Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1843-04-06

II 10 unpleasant 10 nnd IN pUIificat OPP
lponent, or in any one else, dislngenu.
BUSINESS in statements of facts. Such
perversions are pitiful subtefluges; they
depend for their effect on the ignorance
Of men, they must stand exposed sooner or
later TO the view Of all who prize honesty
or possess intelligence; they are resoried
TO only by such as feel the want Of better
mesns Of exculpation.
Some Of the Van Buren, journals are
asking "Who are The Piunderers ?"--snd
they are answering the question 10 a man.
ner to suit themselves. the Richmond En-
quirer publishes an article from the Nash
vile Union, and commends it TO parficu-
lar attention, with view OF showing that
! the Wings are the authors Of the great
bulk Of the existing debt Of the Govern
meni. Statements marked "ofIiciai," and
signed by IT. l.. Smith, Register" ar.
submitted, one 10 show the amount Of pub
lie deb. on the 4ih March, 1871, and an
other to show the amount on the 18th Of
February, 1s43.
BY the first it is made 10 appear that
on Mr.. Van Burcn's retirement from Of
fee the public debt was in all 81 $50 .692
of which The chief item was for Treasu.
ry notes. By the other statement It is
made to appear that the public debt on the
18Th Of February, ls43, was S27,3S9..
223. Ii 8 then said, There can be no
mistake in the statements, fr thy en:a-
nate from no doubtful authority"
Here Then is an apparent difference in
the public indebtedness of GONE twenty
millions in the course of two yenrs. The
| Wings have been in the majority in Con-
gress during that time. Mark the grave
competency with which Wing .xttava-
gance is condemned in The article above
mentioned.
at is moment VIXEN we are at peace
with all nations; aud yet we have been
running in debt at the rate Of ten millions
a year. Who are the piunderers The
President cannot spend a dollar of the
public money unless II is FIRST appropriate
ed by Congress he cannot even draw his
own salary--sohe cannot be charged with
the offence. Who then Look into the
Congress Of the Cnited States, in both
branches of which there is large modern
Wing majority, &c.
One would suppose from the air Of vIr-
tuous indignation Distinguishing this severe
lecture on Wing extravaganza, that the
writer really btliev, d there was some
truth in his inleyences and accusa,ions.-
Yet il is tiicult to imlg CINE that any we'll
informed man could have been soigDorant
of common facts as 10 be misled by the
shallow ariIfice of The twp official state
mens, from the juxta. position OF which
erroneous deductions were designed 10 be
mad. -
The amount Of Wing expenditures for
two years jus, passed may be easily as
certa'ned from the appropriations. Thos'
OF the last year, under the rigid system Of
lretrenchmcnt and .enconomy introduced
by the Wings, will scarcely exceed one
half The amount of the average annual
expenditures under Mr.. Van Buren,
Every body knows this or m4y know it.
/ But whence comes the large public
debt Of $21 ,3S9, 23l, when il IS made to
appear that the amount on Mr.. Van Blu
rem $ retirement was only S7,4SS,692 2
The explanation is easy enough il one
does not wish TO suppress il. In the stale.
ment Of the Van Buren, debt no account
is taken Of the appropriations left BY ina,
administration upprovided Tor, to be met
by the succeeding administration. These
appropriations amounted 10 about twelve
millions. Many Of them were made
rccklessly during the last session Of the
Van Buren, Congress, when II knew that
the responsibility Of meeting them would
devolve on the Wings. TIE Wings ac-
cordinely found them as obligations that
/ could not be set aside they existed by
force Of law, aad must be provided for.
Il, There we're also sums due the navy
p nsion runG fJr m. 'ney used by Govern
mcnt-su;ns due various, lad:an trib S.
sums due to Pos, Olli'c contractor m
othcrs-sums due Florida, Georgia aud
! Maine, for services OF mllitla-t the varirus
/ items amounting, together with the out.
standing Treasury notes, to twelve mil
lions NOR. The revenue, moreover, had
ucen allowed to dwinde down to an a
mount altogether inadequate to the wants
of the Treasury. For two years and
more Mr.. Van Buren, had been relying on
Treasury notes to make up the deficiency
in the annual income Of the nation
| Who does not know this? What marvel
is it then ihut the Wings were obliged to
use the same means temporarily, until
sound revenue system could be established
and made TO operate efficiently They
were obliged to borrow money, both by
way OF Treasury notes and a loan, to
meet the outstanding obligations Of the
Van Buren, administration, consisting Of
actual debt and appropriations unprovid-
ed for, and to procure the means Of sup
plying the deficiency in revenue necessa.
~ to carry on the government. When
Wing ex,ravogance is condemned hereaf-
ter let the accuser learn TO discriminate
between an inherited and created debt;
let him not mpute' the profiigacy of
previous administration to the succeeding
one that was obliged to assume the bur-
den ready prepared for its shoulders; let
him look 10 facts, and state them as they
are. If he will have the candor 10 do
thus he will be an accuser no longer
The expenditures Of the Wings are to be
ascertaned by The amount of their orn ap-