The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-07-11

bill which reported from ttse Military Committee oil
the Senate during the provide clothing
for volunteers IN the service OF the United otes Is IN
| every sense UNJUST"
Adjutant General Jones, Ian honest whig who IN the
discharge OF his official duties knows no party) says III
a letter to Governor Fetch and myself
at certainly unjust attribute TO General Cass any
agency in constituting the last OF Congress IN any way
prejudcial to the volunteers; and may add wen know
that his always liberal and that he would he the
last advocate any measure which had Tor It's ooscf e
| reduction Of their pay and alotodnees
Sir close this part of my remarks with commenting
the of the latter gentleman one OF ms own party
to the attention of the member from Pennsylvania and
advise him hereafter to initiate IT.
The gentleman from PeDnsy charges that the
penses Of the government under Mr. Polk have run up
to 500 100000 year intending to convey the idea that
such has been and would be- the annual expenditures OF
sr what are the facts fhe expenditures for the fiscal
year ending June 80, 1915, exclusive OF the public
debt, only 1921 ,s9536o 81 those OF ls45-46, $264ls
459 SO; those of ls4647, during the war; 53,sOl,-
500 81 and now that the is over, they Will not pro-
badly exceed 900 annually How can It be pos
sbe then that he should gravely state to this House, IN
another portion of his remarks, that the President and
his party could take sixty millions OF dollars year into
Mexico' Does he not know that the ordinary expendi
lures OF the government during war could not pc less
appropriation made, l$53s0l,569 SD at least one-thd
and perhaps one-half, expended in this country
This be ascertained to common certainty by aPpi-
cation the proper sources OF information but my estl
mate believe closely approximates to the true amounts
expended here and there
Again he says, ''Mr Polk had found 81 900, 900
of debt, and had run up to 100000 900 OVER
Now sir, if correctly informed the national debt, at
the expiration of the fiscal year ending June &c. s4s
did not exceed but fraction 65 000 and of the
SIG 000 loan, not cent has been expended and it
altogether probable that IT will nearly f not alb
the contingencies of the But why does the gentle
man object SO strongly to national debt! Is it not the
opinion of his party that national debt is national
blessingH We certainly should Judge so, from their
Legislative conduct and from the tendency of their
ures.
e.. L.
marks against this administration in regard to the
Der of collection districts and has parallel be-
tween the receipts and expenditures OF those districts
to which desire to advert This charge was made
against Mr. Van Burens administration, in the famous
canvass OF 1910; and when the wings got into power
they appear to have forgotten that it had been men
toned during the campaign; for, SO far as can learn
they attempted to remedy the evil, (f it
evil) but permitted it to remain untouched. This shows
one Of two things; either that they did not the
corruption in the system OF collecting the of the
government after as before the election, they
willing to give countenance to subserve party purposes
The collection districts to which the gentleman alluded
ALL believe in existence at that tme and perhaps
that gentleman could give good reason for their
tention. Those who make this charge appear be
of the fact, that of collection districts
which but little revenue collected, important the
government protecting the from fraud, sup
pressing smuggling and giving facilities to coasing
trade and the between the States But sir is
not strange that the gentleman from Pennsylvania, who
has been here for the last terms, should have
brought this subject before to our attention. and more
especially when his party has the ascendency in this
House, and the Committee Commerce, to which APP
propatey belongs, is composed OF five wings and four
bers would most cheerfuly consider any proposition
that might be referred to them would appeal to the
gentleman from Massachusetts, [Mr GRINNELL,l than
whom man in this House is thoroughly &C
quanted with commercial affairs, and inquire of him
whether he believes any OF these custom houses, &C.,
can be properly dispensed with
Mr.. GRINNELL made no reply.
Mr.. McCLELLAND proceeded. If the complaint of the
gentleman from Pennsylvania be well founded, why has
not the committee taken charge of the subject, and in
Gus! On the contrary, they have introduced bills for
several new collection districts. which predict will
supply to support them No sautary retrenchment can
be made until our laws relating commerce and naviga
ton revised, modified and the entire system remod
is not the work of day With this view introduced
during the last Congress, resolution, which sub
med to the Committee on Commerce. and reported
upon favorably; but after it had passed, was, up
on motion of my friend from Philadelphia, [Mr. J. r.
lNGERsoLL, without any intention his part to defeat
it, reconsidered in order TO permit him to amend
TO revision of all our laws and the resolution
them account of the magnitude OF the design,
fortunately laid the table, 'to sleep the sleep that
knows no waking" When was a member of the Com
mttee Commerce, introduced bill regulating the
compensation of collectors and other officers of the
toms, which became law, and which has saved the
friend from North Carolina Mr.. MCKAY has, for seve
raj years. been aborng reduce the expenses of collect
ing the revenue; and Mr.. Walker; SSecreary of the
suggestions and those of my friend from North Carolina
adopted by the Committee OF Ways and Means and
the aggregate amount has been reduced from GIT
So, 1857 and ~ O90,96, in 1S47's, TO $4,000
in lS4S'9 Does this look like disposition in the dem
ocratc party to throw any obstacles the way of sau
| tary retrenchment and refom' VIII the gentleman
please show any such indication his side of the House
unless it is just before some important election.
Gentlemen had complained of the extravaganza of this
administration but in all cases fail to give the items
1t is easy thing to make sweeping declarations and ma
ked assertions but far difficult to specify and par
ticularize. The gentleman from Pennsylvania takes us
back to the presidency of John Quincy Adams and with
try, its Territories, its trade commerce, business of all
MISREPRESENTATION rejecting that it has become one of
the greatest natiOns all respects in the word-cen
Mr. Polk and the democratic party for not reducing
all national expenditures to those of Mr. Adams's ad
mnisraton Sir, il your party sincere in these COM
plants, and you really honest in your professions,
(when you talk as the gentleman from Pennsylvania
does) let ask why you did not apply the knife in 1871
-'42, when you had the power! Why did you increase
them far beyond those of MIR. Adams's administration
and of subsequent administrations!
In ls4 the expenditures exclusive OF the public debit
were $26,l96,S4O 30
| In 1912 "a 1861 1896 so
You then were hurled from power and the democratic
party succeeded and look at the difference in so short
| period
| The expenditures the time of commencing the fiscal
year having been changed from LIST January to july
were, Tor SIX months in ls43 sos go
| In lS43-M 20,650,lOS OIL
| In lS44-45 81 ,S95,369 81
Is not, then, really amusing, here where we know
each other and where the of each is closely OBJ
served to hear the wings lecture upon reenchmen and
reform Does not your party, party, vote almost
invariably for the largest appropriations whether in n,b