Democratic standard. [volume] (Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio) 1837-1850, 1841-02-23

lions, about which we have heard so
much. This sacred trust fund, which |
- Ass acquited for our ciiizeus by the |
most efficient and perseVeTing exeriions
.-ihissveTy fund. which was faiIly destrib-
uled amongst those entitled 10 receive
Sit, has thus been converted into charge |
OF exiTavsgance to IFS full Pmount a.
Eainst Mr. Van Buren,. simply because II
was paid out Of the Treasury during his
administration. This item shows con
rlusiVeIy why the Senator from Kentucky
-=lMr. Clayl goes f"T EoptingS, and not f"r
particulars. Is this fair towards the pre-
sent Administrator II il were. then
had General Jackson succeeded IN OBJ
tanning twenty millions more from tOT.
ei9n nations, Mr. Van Buren,, who dis
bursed the money, would have been
twenty millions more exiravagant; and
the gentleman might hsvo exclaimed
"yOu have expended one hundred and
6fiy millions Of dollars, instead Of Onr
bundled and thirty" In making out
theSo debtor and creditor accounts Orcx.
l' travsgsnce, will any man say that II war
other jnGt or proper 70 charge such an
item as this against the retiring Admins.
tIationf
Ishould have been Teioiced if the sub.
ject OF the expenditure of the present
Administration had not again bern intro.
5uced until aftor The accession ofGener-
al Harrison, because then, as the Sena-
tor LMr. Clayl says, the books and pa
pers will Be in the possession Of his
friends. They will then be enabled 10
search these books and papers TO their
hearts content; and, for one, | now give
them fair notice, that shOnld be permit
ted TO remain in the Senate, shall call
upon them, when they have all tho off,
cial documents in their power, to make
good the charge Of wastoful extravaganza
against Mr, Van Buren'S administration,
This is due 10 themselves, rs we'll as to
that portion Of the American people whO
have been deluded into the belief that
the present Administration has been
guilty Of prOdigal and wasleGul expen.
diure Of the public money.
AnOiher most extraordinary charge
against Mr.. Van Buren, embraced within
the aggregate Of one hundred and thirty
millions, is that gilmore than twenty mil
lions paid out Of the Treasury in dis.
charge Of the national debt. Now, sir,
observe the gross injustice Ofthis charge
The Administration are first charged with
all the expenditures which rendered Il
necessary 10 ere ate a debt by the issue
Of Treasury notes, and afterwards. as
this debt was discharged, they are again
charged the second time with the amount
paid TO the public creditors. According
10 this mode Of stating the account, an
Administration 10 frst charged with,
shall eay, twenty millions Of dollars for
public expenditure. Thsir necessities
Tequns them TO borrow these twenty
millions. They then pay the borrowed
money, and ibis discharge Of the debt is
twenty millions more expended, and
swells the total TO forty millions instead
Oflwehiy, although this last sum is palpa.
bly, the whole amount expended. As u
further illustration, let me suppose
case. The Senator from Kentucky EN-.
plOys an agent TO build him a house
which shOll cost ten thousand dollars,
and directs him TO borrow, the money on
he (ha SenatOI's) credit. The agent
LOrr0ws the money and builds tho house,
and afterwards discharges the debt from
the proceeds of The Senator's estate.
What would be thCught Of his justice, il
the Senator we're 10 brand this agent
with exiravagance, and say, you have ex.
pended twenty thousand dollars Of my
money when authorized you TO expenI
but tent You have first paid out Ten
thousand dollars in the erection Of my
house; and, shameful exhavagOnCe! you
have sqsndeEed ten thousand dollars
more In disChaTging the deb. which al.
ihOTzed you TO contract. And yet this
10 the measure Of justice which the Sem.
tor would apply to The present President
Ofihe United States % The agent of The
people.
Nov. fortunately for this country, nei.
ihrT the present nor any future President
0f the United States can be justly charg-
ed with extTavaganl expenditures, Cx.
cept Ia few cssef, should COngreFS do
their duty. Under the Constitution, not
one dollar Of public money can ever be
drawn from The Treasury, "but in con-
sequence appropriations made by Law" ;"
In most instances, Congress appropTiates
the precise sum which, undsr existing
laws, Is required for each special purpose
and the Secretary Of the Treasury mere.
lyPaJs out these sums as their agent.-l
Neither he nor the President can make
these payments either greater or less
Since the origin Of the Government, the
public Treasury has been protected by
tbts constitutional gusrd.
But the present Administration have
done more than al their predecessors 10
Becnfe The po6lir money in the hands Of
onT receiving and discussing agents.
Hitherto, whilst the poor wretch. wbo