Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-09-25
ISSUES BEFORE THE PEOPLE-No. L
WING EXTRAyAGANcE.

We End ourselves obliged, on further considera-
tion to recur to the charges preferred against the
Wing party by Mr.. Senator DOUGLAS in his Ratif-
cation Speech the rather, that every Mail from the
West brings us reports Of Speeches made by the
same gentleman, who is now on grand electioneer-
ing tour in the Western States reteratng substan-
tally, if not in terms, the charges. We shall
adhere to the text of the original Speech as having
probably had the advantage of the speakers own
revision.
The charges preferred by Mr.. DOUGLAS against
the Wing party, of neglect and crime in the admins
tration of the financial department of the Govern
ment-that is to say, of "systematic extravaganza"
and /" wholesale peculation" -were not directed
simply" as he said himself, against the present
Administration, but against i" all Wing Adminstra-
tions," because, said the honorable Senator, it
matters not who the Executive is, if he be Wing,
she must follow Wing instincts, Wing practices,
9 and come to the same results"
OF the specifications under these general heads we
have already exploded the first, which SO grossly
exaggerated the amount of the annual expenditures
under this Administration Assuming his own esti-
mate for TRUTH however, the honorable Senator
begs his intelligent hearers not to let Mis Wing
administration escape under the plea that " the
9 Democratic Congress has furnished them with the
means of this unjustfable extravaganza and whole
sale peculation." If the honorable Senator him.
self can find any way of escape from the recoil OF
his own Uunder-buss, he must be more happy at a
retreat than he has proved himself to be at charge
Let us see aclat is I" the plea" under which he
begs his Democratic fellow-citzens not to let the
Wings escape"
1t is in substance, that the Democratic Congress
is the branch of the Government responsible for
any extravaganza in the public expenditures, hav-
ing furnished the means for them; or, in other
words, having by law authorized and directed those
very expenditures to be made. This certainly would
be good and sufficient plea against the gentle
mans charges of extravaganza against the Wing
Administration and the best of the matter is thai
1t is TRUE ONE, as we shall prove beyond the
possibility of refutation.
The argument by which the honorable Senator
undertakes to exonerate the democratic Congress
from any responsibility for the extravaganza expen-
ditures of the public money is that, under the Con-
stitution, the President makes recommendations to
Congress, and the Heads of Departments make
their estimates of the necessary expenditures they
tell Congress that they can administer the Govern
ment with " so much money" Very well If the
Administration tell Congress that it can administer
the Government with SO much money, they of course
do not ask for any more than so much money and
if any more as appropriated by the "Democra-
tic Congress" of which the worthy Senator is a
member, it is an unnecessary, if not "extravagant
expenditure forced upon this Wing Administration
by Mr.. DOUGLAS and others in Congress, who now
turn about, and with the cry of " stop thief" are
raising hue and cry against this true and faithful
Administration for things which they themselves
have done J
We should not use language SO strong as this,
even under the gross insults which have been cast
upon thsWhigs from the highest Democratic autho,
rity, were we not able to sustain it by proof such
as that which we now produce.
We ask the particular attention Of every reader
of this paper without distinction of party, to the
three short tables which we subjoin. The first Of
them comprises the amount Of Appropriations re
ported, at the late session Of Congress, by the Com
mittee Of Ways and Means, for the service of the
fiscal year ending the Both June, 1858. The second
table exhibits the amount which was added to the
above by the Democratic House of Representatives
and the third the amount still further added by the
Democratic Senate.
Amount originally reported 10 he House by The
Committee of Ways and Means