Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1858-04-24
Tie Stiaaaaro..
THE DEFICIENCY BILL.
REMARKs Of. HON. Z. OBI. BRANCH

THE DEFICIENCY BILL. s.
aEnA.xss 81. HON. I. OBI. BRANCH,
e or sNoRrH-cARoLINA, "a
pslevsd in III HOUSE of Representatives. Aprs o 1sss.
The SprAKrR stated the business FIRST in order TO
Ia ths moton to reconsider the vote by which House
hin No. 500. to supply deficiencies in the epproPrls-
lions for the service Of the Gscal year ending june
30 1855 was rejected
The motion was agreed to- ;. =. I'm
The question required on the passage OF ING u'n.
M. BsANuH. Is debate in order
The SPEAKER. Debate IL in order
ifr. aBRANcH desire, Mr.. Speaker to make
few remarks before this bill shall De put upon ats
n.ssaee shall detain the House but for 2 few
r;nntes. If ann allowed to.proceed without inter-
run.;on and before Welding the floors propose
to cali the previous question: shall give an op.
nortupity to gentlemen who may desire to ask me
questions Bot in the mean time, i beg gentlemen
not to interrupt mes but let me proceed in my own
way, and according to my own order. In TINS way =
zine will be saved, and will be able to present my
views more satisfactorily to the House.
Mr. Speaker in the remarks that shall make IN
relation to this BILL desire it to be understood that
the administration now in power, and through our
friendship, which we have been appealed to to
Not only its head, but the cabinet by which THAT
head is surrounded, met, at the time of the1r ap-
pointment my appreciation. and have seenfnnth-
ing since diminish the confidence which have,
either in the head or in the members Of the cabinet
But while say that, desire it to be understood
distinctly that stand on this floor, not to carry
out, without question consideration, the recon-
mendation of any department of the government;
nor to receive the edcts that may be sent down to
us by others as law which we dare not question or
inquire into except on pain Of being considered as
wanting in confidence in the administration.
am as much friend of the administration as
any gentleman on this floor but here is a measure
pending which it is the duty of the representatives
Of the people to look into and consider carefully De
fore they adopt it And, sir, in the remarks wn,c9
shall make, If find fault with practices when
imagine prevail in the government and when ought
not to prevail, I do not wish to be understood as
censuring this administration; for !! know that IN
many instances they are practices which nave come
. down from administrations which have Preceoeo !.
- Mr.. Speaker much has been said, in the course
of the debate upon this bill, against deficiency bills
/ believe that no gentleman has as yet, announced
the opinion which entertain, and now feariessly
express-that so far from deficiency bills, OF pro-
per character and under proper guards, being open
to censure, they are, on the contrary, one OF the
most powerful means in the hands of Congress to
insure economy of expenditure in the executive de-
partments do not object to deficiency bills when
deficiency bills are proper; that is, when, IN the
judgment of Congress- there has not been an ex-
trayaeance of expenditure the part of the execu-
tive departments-a disregard OF the requirements Oh
law.
Suppose you allow it to be understood in the ex-
ecutiye departments that the estimates made at the
commencement of fiscal year-or rather, as is the
practice, a year in advance of the time when the
money is to be expended-are to be fnal and con-
elusive on the departments, then is not obvious
that the executive departments under that PRESSURE
will take to estimate largely enough to provide
against all chance of the expenditures exceeding the
amount appropriated? The estimates submitted
under such an understanding will be larger even
than the executive departments themselves might
AZ i'll, IN h
er hand if you allow it to be understood that il they
will curtail their estimates, submit them at the low
est possible point and honestly attempt to carry
the government under those estimates, them if they
should need more money, Congress will vote it to
them, there will be better opportunity of securing
economical estimates from the Treasury Department
Hence do not object in the terms used by gentle
men in this debate, against deficiency bills. When
ever bill is presented that appears proper, and
when it appears also that the executive departments
priatons made by Congress, and have been unable
to do SO. I am willing to grant It l am not willing
to see Congress establish precedent that the de-
partment must stand by their original estimates !;
and that under no circumstances shall they have an
additional appropriation because, If you do, the ef-
feet will be inevitable that the executive officers will
make most extravagant estimates in order that they
may not be crippled.
So much for deficiency bills in general. Now,
Mr. Speaker in regard to this deficiency bill which
ferent branches of the public SERVICE differing not
only in the magnitude of the amounts, but in the
pressure Of the necessity which calls for them.
Much the largest part of this bill appropriates money
to supply deficiencies in the appropriations for the
army. l admit that the expenditures on account
of the army have reached such point that have
no hesitation in saying, on my responsibility as
representative of the people, that they are mon
strous, and entirely unjustified cast no censure
on any particular administration any particular
hv1raA IF Ca. L.
qusite information to state certainly where censure
belongs. do say, however, without hesitation
that in my Judgement the expenditures for the ar.
my of the United States have almost reached point
at which the country will rise up and demand re-
Genchment and reform in that particular at least
The executive departments are not censurabe for all
the items in this bill which look SO large Many Of
them are under the control of Congress- Some
arise out Of the former action of Congress. Let III
look at the expenditure A large part grows ou
Of the necessity Of sending ar army to Utah. Tha
necessity was not foreseen when the executive de
partments made their estimates of appropriation
for the current year. A former Congress, in view
of the circumstances which might render it
on the part of that department to exceed the ap
preparation, expressly authorized the Secretary o
War TO make contracts and provide for the wants o
the army in anticipation of appropriations. So far
them as these appropriations under the head Of de
deiencies for the army are concerned they are 70
money expended in pursuance of the law Of 1920
Much sir, has been said by gentlemen on tn
other side in regard to the sending of an army t
Utah and the Committee on Territories have bee
INTERCEPTED repeatedly to know why they have nc
reported under resolution referred to them, to in
quire into the state Of affairs in Utah. cannot sa
whether rebellion exists in Utah or not but kno,
that the House, at an early day, passed resolu
ton expressly declaring that the Territory Of Uta
in state Of rebellion against the United State
government Whatever may have been my opinio
ct that time, believe now that that resolution e.
presses the truth That resolution, too, was vote
the House.
Now, ask il they thus declared, not only to tn
country. but to the President that Utah is in stat