The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-03-26

committee IL House bill No. 2O7, to supply def
ciences in appropriations for the fiscal year end
ing June 80, 1852; the following clause of the
bill being under consideration:
"For constructing, repairing, and enIarging
barracks, quarters hospitals, store houses stables
wharves, and ways, at the several post and army
depots, for temporary cantOnments, and the au-
thorixed furniture for barrack. rooms Of nom
commissioned officers and soldiers, gun-hOnses
for the'protection Of cannon, including the ne
cessary tools and materials for the objects enum-
Grated and for rent Of quarters, and offices for
officers, and barracks and hospitals for troops,
where there are public buildings for their
accommodation, for store-houses for the safe
keeping of military stores, and of grounds for
summer environments and encampments, $2l9,-
O0O."
The gentleman from Kentucky Mr.. MAR
SHALL had proposed to amend the above by
striking out " 1919 ,OOO," and inserting $780,
OO0." To which amendment, bis colleague Mr.
MASON had proposed an amendment to increase
the amount to $l2.
The question was severally put upon the
amendment to the amendment, and then upon
the amendment, and disagreed to.
The next paragraph Of the bill was then re-
ported by the Clerk, as follows:
"For clothing, camp, and garrison equpage,
and horse equipments, for engineers, troops,
ordnance department, dragons, rflemen, light
artillery, artillery and infantry, $4,000"
Mr.. GORMAN. move to reduce the appro-
praton $4,000.
Mr.. Chairman, upon this item the honorable
chairman of the Committee Of Ways and Means
Mr.. HOUsToN yesterday remarked, that if had
examined it, | should not have fallen into this
blunder. said then, to the House, that there
had been appropriated $243538 IS, for the
clothing and other equipage of the army, in the
regular army bill ! said then that some $780,
900 had been diverted from the purpose for
which Congress had appropriated it, and that
it had been paid to the officers of the army.
said that there was law authorizing the trans
fer of sums of money from one point to another
to meet the necessary expenses Of the govern
ment; but that can only take place where there
was a surplus. That is the law; and if the
chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means
had been as well posted upon it as he might
have been, he would not have fallen into the
blunder which he did upon this point. Now,
the quartermaster general says he inquired at
the treasury, and found that the balance, 1885,
538 65 had been applied to the settlement of
paymasters and other officers accounts; some
of them originating in the war with Mexico
Mr. HOUSTON. rise to point of order.
We have not yet settled what is to be the &C.
ton of the committee upon this bill If we 90
on with this general debate, we shall never dis.
pose of the BILL am perfectly willing that it
should 90 on if the committee wish it. | feel
bound again this morning, at the beginning of
the debate, to make the point of order which ]
made yesterday. understand the motion of the
gentleman to be to reduce this appropriation
$4,000; and in support of his amendment, he
is reviewing my argument made yesterday, and
going into general debate upon the propriety
or improperly of transferring the public money
from one head of appropriation to another. ]
understand the rule to be that he must confine
himself to the discussion of this one item.
Mr.. GORMAN. | am upon that Identical
item in the bill.
Mr.. HOUSTON. You are upon the item,
but not the Argument
Mr.. GORMAN. am upon the precise argu-
ment
The CHAIRMAN. The Chair is of the opin.
ion that the gentleman must confine himself
strictly to giving reasons why this appropriation
should be reduced to $4,000. The Chair cannot
see the relevancy of the course of argument the
gentleman was pursuing when he was called
to order by the gentleman from Alabama, Mr.
Houston.
Mr.. GORMAN If the Chair cannot see the
relevancy of my remarks will try to enlighten
him upon the subject.
said | wanted to reduce the appropriation
$4,000; and that was nay motion. | said that
the quartermaster general estimated the last
year, for this item, B243,00O, and that he did not
use all the money appropriated, but that 1885,,
900 had been diverted to another purpose, and
expended for another object. Now, / say this
appropriation of 900 is not necessary. And
why? Because we have already appropriated
the amount and more that the amount, asked
for-more than $75,00O-whch has been d
verted to another purpose, without authority Of
law. What authority had they to divert it from
the particular object for which it was appropr-
ated? They could not do it unless there was a
surplus for the object for which it was originally
designed; but it seems that instead of their be-
ing a surplus, there was deficiency. The quar-
termaster general says it has been appropriated
to paymasters-to settle the paymasters ac-
counts, some of them originating in the war with
Mexico. do not care where they originated
have not time to go into these specific items
in a five minutes speech but if had, / could
detail some of these items coming under this
head, by which gentlemen would then see how
much necessity there was for this appropriation
of 1916 600. Why, there has been sold, ap.
prehend, $l50000 worth of clothing, which has
been on hand perhaps twelve months in the
quartermaster's department. | learn that this
is fact, though have not been officially in
formed of it. And why were they sold Be-
cause they had been on hand little longer than
those connected with that department thought
they ought TO have been. Now, if this item,
which was taken from them and appropriated for
the use of the army, had been applied as it was
intended it should be, there would have been
no necessity for this $4,000.
1t is impossible for gentleman upon this
floor to recite the items connected with this APP
preparation in FIVE minutes, and cannot do it
now but can say to the chairman of the Com
mittee of Ways and Means that have taken
pains--a good deal of pains-to examine every
item and specific object connected with it; and
IL he will call at my desk ] will show him those
items. Here are some of them: There are
troops stationed in New Mexico, California, and
Texas, amounting to 2,7l2; now there are
1000 employees in the quartermaster's depart
ment-l,00O men employed to haul provisions
for and feed AHA soldiers
Here the hammer fell.