The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-06-09

the requisite appropriations of money, to sustain the
institutions Of the country and the of It's de-
fencs or TO suffer these to fall into dapidaiion and
RUN, by refusing such appropriations In either case
they must encounter blame from the Democracy Tor II
they make appropriations they will be charged WIN
extravaganza and if they do not make them, they VIII
be charged with violating their duty and negecung Inc
public service the difficulty of their position has been
aggravated by the fact that in the closing year OF he
last Administration, all those establishments OF the
Government, and the appropriations Tor them, hau
been cut down to the point of mere 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 THIS tenn
pest of reduction under bare poles extravaganza
was bad, but demolition is worse thousand times
1t vain for gentlemen to think OF escaping the
responsibility of powerfully need not expectlt they
chose to look at these questions In party point OF
view, of two alternatives they must chose that which,
while il demanded by their public duty, would
be in its results the least injurious to them as party
For II 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.
lapidaton and decay, they would enable their oPpo-
nens before long to say to the People, see all the
institutions Of the country ruined and destroyed
by the msrule of the Wings"
1t was not merely the naval and military aPpro-
priaOns that this spirit of reckless rerenchment had
been shown by the House--t was the same in the
pomatc corps had, by the blessing of God got clear
from the hands of demolition but vast number OF
necessary civil appropriations yet main to be acted
on by the House. The friends of the Administration
had been compelled to resort to the last necessity of
a storm tossed ship, that of throwing overheard half
the cargo to 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 |!
" En lar rnf
for clerks had been struck out of the same BILL be-
cause there not two laws to be shown for 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 prescrib-
ing separately their number designation and SERVICE
they had been thrown out, and in consequence there
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-
ceedIngs OF the House.
MIR. @. said the course of the House reminded him
of the language Of Regan and Gonerl in Shakspeare's
immortal play
Con- What? fifty followers
Is it not wells What should you need of more
Yea, SO many Sith 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 !?
REGAIN. What need one?
Mr.. G. said that the Language of portion of the
Democrats in the House, and OF a portion OF the
Wings the other hand, in their treatment of the
Army and Navy, resembled that of the unfilial Go
neril and Regain towards their ill-used father The
gentleman from North Carolina MIR. Stanly asks
me who is to be the Cornelia here? trust that he
nd no cd thPrO on ctiOpi in
performing that part towards the Government.
MIR. c. said he was aware that this movement to
reduce both the Army and Navy was connected with
the Tariff question, and that there under
rent IF this kind mpelled in part by unwlngness to
lay taxes and pass adequate revenue law instead OF
honestly nquiring 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-empter in the fable spet the words of duty
backwards, pre-resolyng that they would not raise
revenue, and then setting themselves to work to cut
down the nations detences and the civil service, in
order to hide all appearance of the real necessity for
revenue.
MIR. G.. insisted that it not only wrong in itself
to cripple the Government in order to money,
but, in fact, 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 disbandmg the Army and dsmantlng
the Navy, you may strike us, you may spit upon u.s.
you may trampe in the DUST but we shall not re-
sent it, for we are afraid to take the responsibility of
voting adequate taxes, or we are besotted with
frenzy of retrenchment and reform, to which
willing to sacrifice both Army and Navy. Must not
the degradation humiliation and disgrace in for
eign relations which such state OF facts would in
vove, produce eventually irritation of the public
mind rendering war but the probable in the
end If on the contrary, took dignifed posi-
ton towards Great Britain 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 to respectful treat
ment and establish lasting peace
In this view of the subject the present course of
the House seemed to him anything but true economy
Besides, did not gentlemen perfectly well know
that if they press this thing far, there must of
cessty, come tremendous reaction Gentlemen in
this whirwind of radcasm, called retrenchment
and of destruction, chrstened 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 mpartiaity of demolilion cut of, blow,
whatever branch of the public raised its head
above the dead level of their IDEAS; but all men Of
sense and experience could but be perfectly well
that terrible and destructive reaction must be
the inevitable consequence. Mt only must the pre-
daptati the public service be paid for and
far 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 a vitality in
the institutions of the country which would resist and
repel it-there would be renovation restoration of
all that had been thrown down-the public indigna-
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 es,a-
bshments of the public service, like beautiful
and outrageous tree which any careless hand might
lay low in few minutes, whilst long years must eapse
before another trunk of the same vgor and strength
could grow up in its place. Gentlemen acted if
they supposed themselves to WELD the power of Omn
potence and might in this hour of caprice, destroy all