Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-03-13
NASHVILLE:
FRIDAY, MARCH 10. 1857.



Democratic Extravagance.
The extravagance and wastefulness of Whig sd-
ministratons have heen the fruitful theme Of many
denunciatory Democratic harangue But 20
wing administration has ever equsled, or even ap-
preached, the present in the matter of reckless
squsndering of the public money.
We have been favored by Mt. NJ r n Garment
with copy Of bis recent speech in the House of
Representatives., in which be comments upon IN
Ehd expenditures OF the general government. s'and
The frightful rate at which they have increased -
Upon this point he says:
81 need not 60 back to Mr. Van Buren's Pres;-
deucy, when the whole country was convuJsad Win
Indignation at an expenditure Of $4,000 600 IN
200 per dn'ttn1. Nor will return to ls42
when Mr. Clay estimated that the oovsrnroen,
could be fairly administered for 2s Oo0 ooo wh;Ie
Mr.. Calhoun put it down 20 10000 600 Nor S-in
dwell on le46-46, the first wear Of NJ Polk,s
+oministration when the expenditures. exclusive of
payments on account Of public debt and Mexican
nostiilIies, were only 500, S64 o96. But. si, win
take year since the Mexican war-since the orr.
pre- OF the Pacific was added to orr dominions. and
'1n.s~ th's present administration; and Gnd that
IN tne nscal year lS53'54 the entire expenditures
exclusive OF public debt and the ipstslmept due to
nexieo. were $44, 0ls, 249, while this last wear,
10000, they have suddenly sweIled mn 10 S57
the height OF the Mexican war, when our forces
rested on either ocean, and our flag not only pro-
tected our own domain, but waved In triumph in
every province in Mexico"
These are the figures of Democratic Congress.
man, from Virginia, and embodied in speech for
general circulation, We suppose, among his demo-
cratic and whig Constituents Il will be perceived
as Mr., Garnett shows, that the expenditures of the
general government, under the Pierce administra-
ton, IN time Of profound peace Shave suddenly
s"eiied up to- nearly sixty millions of dollars per
ann'tm In view OF this unprecedented and start.
Ing fact, Mr. Garuett says: SLOW, demand has
this monstrous result been STAINED? By any lust
expansion of our fuuctionsP By any fair exercise
| OF our constitutional pOwersf No. sir ;no!"
Wei, may not only the tax-paying people but
even Leading democratic politicians themselves, be
astonshed at the rapid and fightful increase of the
public expenditures under democratic admins
tration IL Is enough to excite both the amazement
and the fears OF men of all parties and sections.
FOR II shows the existence of prevalent and wide
spread extravagance and corruption on the part of
the servants Of the people. We all recollect, as
Mr. Garnett reminds us, how ''the whole country
was convulsed with indignation at an expenditure OF
go .OoO,O 900" during the Presidency of Van Buren,
And why, we ask, is there no Indignation" now
exhibited, when, under another democratic admin
istration, the expenditures ''have suddenly sweed
up" to nearly sixty mlOns9 It is because demo-
cratic politicians have been arful enough divert
eyes OF the people from an examination into the
extent and manner 10 which the public money has
been spent, by raising great hue and cry upon the
slavery question: Such is the kind of artifce TO
which they invariably resort when they wish TO
conceal from public view the blunders, foles cor
ruptons and crimes of the rotten and mbecile ad-
ministration of democratic President But the
time has now come, when the people are not to be
frightened from their proprlety by the clap-trap in
volved in purely sectional issues. They desire to
know how it is that sixty millions of dollars year
have been spent by the late administration? They
want to know in what manner they themselves, or
the country, have been profed by this vast expen-
diture. And they mean, moreover to hold the do
mtnant party TO strict accountability for their
gross and prohigate waste of the public funds.
Mr.. Garrett himself refers to several extraordi
nary modes in which the public money is habitualy
squandered, in these evil democratic days. In RI
gard 10 public printing, he says: Consider, sir,
your printing expenses. They do not even profess
20 be confined to what s needed for the public bust
ness, or 10 be kept down TO a strict economy, but
you print so that members may have books 10 gige
0Ddy and etectioneer nth I; that party tdUorites
may hare fat jobs TO make fortunes on and it is
plainly aVowed, that whether it cost more less,
your printing must be given to some editor or 9TH
err in order to support organ for the support of
the Executive and the paFty--as though newspa-
per organ were one Of the legitimate objects for
which the Constitution allows us to raise taxes. In
| 1910 the expenditure for printing was not quite
one hundred thousand dollars. What is it now
The bills for printing, paper, engraving, &c, be-
tloeen and t'Oo miilionsp .-s--...,
But we have not time to further aIIude to this
prolific and important subject to-day. We pray
the people Of Virginia however-now that they are
'groaning" beneath the burdens of taxation-to
consider whether it is the part Of wisdom and pa
triotism longer to sustain party which thus-ac-
cording to Democratic acknowledgements their
hard-earned means and fills the Whoe.land with