Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1842-02-19
THE EIGHTH WEEK OF THE SEES
SION

IHE EIGHTH WEEK OF THE SES-
SION
has been consumed, in the House of Repre-.
sentatives, with the exception Of Satur-
day. in proceedings and debates of such a
character as it has given US unmixed pain
to be obliged to report TO our readers, and
upon which, the subject yet depending, we
forbear for the present any other remark,
than that the shortest possible way will, be-
yond all question, be the best way in which
the subject of debate can be disposed Of
Much, however, as there has been to de-
precate in the tone and temper of the de-
bates of one branch of Congress, the last
week has yet been the most fruitful of the
session. The debate in the Senate, for the
most part on both sides learned and able,
terminating, as it did, in decision sustain
ing the Bankrupt Law passed at the late
Session, was worthy employment of the
time of that body, and the issue one, in our
opinion, corresponding to the purpose, for
which that branch of the Government was
established, of giving character of stabil-
ity and consistency to the National Legisla-
ton.
The final passage, in the House of Repre-
sentatives, on Saturday, of the bill to au-
thorize a reissue of Treasury notes, to an
amount not exceeding five millions of dol
lars, is the first step taken by Congress at
this Session towards providing the ways
and means for the support of Government
for the year 1912, in addition to such reve-
nue. as the reduced imposts will yield
Though it is most seriously to be regretted
that some such measure was not carried
through five or six weeks ago, as it might
readily have been, and doubtless would
have been had Congress realized the urgen-
cy of the occasion for it, it cannot but be
subject of congratulation among our read
ers that, by this measure, the Treasury is re-
stored to state of solvency.
The reader will not fail to remark, in look
ing over the Yeas and Nays in the House
of Representatives, with what reluctance
the Wings, even under the pressure of ne
cessity hardly to be resisted, assented to this
the friends of the late Administration voted
in mass against grantingit. The reluctance
Of the. former is easily accounted for, because
they were always heretofore opposed to the
issue of Treasury Notes. The opposition
of the latter to providing the means of sup
plying a deficiency in the revenue created
by the reckless experiments and profuse ex-
penditures of the two last Administrations,
is not to be accounted for upon any princi-
pie that we can understand, unless, that,
having brought the Treasury into its pres
ent predicament by their own errors, they
are, out of mere mischief, determined that
those errors of theirs shall be made to con-
tribute as much as possible to the embar-
rassment of their successors in the Cover
ment Should that be the game of the par
ty, we must not be surprised to see them
lay at the door of the WHIGs the debt which
they have left as a charge upon the Treasu-
ry, and which. as far as their votes are con-
cerned. they will lend no aid 20 provide for
the payment of. An indication of such a
design is indeed given by their organ in
this city, which represents the provision,
by reissue of Treasury Notes, for pay
ing claims arising out of their acts, as being
"the first earnest of the promised retrench-
ment of the Wing Administration"
Yes! Such is the party cry, in defiance Of
the facts, that, during period of profound
peace, comprising the four years of the ad-
ministration of the Van Buren, party, when
amounted to tlcenty-one millions of dollars a
NCuI. lllC dCtudl SADclSSS Vi
the Government amounted to nearly t,Uenty-
eight millions of dollars year; thus absor-
bling, in four years, not only the entire re-
venues of the Government, but also the ac-
emulation of revenue of previous years
amounting on the first of January, 1887,
exclusive of the moneys distributed to the
States0 to something like eighteen millions
of dollars-and entailing, besides, debt
upon the country to the amount of the out
standing Treasury Notes, added to many
millions of unexecuted appropriations. In
the face of such facts, it is marvel to US
how respectable men can keep their coun-
tenances when pretending to hold this Ad-
ministration responsible for the debt which
they contracted when in power, and which
they left, when they went out of power
upon the rule, we suppose, of "the ID take
the hindmost"-to be paid by any body that
would.--NatI. Intelhgencer, Feb !.
II may seem right.-lt may seem right to
man, to attempt to obtain livelihood
,a,;,bnt c,,J A.