New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1849-03-09


the memorial Of the corporate Authorities Of Wash
ineton, did all in my power TO reach and pass i
after It had slipped beyond the immediate reach
of the House That bill oasht u have been
passed IN the House al esstl-w0ud have been
# lie proie.ssd friends had been faithful and reso
Lutte. Il could have been IN spite Of the desperate
Efforts Of is adyersaries. led by the sbest AMI
most INSCRIPTIONS parliamentary tacilcian ever
met, had u friends bat been willing 70 so I'll i've
O'Clock Of two days on the ast week but one OF the
Session merely reiraiLing from talk, sustaining
the Previous Question st every opportunity aud
pressing straight ahead through the iniermediaie
business on the Speakers table I'll they had
reached and passed this bill Bat some Of those
who loved Freedom and National Character lit
tie loved theirdinners and the chance Of Foreign
Mission or so rather more. and the bin was not
reached then, nor until the asst day OF the Session
when to take It up would have been simply to
throw the Appropriation bills overheard. j was
therefore not pressed, very properly the House
going instead into Committee on one Of the Appro-
priation bills returned from the Senate with amend
ments 50 the District slave Trade bill stands over
at the head Of the bills remaining on the Speakers
table when the Session closed. Il may be revived
and passed at the next Session by seasonable
forecast and sturdy resolution.
!. INFRINGEMENT AND REFORM
made several attempts 70 cut down and keep
down APPROXIMATIONS and Expenditures under the
various heads Of Army and Navy, Judiciary Nile
aye aud CONTINGENCIES OF Congress, &c. &c. and
though not often successful in cutting down,
think nv efforts were not without effect in pre-
venting farther extravaganza. Thus my attempt
10 stop the promotion Of Officers in the Navy up to
any grade-that Of Captain for e1ample-in which
there shall be already more officers than there IS
employment for was defeated but the facts ad-
duced in support Of it, showing that not two-thirds
Of the officers receiving large pay in some grades
were employed, were directly in point when
counter proposition repeating the existing limit 10
to promotions and allowing the Secretary Of the
Navy to make Post Captains Of all the MidshiP-
men if he pleases, was made and defeated. So On
other points In all this matter Of Public Econo-
my so constant the pressure, so specious and IN
finite the reasons, for new Offices, larger allow
ance.. higher salaries, that it is idle to hope TO
keep down expenditures by merely acting on the
defensive H. was right who said, The best
mode Of avoiding dangcrs by meeting It half way
He who shall have the Civil and Diplomatic APP
preparation bill with It's history before him, so as 10
mark what items of additional expenditure were
proposed and defeated IN the House, what amount
and what kinds Of new items were cngraited
thereon By the Seua,e-how many and what OF
these were stricken of on the return Of the bill 70
the House though they Ultimately slipped through
in the struggle between the two Houses on the
Walker amendmcntl viii be prepared to Judge
whether the efforts for Retrenchment in the House
were made wholly in vain.
hope no one will deem me unconscious Of the
difference between r blind Parsimony and n dis
corning Economy. | never hestated TO vote heart
ily the fall sums required for great National pur-
poses for Mexican Indemnity. Mexican Claims,
Licht Houses. &c. &c. ] voted and exerted my
little influence u raise the salaries OF the Engi-
neers employed IN our National Steamships upon
due proof that they were paid considerably less
than like attachments and services would readily
command in the Mercantile Service. know well
that to have voted otherwise, upon such state of
facts W ould have been no economy al all but the
reverse of 1t. ] voted to place $4,000 at the call
OF the Secretary OF the Navy wherewith to pur-
| chase the patent rights OF inventions which the
Bureau OF Construction and Repairs should deem
essential to the efficiency OF the Naval Service,
and for many similar items Ia short, while
sought TO reduce the expense OF the Army and
Navy aud Of some other branches OF the Public
| Service voted readIy-perhaps in some cases
too readlly-ior whatever seemed calculated to
promote the National well being by extending the
peaceful conquests of Science and the domain Of
q seiul knowledge. My general opposition 10 the
purchase and distribution Of Books by Congress
was based ON the necessary psrtiaity Of the dis
tribution, and on It's injurious Interference with
laudabe and beneicent department OF private en-.
lerprisc aud industry.
| Ny objection 10 Circular Mileage and votes Ex
ira Compensation 70 the servants OF Congress rest
ON a somewhat different basis. That many worthy
men charge and vote as think wrong is very
true yet do not the less feel that those zig gag
allowances and lawless gratuities are calculated TO
blunt the moral perceptions and confuse the notions
of right and WRONG with regard to grants OF Public
Money The best man who votes $3.50 extra to
ads of sixteen who have already been paid 30
per week Tor WORK winch many would nave ElaQll
done as well for -, or who takes Mileage for
circuit of 600 miles when his actual distance by
the nearest post road the law says roads, not
rOutesl will be more easily seduced into voting for
his friends private claim Of doubtful justice, or
for putting up a salary, than he would have been
before think, therefore, that the 100000 or so
annually taken from the Treasury in these extra
ways actually stands for a great deal more-costs
| the Country much more. The readiness with
which both Houses doubled the Mileage of the
Messengers who brought the Electoral Votes Of the
several States to Washington illustrates this The
Messengers merely said, Compare our Mileage
with y0nrs,' when Congress FASTENED to weaken
the contrast, not by making their own allowance
right bat the other also wrong. Can you believe
this solitary case
| i would gladly speak Of the urgent neces-
sity for taking the business Of settling Private
Claims from Congress and committing Il 70 some
suitable tribunal, but this letter is already too
long. 4 leading Senator declared in my hearing
that he would prefer u have those claims settled
by the inmates Of any State Prison rather than by
| a. III