Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1847-01-28
ST A q 81 IN @ Nss
THURSDAY, JANUARY %, ls47.
sKULKING FROM RESPONSIBILITY

We have known more palpable instance OF
unmany kulkng from responsibility than has been ex
hibitcd by the of the present dominant party in
Congress. The Executive Of their choice has plunged
the Country in a with Mexico, which has already
cost MILLIONS poLLARs.-The Chairman
of the Committee Of Foreign Affairs in the Senate who
from his confidential and intimate relations with the
State Department and the President ought to know
what are the views oil the Government, told the Senate
the other day that the war had but just begun,
ing thereby, that ii would probably continue long time
1t is TO be presumed therefore, that the sums already
expended but tre TO what are TO follow; yet in
the lace OF these facts not single measure has been
adopted, initiated, in Congress to supply trea
sury already dependent loans the means to pay
its daily expenses. MIR. Polk has recommended ia
riff on the articles which duty free, but his
call has been UNDECIDED by the House Of Representa-
tvcs, in which there is Democratic majority of sixty
Mr. WALKER, the Secretary of the Treasury TO be
little more specific than Mr. POLK required that
should be laid on tea and coicc.Hs rcquisition too
was treated with silent contempt. After the lapse of
some weeks he wrote to the Chairman of the Commit
tee of Ways and Means, urging him bring the tea
and coffee tax to the attention Of the Committee and
assured him that, without such tax, it would be i'm
possible for him TO negotiate loan carry the war
It'll this official and emphatic declaration the head
oil the financial department before them, Resolution
was offered in the House of Representatives and car
RED by decisive vote oil more than two TO one, affirm
ing the very opposite of MIR. PoLK's and MIR. WALK
ERs declaration TO be true, viz that is NOT cxpcd-
cnt TO levy duty tea and coffee Here we have
the Democratic President and Secretary of the Treasu
ry maintaining proposition be true, and the Demo.
cratic House of Representatives resolving it to be false
and thus the stands Nothing has been done to
increase the revenue, and Congress within five
weeks OF its adjournment Ten new rrpinc,ts ,ro
about TO be raised for the war, and thousand new cx
pcnscs are TO be incurred and nothing is done TO
meet them as they accrue. They have borrowed TEN
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS and they are about to borrow
TwESTH-ThREE MILLIONS more, but where is the pro
vision for the payment of these or any other
traordnary expenses?
To the unnitiatod, this line of policy must seem very
strange, but TO those who have watched the dcy ous
course OF the Democratic party days that have past
the solution OF the matter is very obvious Iey mean
to shk from tie responsibility Of laying ne,p tares 10
meet The expenses ,chich their folly has brought on the
Country! They know that in the next House of Re-
representatives. there will be majority of Wings and
mey mean to ledce The JTthen and The odiun of La,ine
"etc tdres on them They have declared the war ::
they have incurred the debts and they intend to throw
the responsibility the Wings of raising the means 70
pay them Then they will shout at the very ton of
theii Enthusiastically how oppressive is the policy of
inc w h'Ss! see now they grind the faces of the Pco-
pie by new and odous taxes, The Democrats laid no
new taxes TO carry the war;! Why should the
Wings do so,"
Unair-nay, dishoncst-as this course is il is pre-
ciscly the policy which pursued by the Democra
tic party in Congress the close OF Mr. VAN BuRENs
Administration. Finding that the election of Novem-
Der 1910, had gone against them, they went incur
ring debt upon debt and making appropriation after ap-
preparation, when there nothing in the Treasury
TO meet them, and the rcvcauc near ten millions
less than the ordinary current expenses of the Govern
mcnt! When the Wings into power they had
TO enact new Tariff to increase the permanent rcye-
nuc, and borrow money TO meet pressing demands and
maintain the credit of the Government and forthwith
the welkin rung with denunciations If the Wings for
mourning national debt, and imposing heavy burthcns
on the People,
Let the public bear this prediction in mind and let
the result show whether have not correctly fore
shadowcd the policy of the majority of the present
House OF Representatives If their future action shall
shcw that we have done them injustice, shall be
most happy TO make every reparaton power bu,
1t our prophecy shall be fulfilled believe that all no.
nest men will concur in the opinion, that no language
can express the dctcstaton and contempt which should
be felt for such miserable system of iuegcry and fraud