The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-01-28

duce these expenditures to 1850, 900,
how happens it that he carried them up
to So, 200, 900!
But the main question is, how happens
it that this 'sanxious" Mr.. WALKER, who
was so clever in prevailing upon Congress
to adopt all such measures as looked TO
the increase of expenditures--measures
which the WHics opposed-could not sue
coed, epea with Vino assistance, in passing
this bill for limiting the expenses of col
lecting the revenue'
This is question which answers itself.
The bill obviously was not recommended
in good faith. There was no intention
that the bill should pass, to the embar-
rassment of Locofoco administration.
For four years it lurked in the pigeon
holes of committees, as bill that would
not bear the light; but the moment of the
advent of Vino administration, il was
the policy to apply the screws. A,
With regard TO the WING vote for this
BILL The ostensible object of the bill was
very proper one. 1t was to secure the
payment into the treasury the gross rev.
cnue, without abatement or reduction. 1t
was assumed as matter of course that
Mr.. WALKER would ask for as much mo-
ney as he desired. The bill was noticed
in the House (and this is the first alluson
to it that we can find in the Congressional
Globe on the 18th Of January, 1848, by
Mr.. MCKAY, the fiscal organ Of Mr..
| WALKER and the administration. On the
4th of March, 1848, Mr.. MCKAY intro
duced his bill, in pursuance of the pre-
vious notice, and il was read and referred.
On the 9th of March, Mr.. MCKAY report
ed the bill back from the Committee of
Ways and Means, WITHOUT amendment
showing that the Wings on that commit
tee were not disposed to disappoint Mr..
WALKERS "anxiety." This bill was
made the special order of the day for the
18th Of March. On the 18th Of March
the bill was passed, and on the following
day it was read first and second time in
the Senate, by unanimous consent, and
referred to the Committee on Finance.
On the 18th of March, then. (1848, the
bill was in the hands of the Democratic
Committee of Finance of the Senate, Mr..
ATHERToN chairman. Here was chance
for the &C anxious" Mr.. WALKER. March
melted into April, April dissolved in May,
May trod upon the heels of June, July
turned her back upon August-and in the
torrid fervors of all these months the anx-
ious Mr.. WALKER and the anxious Mr..
ATHERToN managed to keep this poor bill
sitting in the recesses of the Finance
Committee Sir long months this
Democratic committee brooded over bill
which the House disposed of in as many
days. On the 7th of August Mr.. ATHER-
TON reported it back to the Senate tcith
amendments. But even in that shape, the
fiscal organ Of Mr.. WALKER, the anIious
Mr.. WALKER, made no movement to take
it up, and it was left TO lie over 10 the next
session-fo await the result ofhe Preadea-
fial election.
Now, who can be so unnaturally YER
dant as TO believe for one moment that
there was any " anxiety" on the part OF
Mr.. WALKER TO pass bill which thus re-
NAMED SIX MONTHS Enacted upon by a
Democratic Committee Of Finance in a
Democratic Senate
In its objects, and its ostensibly main
purpose, the bill was a proper one, an i'm
portant one--a bill that recommended it,
self 10 the good sense Of every man. Why,
then, was it stified in the Senator Simply
because the sum to which the expenditures
were restricted was altogether inadequate,
and DEMOCRATIC Senate were unwilling
to augment an appropriation which had
been fixed by WIG House, on the sug-
gestion of Mr.. Walkers fiscal organ in
that body. A Presidential election was
approaching, and it was better TO let the
matter sleep than TO moot il at that un-
/ PIOpiuOuo ptIlOu. IL - uOt pOSoiDlc 10
give any other explanation to this delay in
acting upon bill which in its other fea-
lures was quite unobjectionable.
The next that we hear of this bill was
on the 4th of January, ls49. The Presi-
dental election was over, and WBIG
President was about to take the chair. On
the day last mentioned, Mr.. ATHERToN,
the fiscal organ of the Democracy in the
Senate, moped the recommiftai Of this bin
10 the Committee on Finance, FOR THE PUR-
POSE oF AMENDMENT. The bill, as re-
ported after six months incubation Of the
Finance Committee, would not answer
for VINO administration. II was refer
red back for amendment, as if il had not
been sufficiently tinkered for the anxious
Mr.. WALKER in six months time. In the
committee it slept TIL the ID of March,