Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1858-08-21
THAT HUNDRED MILLIONS Doll
LARS


Mr.. Crittcnden charged in his Cincinna
tt speech that the expenditures Of goTcrn
mems during She present year wojiid aroun
to ons huetlreel alistiofGs Of dollars Now
Ny. CrItt4nlcn had just returned from til.
Federal Capital, he was member of Con
grcss, he had rcted rpon the appropriation
bills, and consequently his assertion carried
with it something &C tlse authority of an Of
fetal statement. The opposition Journals
throughout the country caught up the
charge, AMI repeated it With the undoubted
confidence which they sss%ays attach to any
allegations against the Fen,ccrasfe psyt7.--
''Tbat Hundred Millions Of F9oIiars," con
|spicuous in capitals; arsa bristling terrif-
call y with exclamation Dcf4ts, stared broad
ly and boldly out from the colrms of every
opposition journal which We opened This
formidable typographical display was abso-
lutely appalling. The figure ore stood up
with the fierce, confident bearing of Field
Marsha, who had an army under his COM
mand sufficient to overrun all opposition ;
the cyphers were strung out in dark, dismal
and indein:ts co!!erns, and then came tie
punctuation pciHss in long lines frowning
ferociously upor IS AID freezing the blood
| of the beholder with serrsr and disfnay.-
'The Democratic Administration has spent
all this money 500, 900, 900, 00!! ! Mr.
Crittenden says so, and Mr. Crittenden did
know, but he knew that the statement was
untrue, or if he knew nothing about it why
did he make this round unqualified assertion?
Now it turns out that the whole amount ap-
proprlated for the expenses Of the cnrrent
year is about seventy millions of dollars,
that this amount was appropriated by Con-
gress, and that large majority of the op-
position members voted for each and every
appropriation, So all this dreadful array
of figures paraded By the opposition press
and speakers is scattered and dispersed by
tew PLAIN Sacts- Che charge is simply IN
correct, and its aathor should be held re-
sponsible for tie cheat he has attempted to
practice upon the people:
The Administration has thrown its whole
influence IN favor Of economy in carrying on
the government. Each member of the
Cabinet exerted himself to cartail the ex-
penditures Of his department. They re-
commended in sheir ohicia. intercourse with
Congress rigid system of retrenchment.
The amount voted out of the treasury were
in most cases absolutely necessary to- ed
minister the government Or to meeG existing
liabilities. Wherever an appropriation Of
doubtful propriety was carried through
Congress, it was invariably done By the
votes of the opposition, majority of whom
voted for every appropriation. The def
cheney bills which contain perhaps some of
the most exceptionable features, was car
ricd by Black Republican votes Those
men who guarded the treasury most CAREFUL
ly, and opposed every appropriation of
doubtful necessity, are found in the Demo
cratic ranks.
| We copy tbs following remarks from the
New York Herald's correspondent, together
With an official statement of expenditures.
prepared By Mr., Cochran, Clerk of the
Committee on WAYS and Means, ia confr-
nation Of our position:
"Who are and who have been for many
years the conspicuous and leading eccno-
unists of Congress They are such men
as Hunter, Clay, Cobb, Letcher, Mckay,
Houston, Geo. W. Jones, Burton, Craige
Garnett, Powell, Branch, and men of like
stamp. Every man of them is Democrat
These men have stood firmly in the way of
profigate expenditure. They have exposed
themselves to obloquy and denunciation in
order to protect public money. They have
been called by some the watch dogs of
the Treasury" 1t may be that some of
them bark too often or at wrong times, but
their integrity and usefulness to their com
try is beyond question. G. an ;he opposition
point to any such mea in their ranks?
| do not, therefore, think it can be ste
ccssfully controvcrted that the Administra-
ton and the Democratic party have greater
and more constant influence in behalf of
economy than their opponents, and It does
not stand IN the mouth of the latter to charge
She formed With ''extrayagance.
| The appropriations for the army are in
creased by the expense Of the Utah war.
That this rebellion ought to have been put
down does net rest alone upon Democratic
authority. I might adduee the resolvsion
of the Republican convention' which nomi-
mated Fremont, and the authority Of 6 over
nor Seward himself. The expense Of tran
sporting troops and provisions to this far
distant country has BEER large; but what
patriot or man of sense will say it has not
been abundantly compensated by the attain
ment of its object? -This has been efec-
fully accomplished, and without the blood
shed which would have been tile certain
consequence of employing smaller force.
The Navy appropriations were largely in
creased to provide for building seven new
steam sloops Of war. This was done, it is
true, to meet the regular exigencies Of our
commerce and to replace the decaTed ard
wora out hnlks which ss~med tae nominal
strength and defence Of the Countrywide
appropriation vas made, too, at tine when
we were deneaading from Great Britain a
| disavowan Of she right of search, and was an
earnest that more would be 7oted, if need
be, to vinaicatc the national honor. Is this
appropriation distastcfaI to the Republican
party? If 50, the Democracy will readily
shoulder the entire responsibility.
The expenditures for pay Of n,en5ery Of
Congress and for pensions have increased
Did the Republicans vote for or against this
increase?
But forbear to follow these Up m &C.
tail. 1t is not necessary, surely, to point
out now that the indispensable expenditures
Of the government have been Increased By