Democratic standard. [volume] (Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio) 1837-1850, 1840-09-24
NEW sERIEs.-VOL. I. NO. g.

Il.
IasI to Withstand their will.
There is another topic upon which the
member has harped loud and long--ths
s'yIe and fashion of the articles which
nave been purchased under the appropri.
, alons; In my imperfectIy reported
remarks, 10 which the member 90 f,se.
; " refers tor text to his folio ammo.
tailons, with the reading Of which, for
hours, he has occupied the time of this
committee, not single article was mar.
ilcularly specified or justified bV me.
! Wherefore, then, does he attemDt 70
make me responsible for such as he has
chosen TO designate, and for the extrava-
gance of which, upon the fidelity of his
description only, he asks sentence of
condemnation? Ibid say, however, gen.
orally. have already 10 day repeated,
and now reiterate, that to a casual OBJ.
server the furniture appears neither too
rich nor too abundan. for the size and
magnfcence Of the mansion, nor too
good FOR the use of the first representa-.
i've officer Of a free and sovereign peo-
pie. But of this | make no matter Of
personal controversy with the member.
| understand him now to say that he has
never been at the house. How well,
then, it may compOrt with a becoming
modesty, or sense of justice even, TO de-
nounce unseen that which prudent and
honorable men have sanctioned, leave
for others TO consider. He condemns the
articles as the exhibition of aristoeratic
pride and splendor. Well, sir, | defend
not the purchase Of these articles, but
take my position behind the character Of
! those by whose authority they were pro-
cured. | insist that whatever fault has
been CO omitted is with those who fur
nished the means ofsuch extravagance,
if extravagance there be--wiih the Rep
resentatives ofthe people, who, again and
again, under every administration, with
full knowledge Of the manner in which
the money would be expended, have yo-
ted the appropriations without restriction
or qualification. have shown that what.
ever repfoach attaches TO the procure.
ment and use of such furniture has been
incurred by the head of each successive
administration. If, indeed, the fashion
of the house be a display of spfendor,
stern aud sound republicans have been
betrayed into this foolish error.
Thomas Jefferson was once accounted
plain and unpretendng Democrat, and
passed in his day, for an unostentatious
Chief Magistrate, and vet we have seen
that the sum Of $4,000 was expended
for furniture during the period Of his
Presidency; and this, too, in addition to
the $4,000 previously granted to his i'm.
mediate predecessor. The purity and
Republican simplicity of Mr.. Madison's
life and manners have never to this time,
been Questioned; yet to the $4,000
before appropriated, S2S, 90 more were
added to the royal pageanIry in the eight
years of his administration. Col. Mon
roe, too, was he vaiuglorlOus arlslocratF
He has the credit, in history, at least, of
having resisted TO blood, in the RevoIu.
:ionary conflict, a government of rOyal
pride and arrogance, and by life devO-
ted 10 his country, contributed as largely
as any other to the establishment and
support of institutions of equal rights and
political equality; yet, in his administra-
tion, greater expenditure was made in
;efurnishing the house, after the late war,
than under all his predecessors. What
say you Mr.. Chairman, of my venerable
colleague2 Is he not good Wing in
principle. and plain Republican in man.
ners! And yet he received whatever
benefit resulted from an appropriation of
$50, 900, during the four years of his
presidency, added to the large expendi-
ture Of Col. Monroe. But think you my
honorable colleague, would have cOnsen.
led 10 this, with consciousness that il
was intended for mere empty display! or
that, by doing it, in the language Of the
he was robbiug the Treasury
and Fleeing the people.-Sir my coli
league has no occasion TO make profess
sions ofhonesty or respect for the rights
Of the people, to entitle his course of Of
fetal action to the confidence due to en-
inent public services and distinguished
private virtue. or all men, he would be-
the last to indulge in matters Of ostenta.
ton and vain show.
TMR OeLE. deny that either Adams
or Monroe ever had such trumpery as
Van Buren,,
Mr.. LINCOLN. And I undertake to say
that, during the Presidency of Mr.. Mon
zoe, more f" trumpery," as the member is
pleased to term il, was carried into the
Presidential mansions, than!mder every
other Administration, to this time, put to-
gether.
Mr.. Chairman, it wss not my wish to
enter at all into this subject. But upon
the denial of the member now, feel
bound to refer the committee to the fact,
apparent upon the bills, that many Of tho
yery articles which have been pointed
ont as most objectionable, were purchas.
ed from the appropriation Of $4,000 in