Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-02-20

it necessary to create debt by the issue OF treasury
Notes. and afterwards, as this debt was discnai
they are again charged the second time Win inc
amount paid Ia the public creditors. According 10 ms
mode of stating the account, an Administrator -
first charged with, shall say, twenty millions oil ao-
lars for public expenditures. Their necessities require
them to borrow these twenty millions. lhev urn
pay tho borrowed money, and this discharge OF tne
debt is twenty millions more expended, ana s~eHs
the total forty millions instead Of twenty, although
this last sum is papably the whole amount expenaeu
AS further illustration, let suppose case ne
Senator from Kentucky employs agent 10 bu'id MN
house which shall cost ten thousand dollars and Oh,
reefs him 10 borrow the money his (the Senator -
credit. The agent borrows the money and builds the
house. and afterwards discharges the debt from the pro-
cceds of the Senator's estate. What would be thousht
Of his Justice if the Senator to brand this agent
with extravaganza and say, you have EXPENDED twenty
thousand dollars of my money when authorized you
to expend but ten: You have first paid out ten thou,
sand dollars in the erection ofmy house; and shameful
extravagance YOU have squandered ten thousand DOL.
lars more in dscharging the debt which authorized
YOU to contract And yet this is the OF justice
which the Senator would apply to the present presI-
dent of the United States the agent Of the people
Now. fortunately for this country, neither the pre-
sent or any future President of the United States can
be Justly charged with eStravagant expenditures, ex-
cept in few cases should Congress do their duty Un
der the Constitution not one dollar OF public money can
ever be drawn from the Treasury, SHUT in consequence
of concentrations made by law In most instances,
Congress appropriaes the precise sum, which, under
existing laws required for each special purpose and
the Secretary of the Treasury merely pays out these
sums as their agent Neither he the President can
make these payments either greater or less Since the
origin Of the Government, the public Treasury has
been protected by this constitutional guard.
| But the present Administration have done more than
all their predecessors to the public money III the
hands Of receiving and dshurs;ng agents 1iiher-
10 whilst the poor wretch who stole five dollars to
/ ba nj doomed
ientiary the public officer who squnndered the public
money entrusted To his care, or fed with il to foreign
country, was held to have committed mere breach Of
trust, and escaped without any punishment whatever
The much abused Independent Treasury law, which IS
now about to be repealed, the first act Of legisa
ton who ever inflicted any punishment upon public
officers for plunderIng the public money. Under ITS
provisions such crime made felony; and the culprit
is consigned the four walls of the penltenary, in
stead OF being sent mission to London or Paris. to
reyel in luxury there the spos of the public and TO
enjoy The pleasures Of good society," But the decree
has gone FORTH and this law to be repealed by the
new Administration
The President of the United States can only be
guilty of extravaganza by recommending and by in
huencng his rencs in Congress TO adopt useless and
extravarant projects not necessary for the public good
or where from The nature Of the case, general APP
preparation must be made to accomplish particular
pu pose, by not applying this money, necessarily sub
scted to his discretion with wise and proper economy
Administration by any reasonable rule which they
please and ascertain whether any of them could have
been avoided. There they are spread upon the record
of the American Senate in the report OF the Secretary
of the Treasury, and there they have been since
MAY last subject TO the inspection and scrutiny Of each
American Senator and what has been the result: At
this late pcrod after the Presidential election has been
decided the Senator from Kentucky now for the first
time macs four specific charges of extravaganza. II
we were even to admit that these specifications all
i - h. rlarn
in the expenditure Of many millions the research
and ingenuity of gentlemen could discover but four
small and comparatively inconsIderabe items TO which
they can object There is other nation the face
of the earth which could present such spectacle in the
administration of its finances, and with these be
mshcs if they existed, it would be the glory Of our
country TO lie able to present such an account. II
would be conclusive evidence ofhc regard for law and
the morality which prevails amongst US.
After this report had been thus subjected TO the
deal Of these gentlemen for the greater part OF year.
| the Senator confines himself To specification OF
only four particulars, in which he alleges the Govern
ment have been guilty Of extravaganza. II can de-
monstratc, as believe can, that he has been mis-
taken in each Of these particulars then the friends oil
the present Administration will indeed have cause Tor
connratulatlon and triumph.
The Senator'S first specification is that the Admins
| traiion had brought mounted volunteers all the way
from Missouri 10 the Florida war, when men IN abund-
ance might have been obtained from the ncighborng
States much less EXPENSE and that instead Of trans
porting these volunteers from Missouri to Florida by wa
ter useless expense incurred in sending them over
land. Three hundred was the whole number Of these
Missouri volunteers as ] have been informed by the
highest official authority at the proper Department And
to what then, does this whole charge OF extravaganza
against The Administration amount: To the excess Of
what would cost TO transport three hundred men from
Missouri 10 Florida above the cost of transporting the
same number of men from Georgia, Alabama, or Ken
lucky The difference of price is the whole sum and
substance Of the Senator'S first charge OF extrava-
gance. have been also informed, from the same au-
horty that these did not march over land through
Kentucky as the Senator supposes but were unior-
tunately transported by water from ST. Louis TO Flori-
da. The consequence was, that they encountered a
in the Gulf of Mexico and many of their horses
were lost. Happy, indeed, therefore, would II have
been for them If this portion Of the Senator'S charge
had been we'll founded, and if they had marched over
land.
But why did the Secretary of War resort 10 Missouri
for these volunteers Was it because he had not entire
confidence in the patriotism and courage OF the men Of
| Georgia, Alabama, and Kentucky, No, sir, not al all
But il suggested the Secretary, that the frontier
men of Missouri-the hunters and rappcrs Of the tai
West, who had been accustomed TO Indian war; were
better acquainted with the character and habits OF oul
savage foe, and would for this reason be more efficient
than equally brave soldiers who had not the same expe
rience. 1t was believed that these frontier men would
be skfu in penetrating the everglades of Florida and
discovering the Indians in their hdins.naccs
In the days of the Indian wars of Kentucky, the
Kentuckans probably the best Indian fighters n
the world But those days have fortunately long since
passed away; and you must now go further West fol
men Of experience in this particular mode OF warfare
Considering how army had been batlied by the Flo
rida Indians II might have been wise, and believe y
was wsc 10 accept the services Of these Missourans
and the conduct of this brave band with the lanenct
Col Gentry at their head proved that the Secretary was
not mistaken either in their skill or courage. Some
forty fifty Of them lost their lives in battle and ye
the charge is that their transportation from ST. Louis
to Florida had cost the Government more than 1t would
have done 10 transport the number OF men from
Lexington Nashville. This 10 truly grave and Sc
rious accusation.
| can inform the Senator in what manner presume
his mistake originated in regard 10 the marching OF the
Missouri volunteers through kentucky. Although
they did not march through Kentucky, as the second
regiment Of dragons did and he must have mistaken
the for the other. And why this regiment
marched 10 Florida land, and not transported BY
water 1t not done to exPcnd but 10 save money
They thus transported themselves, and therefore, the
/ flp of fhpI tran