Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1852-03-22
The Fruits of Whiggery.

eaen IFesioen'las siection, are most Proiuse
in their denunclations of the extravaganza
Of their opponents. and most lavish in their
promises of rehenchment and reform. They
went into the last contest, as they did in
that of 1910, with no open avowal of prin-
ciples, but loud in their professions Of econ
omy and promises Of retrencbment. They
have now had the control Of the National
Administration a little over three years.
and how have their promises been fulfilled
Never in the history Of the country has
there been such an exhibition of proaigacy
and corruption. The most glaring frauds
have been perpetrated by the government
officials, who have had their arm elbow
deep in the pu bic treasury and been revel-
ing in the spoils. Instead Of the retrencb-
ment and economy which was so loudly
promised, they have by their Galphinisms
and Gardnerisms run the expenditures of
the Government up TO nearly $50, ,000, 900
year in time Of profound peace. The
facts brought TO light by the recent discus
sions in Congress will astonish and disgust
the people when they come to learn them.
Hon. e. H. Peaslee, Democratic Repre-
sentative from New Hampshire, in letter
to his constituents, thus speaks Of the base
frauds praciised by wing officials during
the past three years:
The people are beginning to see, too, that
under the present Federal Administ ration.
there has been too much plundering Of the
Treasury too much Gardinerism and Gal.
Phlnism; too much corruption and bribery
among men in high places of the Republic:
too exclusive an administration of our Ma.
tional affairs upon these seven principles.
which form the basis Of the palty in pow.
er-namely, the five loves and the two fish.
es. They have seen the GALpHlN opera.
ton carried out under the Taylor dynasty,
whereby member of he cabinet received
from the National Treasury ONE HUN
DRED AND TWENTY THOUSAND
DOLLARS FOR HIS OWN USE. I hey
have seen the GARDNER OPERATION car.
ried out under the Fillmore Administrat tion,
whereby they have good reason to believe
that member Of the cabinet got upwards
OF ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOL
| LARS from the People's Treasury, for his
own private purposes. They have seen the
/ allowance, by the Administration, of the
BARRON Passion CLAIM, by which the
friends OF those who are invested with pow
er, have illegally and improperly received
thirty thousand dollars, on pension claim
which had been long before adjusted and
settled under the half-pay law. The Chick.
AsAw CLAIM, by which eminent bankers in
/ this city received from the Treasury ONE
| HUNDRED AND TWELVE THOU.
SAND DOLLARS, of a fund belonging
TO tribe Of In5ians known as the Chicka
saws The HAReous CLAIM, under which
EIGHT HUNDRED THOUSAND DOL
LARS was paid from the Treasury, when
in fact those most conversant with the
claim are Of the belief that Mr.. Hargous
could not Justly demand more than eighty
thousand dollars; and for carrying which
claim through, the council employed re-
ceved one hundred and twenty thousand
dollars, and, as is believed by most, a
member Of the cabinet received THIRTY
THOUSAND as council fees for his services
The people have heard Of the Mears claim,
and the Leggett claim, by which other
large amounts were pillaged from the Cow
ernment by speculators, who often times
have bought up these demands for merely
nominal sums These are some Of the rea-
sons among others why the country every
where, is so dissatisfied with the party in
power-the spoils party, only held together
"by the cohesive power of public plumber. /"
A resolution, introduced by MIR. Fuller, OF
Maine, has recently passed the House OF
Representatives, calling on the Secretaries
Of the different Departments, for list OF
the claims allowed since l546, which will
undeubtly present some startling facts.
The great mass of our people feel that uu-
der the existing Administration, the Execu-
tive power, the power of the General Gov
ernment is advancing with rapid strides;
that the morats of our Government are be-
coming more corrupt; and that unless this
downward tendency is speedily arrested,
our liberties will be lost. l use these last
words with a full appreciation Of their i'm
portance and significance Liberties
aoilI be lost" History is full Of examples,
illustrating and enforcing this great lesson.
that extrayagance and corruption will ruin
any nation. Foreign force is impotent
when compared with domestic corruption.
The little States OF Greece, while they re-
mained virtuous and ardent lovers Of liberty
were an overma,ch for all Asia. They
afterwards yielded to the power Of Macedon,
but it was not until the gold Of Philip had
penetrated into the heart Of Greece, that
his steel could triumph on the fatal field OF
Charonea.
/ FREE BANKs.-The Statesman of the
/ 18th inst cont aims the Snecial Renort ri