep
safely and disburse conveniently the public re-
venue. We shall be told that patriotism requires
that these national establishments should be in
keeping with the pride and wealth of the coun-
try And then they must be fitted out in all the
style and luxury of Eastern magnifcence. If
any one doubts this, let him look at the accounts
of the superintendent of the Branch Mint in
| North Carolina, by which it will be seen that he
has expended thousands of the public money in
the purchase Of shrubs, and flowers, and splen-
did furniture-such as, nkstands, at So rs; scroll
sofas, at ISL so; office chairs, covered with mo-
| rocco, at 1884, &c. &c--for fitting out his private
residence there; and when complaint is made,
he replies, 'f he has erred it is the error of pa
| trotsm." And the offices of your Receivers
General, under this bill, instead of being in the
custom-houses, will soon become so many mar
BILE palaces, over-shadowing the land, and the
offices ofthe inferior receivers scattered through
| out the States, like the palaces of the Persian
| satraps throughout the provinces of that vast
empire. And when we complain of this extra
vagance, we shall be told, ''f il is error it is
the error of patriotism" When the poor man
passes by, and looks up at these towering edifi
ces, and complains of his suffering wife and
children, he is to be told, in the language of the
superintendent ofthe branch mint, that the odor
of the flowers, which is exhaled from the sur
rounding gardens, when waited on the breeze,
sis free to the poor man as well as the rich;"
and this is to be sufficient compensation to him
for being despoiled of the hard earnings of his
labor in order to support this extravagant system
Under this corrupt dynasty, this system will
prove a mint for the coinage of innumerable
offices. The thousands of hungry expectants
that crowd these streets will then be easily pro-
vided for; and if we complain, we shall be told
that II bespeaks factous spirit. 1t will furnish
sure means by which any cunning intriguer
or bold usurper may hereafter reward the minis
tiers of his ambition. Syla, the Dictator, when
he clutched supreme power, added twenty addi-
tiona Quastors, when the number had never
before exceeded eight and Caesar added forty
more And the Roman Quastors, let il be re-
membered, were veiy much like the Receivers
General contemplated by this bill-they were
the collectors of the tribute. We may expect
the same thing here, whenever it becomes ne
cessary to maintain power reward partisan
services.
Whilst not one cent has been lost BY the
United States Bank in forty years, how much
has been lost by individual agents? Although,
under the administration of the United States
Bank, the collectors of the revenue required
by law to make their deposites in bank, immedi
ately after it reached their hands, vet so great
was the temptation, SO weak poor human nature,
that millions have been stolen, especially within
the last ten years. Yes, sir, although the money
merely passed through their hands, from the
public debtor to the bank, yet, SO great was the
opportunity for plumber, they could not resist.
Cast your eye over the long list of defaulters,
who have squandered the public money, guarded
and restrained as they were by legal enactments.
From report of the Secretary of the Treasury
before me, doc No. 10, Ho. Reps. of the pre-