Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1842-05-06


tation, that he reduced the expenditures
Of that year 10 S22,50O,OO0. And
how did be do it? the fact was advert
ed 10 by my friend from Maine. (Mr. Ev.
ANS, but he did not call the attention of
tie senate 10 the different laws by which
1t was done. By letter from the Secre.
tary of the Treasury, dated 81 Septem.
Der, 1910, after the annual approprIa-
tions had been m de by Congress for the
public service, it appears that he came,
not TO Congress, bot to the Committee
of Ways aad Means, and asked them to
postpone enough Of what had been &C.
tuaIly appropriated as indispensable for
The service Of the year, to avoid the ere.
alton of a deficit 10 the Treasury. They
had expended all their means, wasted
pnd laVished away all the public money
that they could get into their possession
and, still apprehendlng deficiency if
the public wants were provided for, no
comes and begs for temporary post.
ponement Of upwards Of Two millions OF
dollars; and the President was sccor.
dingIy authorized to postpone the ex>
penditure S2,2O0,0O0 of the regular an
nuaI appropriations. 1t is easy to see
how the expedilures were reduced; by
the worst Iexpedient that ever was resoN Il.
ted to, aud such as the records OF no
other government on earth can show -
an expedient which | hope will never
be reSorted to again. The approPria.
ting power entrusted 10 Congress by
the Constitution had been regularly ex-
erted; the annual appropriations, in con
formity TO estimates from the Execu-
tive department, had been discussed f.
agreed upon; and then, power new
and unknown, dispensing power, was
put into the hands of the President to
set aside at his discretion the action OF
the laws. Here Mr., Clay read from
the acts Of 1910 The extraordinary au'
thority vested in The President Of tie
United States to postpone large appro.
prIalions jus! made tor the military SER
vice aDd for fortifcations, If the exigen
cies Of the Treasury required it. -
Thus it ia seen that the boasted reduc.
ton Of the expenditure to twenty two
and a half millions was effected not
by any real Ietrenchmenl, but by a
postponement Of objects of high national
imporlance-a postponement which de-
volved on the new Administration the
performance Of public duties which had
been shameGuIIy neglected by their
predecessors. And This very burden
so cast upon the present Administration
is the pretexI for charge Of an extra
ordinary amount Of appropriations fol
the year 1871.
The colorado cause for the postpone
ment among other things, was assigned
to be an apprehension that the United
States Bank of Pennsylvania might moi
pay its debt to Government; but there
had been aud was in fact no failure or
the part OF that institution TO meet al
her engagements 10 Government, (Gor
with all the sins that rest upon heI
head, and Heavens knows there are
enough Of them, she owes this Govern
mcnt nothing. unless i! be the amour
of damages on the protested bills, which
claim is still in dIspute) yet the Presi
dent is authorized TO suspend all the
appropriations tor the erection of bar
racks. for the manufacture OF arms, fo
the completion O( the lortIfcations. ant
for the purchase OF ordinance and mill
tary stores! What amount was actual
Is postponed | am not able to say, bu
as The total amount is stated al $4,000,
900, | suppose he went 10 the full exten
Of his authority.
| GMr. WOODBURY.. The State bank
have not paid all they owe the Govern
ment 10 this day.
Mr. CLAY. Ay, and how much ia i
they owe2
Mr. WooDBURy. One hundred thou
sand dollars A laugh
Mr.. CLAY. All! The money appro
priated was not TO be paid ill NoVem
ber or December, and so the article
were selected which could best bear
be rcss,,ppGcaed The amount Of $1,000
. 900 which should have been expende
in August was postponed by the Exc
cutive prefogative liII November, bt
} the Administration knew the seaSo
would then be so late that the contract
| could not and would not be made.
. Ii comes after all to this that $4,000
! 600 might be postponed that the Unite
+. States Bank OF Pennsylvania did pay u
d all its debl; and that still tho expendi
2 ture Of the money was put off TO a per
/. cd so late as rendered it certain that
, could not be made use of during tht
y fiscal year, If the $bG0O,OO0 pos
i poned be added to the Senator'S est
mate Of twenty-five and half milior
!. of actual expenditure, the SO much vaun
o ed retrenchment Of the Senator and h
# Administration during the year 1874
when so many powerful motives comb