The true Democrat., 1855-03-21

WnaC seems to nave been the SebCleQ OplnlOn when these bills were taken up. We have had some little experience in regard to the ef- feet of discretionary power vested in the hands of the departments. It will be remem- bered. particularly by those who have favored the system of internal improvement by the ge- neral government ill regard to our rivers, that the Mississippi, Ohio Missouri and Arkansas, have almost invariably been covered by one ap- propriaton, and the allotment of the different sums of money that should be expended on each river has been heretofore made at the dis cretion of the Secretary. That allotment has scarcely ever been satisfactory. It certainly never has been in regard to the Arkansas river The returns of the accounts that are furnished Of the disbursement of the moneys upon those rivers have ever been complicated, and 1t has been difi0lt to ascertain where the precise amounts were expended At present, the whole amount I$4O,OOO, that set apart for the Arkansas river, out of the entire appropriation to all those rivers, under the last general appro- priation bill of that character has been, be- lieve, expended, or very nearly expended; but 1 have found the utmost difficulty, in fact 1 have found it almost impossible, to ascertain the true condition of things It so binds and connects itself with all the other interests with which the appropriation for it was connected, that it seems to be impossible to understand it.
 l deplore and lament over the manner in which the funds appropriated for the Arkansas river have been wasted, and scattered, and thrown away, and that, too, by men who ought to have attended to their business; but who, in stead of that have spent their time and the public money in running their boats up and down the river, or lying idle at the banks neg iectlng their duties, or wholly abandoning them, while they go off a distance of two, three or five hundred miles, to attend parties of private pleasure for personal amusement or for person. al interest. All this has been charged to have been the case; and though no work was being done, the officers and crew continued under pay, and the money wasted Such has been the character of much of the expenditure of money on that river
 Amounts have been set apart for that river, under appropriations exactly similar in effect to the proposition now before us; but so many ob. jects have been connected with them, md the expenditures have been made there in such way as to throw the burden upon the funds set apart for the Arkansas alone while the benefits have been conferred upon the other rivers.- For instance, three boats were sought to be equipped for all the rivers, out of the funds for the Arkansas river alone Nominallv, we have iie'A Ou pau. "O lA"N0 lA'tA lio oOhN- fit. l have filed protest in the treasury de- partment against the manner of settling the ac- counts; but can ascertain nothing as yet as to the manner in which they are settled, Forty thousand dollars, know, have gone, but also know that no benefit has resulted from 1t. This has resulted, in a great measure, from over" slaughing Arkansas men, and appointing stran- gers to Us and our interests, not to work-for they do not-but to waste all the meals you give tx us, and We rest our hopes upon. have ,arcely touched this subject. 1 do hope, si:, that the lakes as well as the rivers may be put upon such basis as to specify the amount ap- propriated to each. should, therefore, be glad to have the Senator from Delaware press his motion to refer the whole subject back again to the committee, so that they may report such blI Aid hereafter, will now say, 1 will hold to rigid accountability, to the extent of the means within my power, all men who may have charge of the interests of Arkansas, or of the moneys appropriated for her benefit. Qui- etly and silently will no longer submit to a disregard which does us such serious injury.
 The motion to recommit was agreed to- I eat 24-nays IT.
 The bill dividing the State of Illinois into two judicial districts, was passed.
 Senate adjourned.
 HoUsE.-The bill authorizing the construc- tion of four new revenue cutters, was debated at length and rejected.
 Several private bills were passed and the House adjourned.