Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1843-04-20
RICHMOND ENQUIRER.

This print assails the statements of Mr.. STUART
on the subject of the Government expenses, and
charges him with sowing ''his misrepresentation
broadcast" Now let us see how this is.
MIR. Stuart states in his address that he "was
ian ardent supporter of those measures of reform
switch reduced the expenditures of the Govern
"ment from annual average of Thirty-fiv mil
"lions, during the last Administration, to a little
'"over Sixteen Millions for the current year."
But the Enquirer asserts that ''the expenditures
"under Mr.. Van Buren's Administration were
''brought down from Thirty-one Millions in 1887,
"to Twenty two Millions in l94O''-and asks
"W here then, are the Thirty-fve Millions2"
Let the records speak: There were expended
during the four years Of Mr.. Van Buren's Admin
straton the following sums:
In 1887, S37 ,265,O37
1888, 39,455,43S
1889, 37,l29,39
1910, 2S,226,533
! Making an average of Thirty-fve Millions, Five
Hundred Thousand Dollars, annually.
But again-The Enquirer says the expenditures
in lS4l amounted to Twenty-sx Millions-[It
does not tell us though that the money was APP
propriated by Van Buren, Congress]-an in
| 1912, that they were near twenty-five Millions.
''Where them" it asks, most insidiously, "are the
"Sixteen Millions" Mr. Stuart vauntingly re-
fers to-" We will tell the Enquirer. 1t was the
expenses of ''Ae current gear that Mr.. Stuart
spoke of, and which may be verified by the abb
stract of the appropriations made by Congress,
which has been published by the Clerk of the
House of Representatives. The Enquirer, how
ever, we see makes the expenditures for the
six months ending 30th June, 1913, and for the
fiscal year closing June 30, 1914, taken together,
AMOUNT to Ss9.2I4iHs =! l., I'm. iii; = 70 dom"
expenses for the eighteen months. Then has
there not been reduction, great reduction, we
ask any candid man, in the expenditures of the
Government ! 1t must be recollected too, that
there has been large addition to the ordinary ex-
penses this year in carrying into effect the
treaty with Great Britain, SC.
But again-"From Wing official documents
(says the Enquirer sit appears that at the end of
"Mr. Van Buren's Administration, the public
'debt amounted to S7,4so, 500 Is, and on the 18th
"February, ls43, (under Wing Reform,>it a.
amounted to the small and reduced sum of S27,-
"399.22l 65." And adds, "Are not these facts
o'iooS" W oPoh tho oJeS Vi Tree dHu nOneSt
''voters of the Shenandoah District, to the "Re-
''publican" claims of Mr.. Stuart upon :her sup
''port9"
Here indeed we have the unfarness and misrep-
resenta,lon of the Enquirer, made most palpabe.
MI Chas. }. lngersoll, one Of the Enquirer's own
party, in an address to his constituents, admitted
that the Van Buren, debt was Twenty-tco millions
but Mr.. Merrriwether. of Georgia, in his re-
port Chairman of the Committee upon Public
expenditures, during the winter of Is4I-42, made
it more than Twenty-four Millions. Yet, for
sooth, according to the Enquirer, because the
"hig Congress borrowed money to pay off the
needy creditors Of the Government, they made the
debt! Verify we can see neither the logic nor
morality of this; and if the people can be imposed
upon by such low arts, then indeed may we "give
up the ship