The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-06-09

ruin, by refusing such appropriations In either case,
they must encounter blame from the Democrats, for q
| they make appropriations they will be charged with
extravaganza and il they do not make them, they will
be charged with violating their duty and negecng the
public service; the difficulty of their position has been
aggravated by the fact that in the closing year OF the
last Administration, all those establishments oil the
Government, and the appropriations for them, had
been cut down to the point OF existence ITSELF
From extreme reckless extravaganza, Congress
had proceeded to rush into the opposite extreme OF
reckless retrenchment They seemed now resolved
| to compel the Government to scud before TINS tenn
pest OF reduction under bare poles extIavasahce
was bad, but demolition is worse thousand times-
II was vain for gentlemen to think oil escaping the
responsibility of power-they need not expectH iiucy
chose to look at these questions IN party point %
view, OF two alternatives they must chose INA. "c,,
while il was demanded by their public duty, would
be in its results the least injurious to them as party
For, if by refusing the necessary appropriations Tor
the Army and Navy, they suffered these to be broken
down. and the public establishments to fall into d.
lapdation and decay, they would enable their oppo-
nents before long to say to the People, see all the
institutions of the country are ruined and destroyed
by the msrule of the Whgsn
II was not merely IN the naval and military appro-
praons that this spirit of reckless retrenchment had
been shown by the House--it was the same IN the
civil and diplomatic appropriations True, the d.
pomac corps had by the blessing OF God, got clear
from the hands of demolition but vast number of
necessary civil appropriations yet remain to be acted
on by the House. The friends OF the Administration
had compelled to resort to the last necessity of
a storm tossed ship, that of throwing overheard half
the cargo to save the ship and all on board from
laundering in this gale of mistaken economy. For
all the contingencies of the Departments had been
struck out with the civil appropriation bill, and
whether they would now pass at all, who could say
In like manner large number of the appropriations
for clerks had been struck out of the same bill, be-
cause there were not two laws to be shown Tor them
They had the sanction of law for was not
an act of appropriation the law of the land but
because there was not permanent statute prescrlb-
ing separately their number designations and service
they had been thrown out and in consequence, there
were many clerks who had been doing duty in the
Department faithfully for five MONTHS and were not
yet paid dollar. The prostration of the Army and
Navy was of piece with all the rest OF these pro-
ceedngs of the House.
MIR, G. said the of the House reminded him
of the language Of Regan and Gonerl in Shakspeares
immortal play
Con. WHAT fifty followers
Is it not welli What should you need Of more
Yea, or so many Sth that both charge and
danger
Speak against so great number.
LEAR What must come to you'
With five and twenty, Regan said you so'
REGAIN. And speak it again, my Lord; no more
with me.
GoNERIL. Hear me, my Lord
What need you five and twenty ten five
REGAN. What need one?
Mr.. C. said that the Language of portion of the
Democrats in the House, and of portion of the
Wings on the other hand, in their treatment of the
Army and Navy resembled that of the unflial Co
nerl and Regan towards their il-used father. The
gentleman from North Carolina (Nlr. Stanly asks
me who is to be the Cornelia here trust that he
and will be associated tog, ther this question in
performing that part towards the Government.
MIR. e. said he aware that this movement to
reduce both the Army and Navy was connected with
the Tariff question: and that there under cur
rent # this kind, impeed in part by unwngness to
honestly inquirng what the wants of the Government
the state OF the country, and the patriotic feelings OF
the People demanded and then providing the means
to meet this gent men reversed the case and, like
the arch-temper in the fable, spe the words of duty
backwards, preresoving that they would not raise a
revenue and then setting themselves to work to cut
down the nat ons deiences and the civil service in
order to hide all appearance OF the real necessity for
revenue
Mr. c. insisted that it was not only wrong in itself
to cripple the Government in order to save money,
but, in fact, no money would be saved by such a
course it was not economy, but must ultimately
turn out to be the most wasteful extravaganza. If
gentlemen humble the Nation before foreign govern
ments; if they said to Great Britain, they would,
in effect say, by disbandng the Army and dsmantling
the Navy, you may strike us, you may spit upon u.s.
you may trample in the dust, but we shall not re-
sent it, for afraid to take the responsibility of
u
frenzy of retrenchment and reform, to which we are
willing to sacrifice both Army and Navy Must not
the degradation, humiliation and disgrace in for
egn relations which such state of facts would in
yolve produce eventually an irrlaton'of the public
mind rendering war but the more probable In the
end If, on the contrary, we took dignied posi-
ton towards Great Britain, as one great Power to
another equal to equal, demanding Of her all that
our honor and our rights might require, would not
that be the most likely way secure respectful treat
ment and establish lasting peace'
In this view OF the subject the present course of
the House seemed to him anything buttrue economy
Besides did not gentlemen perfectly well kno
that if they press this thing far there must of
cessity, come tremendous reaction Gentlemen in
this whirlwnd of radicalism, called retrenchment,
and of destruction christened reform, might reduce
every item of public expenditure to the last possible
minimum. They might run horizontal section through
the entire expenses of the Government and with a
laudable impartality of demolition, cut of, blow
whatever branch of the public raised its head
above the dead level Of their ideas; but all of
sense and experience could but be perfectly well
that terrible and destructive reaction be
the inevitable consequence Not only must the pre-
dilapidaons OF the public service he paid for and
far more money be needed hereafter than if the SER
vice had been properly supplied now but, in addition
to this the people would not bear this general over
throw OF the Government There vitality in
the institutions of the country which would resist and
repe -there would be a renovation restoration of
all that had been thrown down-the public indgna-
ton would clear away the chaos Of ruins which this
Congress was heaping around US, and rebuild in their
place greater and more magnificent creation.
This operation would show how much easier
thing it was TO pull down than to build up again
The Army, the Navy, and all the other fixed esta.
blishmens of the public service, like beautiful
and outrageous tree which any careless hand might
lay low in few minutes, whilst long years elapse
before another trunk OF the vigor and strength
could grow up in its place. Gentlemen acted as if
they supposed themselves to WELD the power of Omn-
potence and might, in this hour of caprice destroy all
the public establishments, and hereafter, when the day
of need come they had but to say let it be- and every
thing would be restored at to its pristine pefec
ton but this was impossible, and so they would find
it. He washed his hands now once and for ALL of all
part lot in this work of demolltien and DISTINCTION