Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1843-04-27

Ale
in reference TO the Expenditures Of tho Govern.
ment, in his Address to the Voters OF this Con-
gressional Dissrict-,hat gentleman has forward |!
cd to the Editors the following communication
for publication bat, IA time is no, now allowed
to do him full justice, through that medium, be-
fore the Election, it has been deemed exredient
to publish i, here also.]
To the Editors of the Richmond ENQUIRER
In your paper Of the l4th Instant, you have
made some comments on my address to the
people OF the 18th Congressional District, to
which beg leave to recall your attention. A.
mong other things, you say sMr. Stuart, on the
subject Of the Government expenses. sows his
misrepresentation broadcast" and to sustain
this assertion you quote the following passage
from my address Il was an ardent supporter
oil those measures of reform which reduced
the expenditures of the Government from
an annual average of THiRTY-FiV MIL
LIONS, during the late administration, to a lit
tie over SIXTEEN MILLIONS for the cur
rent year" You then add the following re-
marks -
10 show what gross injustice Nj. S. has ex-
hbted IN the above assertion, we have referred to
Official documents, and ascertain that the expeudi-
lures under MIR. Van Buren's administration were
oiouSuSuoWn hoM tlIty one ullIitOnS III 1887, to
twenty-five millions in 1910. (Where then, are
the TlIlRTY-FlVE millions y We further as
certain. that under Wing Reform" according to
the official statement Of the Register of the Treas
ury OF last February, the expenditures in 1871 "a
mounted to ttcenty-sir millions, and in 1912, to
SIXTEEN millions Mr.. Stuart vaun,ingly re-
fers toy We have also the Report of the
Clerk of the House of Representatives of the u
nlted States, giving statement of appropriations
made at the last session for the half calendar
year ending Goth June, 1913, and the fiscal year.
ending The Both June, iSii"-the last amounting
to $29,2l4,lS 7l.'
Now am one of those who entertain the
opinion that no circumstances can excuse
gentleman, whether he be a candidate for Of
nee, or an editor OF a newspaper for making
isrepresentatiOn.-Nay, / go farther, and
MAINTAIN that when man attempts TO enlielt-
en- the public mind, by an address 10 the peo-
pie: he is under peculiar obligations, not only
10 mistate nothing wilfullv, but to he certain
that he is correctly informed upon the subject
ofwhich he treats. 1t is no excuse for HIM to
say 81 was mistaken" 1t is his duty to as
certain precisely what the facts are, and mis-
take is but little less culpable than falsehood.
BY these tests am willing that you and shall
be tried, and the public may Judge which of us
mas throwE "his misrepresentation broad
cast"
In regard to the first proposition contained
III me obnoxious extract from my address, viz
that part which speaks of the "annual averaged
of the expenditures of the Government dur
ing the last administration as having been
THlRTY-FlVE MILLIONS, | beg leave to
PROFOUND to you few questions.
In the first place, ask you as fair and hon
cradle men, to say whether it does not appear
from the official table submitted 5y the Regis
ter OF the Treasury to Congress, that the total
expenditures of the Government, during the
last administration, were as follows>
In 1887, 1926 .o37 Is
1888, 39,455,d3S IS
too9, S76li 1886 Is
IS4O, 29. .533 ~
Add these sums together, and we have an ar-
gregate Of s 1,9A5:46.
Divide this aggregate by four, the number
OF years during which the administration con-
tlnued, and we have san annual average of
Soo,olo,4S5 So" 1t thus appears tils. instead
OF stating the expenses Of the Government at
too large all amount, my estimate has been
100 favourable to your party by more than
$640,o00a year.
You have been pleased to look at one
column in the table of expenditures while |
was speaking OF another. You chose to refer
to the ordinary expenditures, when was al
ludlng to the total expenditures. cannot for
moment believe that you intended to misrep-
resent me, but must be pardoned for suggest
Ing to you the propriety of hereafter seeing
that you are we'll informed yourself before
you question The accuracy of others
Let us now come to the second point in the
address TO which you take exception, viz that
the expenditures had been reduced '.to a lit
tic over SIXTEEN MILLIONS for the current
year" To sustain this statement, refer to
the following Abstract of appropriations made
at the last session of Congress, for the half
calendar year ending 30th June, lS43, and the
fiscal year ending 30th June, 1914.
"ARsTRAcT OF APPROPRIATIONS made at the last
session Of Congress for the half calendar wear
ending 30th June, 1913, and the fiscal wear end
ing 3Oth June, lS4i-that is for g months.
Civil and diplomatic, 6 months,
ending June 30, 1913, S1,S96,068 90
Civil and diplomatic, year ending
June 80, 1874, 1851 ,95a 90
mi'ita!y establishment, 4,733,l3O 90
rortncat!ons, S0S,5OO 90
Naval establishment, 9.I36.7s1 m
Indian department, 2,l0i ,2O5 90
Pensions. invalid revolutionary,
;, and widows, l.Il7,49o 90
Pensions, naval, f6,GCo co
To give effect to tho treaty with
Great Britain, 532,726 90
Improvement of the navigation Of
the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio,
:. and Arkansas rivers, =, 10000 90;
, Michigan, ., 10000 90