The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-11-28
The Deficit.

| make Tor their want OF decenCy towards
gentlemen in office, who are entitled to
some little courtesy even from the eli
cense Of opposition" We do not find
that any portion of the respectable Dem
ocratic press sympathize with their coarse
charges and venomous insinuations. 1t
seems to be reserved to the sole organ of
the Democracy at the seat of government,
to indulge in language which excludes per-
sons who employ it from the pale Of civil
lied society. If they continue to indulge
it, we hope that the Senate, so far from
receiving their advice or dictation in the
matter Of appointments, will serve all the
conductors as they formerly served one of
I them, and exclude them permanently from
the floor. 1t is strange that one of the elite
of the distinguished Democrats of Rich
mond-the personal friend of DENLY and
OsBoRNE-should not profit by the lesson
which the Senate has so recently taught
him. But there are some men who are
old without profting by their experience,
and rancorous when they have no longer
the excuse Of passion-when indeed the
only passion left is SO ardent thirst for
money, that they proclaim their desire to be
indicted in order that money 'tmay flow
into their purse.'
We announced some days since, on Of
fetal authority, that there would be de-
| ficit of fifteen or twenty millions of dol
lars in the amount of revenue to meet the
| expenditures of the fiscal year ending the
30th of June, 1850 and 1851. We also
stated that this deficiency arises from the
extraordinary expenses growing out of the
| Mexican war and the treaty with that
country. At the mention of the Mexican
| war the Union takes fire. 1t knows that
wars have always been very expensive
amusements for any government, and that
they are usually paid for by drafts on ex
pectations rather than out of present re-
| sources. They are not cash transactions,
| but matters that SAVIOR of the "credit sys-
tenn" Mr.. PoLK's war, for instance, in
creased the acknowledged public debt
$50, 900, 000-with certain occult incum-
brances to the amount Of many millions
more. The cost of this war can hardly be
guessed at for many years to come.
Meanwhile, we rest on the official infor-
nation that, in consequence of the ex-
penses growing out of the Mexican war
and the Mexican treaty, we must raise
SIS, 200, 900 beyond our ordinary revenue
during the next two years.
But the Union, which is as well versed
in finance as in diplomacy-and in both,
we hope, better versed than in the decen-
cies Of life-denies, in the first place, that
there as any deficiency; in the second
place, denies that it grows out of the
Mexican war and in the third place,
alleges the confident belief, and after
wards the grave Suspicion" that the
public money has been improvidently and
illegally squandered and made way with
by the present Administration. II charges
the respectable gentlemen who occupy
the epartments-who certainly will not
suffer by comparison, on the score Of in
tegrity, with their predecessors-wth all
manner of illegal and corrupt expenditure
and extravaganza. The Union does not
believe a word Of its own story, and yet
it charges corruption and fraud in general
terms, without a single specification to
give color to its shameless calumnies.
The most amusing part of the Unions
rawlings is charge upon the Republic Of
"criminal duplicity"-"disgraceful du.
plicity," '1raud" and ''falsehood," Sun
worthy subterfuge," deliberate false
hood" and variety Of other falsehoods
and duplicity-for an alleged attempt to
"conceaI the facf'' that during the years
1S47 and 1S4S the Government borrowed
large amounts TO carry on the Mexican
warl The only rational explanation that he
can give of this peculiar charge is, that the
Union considers it very meritorious in the
last administration to have borrowed a
great deal of money, and that we are de-
sirous Of depriving them Of the credit Of
it. We protest that such an idea never
entered into our head. We admit that the
last administration borrowed a great deal
of money, and spent great deal of money,
and when they went out of power owed a
great deal Of money; the consequence of
all which is, that the American people
have got to pay great deal of mo-
ney. Frankly, we admit all this. Men
usually have some apparent motice for
fraud and falsehood'-but the Union
seems to consider them such positive luxu-
ries that they are to be INDUCED in for
their own sake--".at all hazards and to
the last extremity"
Does the Union imagine that any sane