Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1856-02-09
THE SENATE AND THE SUFFERING
POOR or WASHINGTON.

Delaware, as distinguished for his benevolence
as he is for his rbilities-Mr. Clayton-moved
the following preamble and resolutions:
Whereas, The long continued severity the
weather has caused among the poor and desti-
tute of the city of Washington an unusual and
extreme degree of suffering for the want OF
6re-wood,
RESOLVED, That, under the direction of the
Sergeant.at.Arms, wood be procured and fur
nished in small and suitable quantities, for the
use of such suffering poor and destitute, until
the severity of the weather shall abate, not ex-
ceeding in the whole two hundred Cords to be
paid for out of the contingent fund of the
Senate.
Against charity we have not word to say.
Charity covers multitude of SINS" at is
twice blessed; it blesseth him who gives and
him who receives" He is a good man who
provides fuel for the cold, food for the hungry
and clothing for the naked.
But it is one thing for men to give their
own money, another thing for them to give
outofthe public treasury, to charitable purposes
While we honor the generous and humane
feelings that prompted the above resolution,
and that influenced those who supported it, we
must, at the same time, at the risk of being
pronounced abstractionists, question the politi.
cal right of doing so.
Is this Government a great elemosynary
institution? And are our Senators and Rep
resentatives elected to provide food, raiment,
and fuel for the poor and unfortunate, at the
axpapca of tba Stotac apd tho paopla Spral,
the Constitution under which they act, nowhere
confers such powers. and no written instrument,
that we are aware of, prescribes such functions!
If Congress has the right TO make appropria-
tons out Of The public treasury for such pur-
poses, il must Of necessity have the right to
lay and collect taxes to satisfy them. If this
power be conceded, then, indeed, is there no
limit to Congressional charity, and no restraint
on Congressional taxation.
But it is argued that such charities ought to
be confined to the District of Columbia, since
that District has no local Legislature, and
Congress has power to exercise erclusire legis-
lationn over it. We will not stop here to make
the distinction between the terms erclusire
and uRtcersel! We will content ourselves
with suggesting, and with all due humility, that
"legiSldtion'' does not mean charity, at least
the Lexieons do not represent these words as
synonymous.
Congress has just as much right to make
appropriations out of the Federal Treasury to
purchase shoes, stockings, flannel shirts, mo-
oo,Iia1
for the poor, as it has to make an appropria-
ton for purchasing fre.wood.
The above resolution was amended, we be-
lieve by substituting the Mayor for the Ser
geant-at-arms, and putting the word fuel' in
the place Of the word wood"
Since the introduction Of this resolution
into the Senate, we learn, that wood has
advanced to 81 cord. Verify these wood
dealers are cunning fellows!
Washington is truly Fortunate and most
greedy city. 1t seems to have spite against
the Federal Treasury. Not content with being
built up and sustained byi like the daughters
of the horse leech, it cries" give, give" and,
like poor little Oliver in the novel, it is con.
stantly crying" more-more."
If we may be pardoned for using an inele-
CANT, but common expression, we would say,
that if the suffering poor "never had come
here, they never would have been here" and
why, being here, they should fare better than
the poor people of any and every other Anne
ricaa city, We cannot understand.
The poor Of other cities look TO private and
municipal charity. Is there no private charity
here, and is the corporation Of Washington
broke
We yield TO no one in sympathy for the sick,
the poor, the afflicted, but as politicians, we
must say that this Government was not in
tended to be dispenser Of charity, and that TO
appropriate public money for such purpose
is to begin career Of agrarianism, that evil,
the most Of all others to be dreaded, bya popu-
lar Government.
That all Of the gentlemen who voted for the
above resolution we're animated by the best
motives, and thought themselves fully autho-
rized to do as they have done, we do not doubt ;
but we object to such action, as the humbest
citizen has right 10 object, because it gives a
dangerous latitude and scope to the instrument
under which we all live.