Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-05-22

IONS OF dollars beyond lis wants. aud thus rendered
expenditures IN some way other, either IN the shap
OF appropriations of depostes with the Stacs mat
Ter Of absolute necessyinr IT could not remain ldl
N the public Treusury-'hut they, the very party wh
mad forced this policy The country, and who were
IN every lar principle, to be considered as the au
;lors OF the mlschris consequent on Il, were now, II
order 10 answer political purposes, endravong 10 h."
others responsible Tor that which they themselves wcr
ttuly answerahlc 10 the country. Again; what j" com
planned Of was the disIngcnuons means rrs"rted 10 b,
those now cndeavorlng 10 break down the present Ad
ninistFalon; and whn scruping ut nothing to cifcc
hr:r object cndravnrcd to hold others accountable To-
hat very extravaganza, which the journals of the tw
Houses of Congress would ncontrovertiby show hat
been mainly brought about by their votes, from thu
commencement of President Jacksuns administration
Dawn To the present period.
The small number of the journals Of the two House:
of Congress which were annually printed and the con
Srquent difficulty that the great body of the people hat
TO encounter in arriving at the truth in regard to the
votes OF the respective political parties III Congress
had furnished great facility to the Opposition, L
practice the Impositons this sshject, and 10 pass of
those fragrant misrepresentation the people, wcl
had heen extensively resned to in the present con
lest between parties reference, however, 10 the
distinctive principles which had for years past so clear
~ marked the two parties in this country, would shed
volume Of light this subject and would not fail To
inform the people who have been, and who are
the friends of cxtravagant expenditure
The great of the Opposition party, with the ex.
ceptlon oil some n lher southern allies, nave becn
and continue to be, friends OF high Tariff, and nm
unlimited construction of the Constitution, embracing
the power to make all kinds Of extfavaGant md unau
Ihorizcd appropriations These doctrines plainly midi.
the motives operating those who possess them
TO favor n large system Of expenditure, and can leave
no doubt even IL other evidence were absent to the
party Whose policy. who's. interests, and whose votes,
have all combined to swell the public expenditures
In this way IL has hoped 10 keep up The former Tariff,
and in THIS way hoped 10 create the necessity Tor
new one.
On the other hand, (sad Mr. D J the great mass Of
the friends Of the past md present Administrations have
been and continue 10 BE-, opposed To system OF high
duties and in favor Of mttcd construction Of the
Constitution Of The United States Here, then, nre I'M
errinr tests by which 10 try the two political parties,
in regard to the question of cyravagancetests even
i If recorded evidence could not be adduced that dis.
,ncy point out TO the people Of the I the real enc
mics of ec"nonIcn! administration of the Govern
mcnt, and those who are friendly TO such an admins
tralion OF tho public finances.
But, fortunately for the Of truth and Of JUS
licc if the journals Of Congress could not b. crcula
ted every where put down these gross msreprescn
,aons VIII Ch were persv"red 10 with 50 much INDUS
try, and III manner which utterly set at nanght all
moral restraints, they to be found here, and fur
nished The most conclusive condemnation Of those who
were most clamorous IN charging the friends of the
| Adm ins;ration with extravaganza.
| Mr. b. distinctly charged that the Opposition
body in both Houses Of Congress, had no, only voted
/
the support of the civil military and naval service OF
the country but he charged further TINT they had voted
for many other bills proposing cxtrnvngart cxpendi-
.nrcs. of which had been carried through the two
Houses, and others Of which had been checked o. De-
macratc votes He would instance, among those
which had became laws thai for the relief Of the cities
Of Washington. Georgetown, and Alexandra, passed
The session Of o34-35, appropra'ing near million
nf Goara and which received much larger proportion
of Opposition than &C Administration votes q! that body
| 4 E.dh oan he the a.
ton generally IN The Senate, and with bat few exccp-
tons while the other hand II voted against by
/ a large majority OF The friends of the Administration,
the bill proposing TO appropriate i've millions Of
dollars for the benefit of claimants on account OF
French spola,ions prior 1900 This claim had for
wears been been before Congress- and repeatedly re-
iec,ed on The ground Of its alleged injustice and yet
It received the sanction oil an Opposition Senate, and
would have become 4 law if II had not been defeated
By House of Representatives. friendly to The Adm''
nisiratinn.
Mr. b said he had aGvertcd 10 these two spec lmenS
Of scoaoy rs prac,sed by the Opposition no, becaus"
there were none others-or the journals of Congress
ahounded with proofs Of The same klnd against them,
IN regard 10 the public cXpendnres-but he had re-
lcrrrd Ia them as conspicuous commentaries on their
conduct and TO show how far they entitled Ia set
up an exclusive title TO guardianship over the pubic
treasure
The Senator from South Carolina Mr.. Prestonl had
said that the Administration should be held responsive
many wears in a ma orilv tn" two Houses ." Congress
He differed very far from that Senator on that SUBJECT
He had seldom, If al all the tune, IRON The COM
mcnccmcnt Of the administration Of President jacks
the present, time, when ITS trends were III maori
,v in both Honscs-he meant friends who were 10 uc
relied on no, yrrjcSscd friends. The votes of the two
/ Houses of Congress on the veto messages against
internal Improvement bills, and the vote 81 Inc U.s."
Houses ng Congress. several sessions Afterwards on the
veto message against rrchar;rrIng the Bank %! NE l.
IS showed that ma rry against the administra-
ton of President Jackson, l,as, those important
questions though that majority was not large rnoH IN
10 carry those measures, opposition I" IN" Executive
negative The Senate had afterwards given practical
evidence that it did not contain ma orty oil his poll.
teal friends by the vote which had passed
opa nst him, lie would add, that during the two or
three wears IN which the Opposition had the political
mower in that body, the contingent expenses were great
IL increased beyond h"sc OF any former year in the
other branch of Congress- the present Administration
had bern IN II minority the great tnanc q! question
of separating the Government from the banks, from the
time that measure had bcen proposed until the present
4 SESSION. go,
With what Justice them said Mr.. b., could 1t be SAID
that the present and past Administrations should be
held responsible for the increase OF the pubic expendi
tnrc in the face Of the fact that majority oil one or
the other Of the two Houses Of Congress have gene
rally been against hrmin the face of the fact that,
tor years past the appropriations by Congress nave c
ceedrd hy many millions, the sums asked Tor by the
1 "A
porant fact within their know ledge HAT the OPposi-
ton vote has generally been given TO swell cNpcnh''
tnrc, instead Of being given TO check It When ne
spoke of the Opposition he meant 10 be understood
rs speaking them as body and not intending 10
include every single individual of which that party was
composed
| The Senator from South Carolina had, said Mr. Is,
objected the printing Of the extra number Of cope.
of the Report Of the Secretary Of the Treasury. eA
panaorv Of the public expenditures, and OF the items
| which constituted them
MR. PREsToS here rose 10 explain, aud said nc mac
not opposed the printing of the Report
| Mr. BRowS resumed, and said, that he did not know
whether the gentleman intended to vote against the
printing of the Report not but his whole argument
was of tha, character He had charged, that 1t wa
extravaganza order the number Of copies for the pub
lie which had been moved. He had charged, that II
was parte document-object'ons TO winch, II True
were certainly such went 10 deny the proprIety OF
printing it, The document contained plain and aim.
pie statement Of the public expenditures, and the ob.
iccts for which they mere nade from the year ie21 o
LII.