The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-08-25
HON. LYMAN TRUMBUIL AND THE PUBLIC Elk.
PENDIpITRIs


PENDITURES
The subject of expenditures is one affecting tn
public as much that of taxation, and people cai
be oppressed and robbed as well in the one way al
the other and one, therefore, who has any regart
for the welfare will regret TO see that acut,
sensibility which certain politicians have lately ex
hibited in relation to this matter for which in the
past we have recorded evidence that they eve,
manifested any concern. We have always been the
advocates of holding to strict accountability the
executive well as the legislative departments
both in creating the necessity for and the manner Of
expanding the money of the people-it is intimately
connected with their liberties and will sooner or
later, according to the RIGHTEOUSNESS and corruption
of men occupying position affect the very integrity
and stability of their government. Promising thus
lar as to the Importance of this subject it follows
that the public are entitled to, and should receive
from those who represent them, FACTS and only
FACTS without suppression, free from prevarication
unalloyed by distortion and uninfuenced by party
prejudice
We have been led to these reflections by the pc
rusal of a speech lately delivered by the Hon Lyman
Trumbul, of the senators from the State of ui-
disingenuous, disreputabe, and, taking into consd-
Grafton his position as United States senator the
most disgraceful that has emanated from any public
man. We hear much every year about the expendi-
ture Of seventy eight one hundred millions of
dollars, and demagogues attempt to humbug and
deceive the people by throwing the responsibility
Of the same upon the executive department of The
government To this general denunciation the an
swer is plain one. No Executive is authorized to
spend one dollar that is not appropriated by Con-
gross. But we are not disposed to screen the Elk
ecutve or to lay the whole blame upon the legisa-
tive departments each is in part answerable for
any extravagant or wasteful expenditure, according
to the responsibility assumed in recommending the
appropriation, making it without such recon-
mendaton. The estimates generally sent to Con-
gress every year by the executive departments of the
government based upon laws requiring them; the
Legislative, tho executive, and the judiciary as well as
the governments in the Territories and the mints
and branches, are not subject to dminution without
the sanction Of Congress. So it is mostly with the
army and navy, well as annuities to Indians and
pensions to soldiers and their widows They are
liked by law, and the pay in the one and the grau-
y in the other is less as Congress wills and
directs. The democratic party have always held il
as cardinal principle in their creed that the reve-
nue. OF the government should be reduced to an eco
nomica administration of the same and for the last
thirty years have been endeavorng to reduce IL, |
The only party in this country that ever has made
an effort to relieve the people of some Of the bur-
dens Of taxation is the democratic while their op
M natfa hat Ja,r
ciousy chung to increase of taxation, and have.
consequently, been the consistent advocates of law
lsh expenditures. No one knows better than Mr.. |
Irumbull, for the short time he has been in the SEN
ate that all the opposition made to the wastefu and
extravagant appropriations which have, character
lied the legislation Of the country for the few last
years has emanated from members of the democratic
party They have received little or no assistance
from the opposition We might name individual
members Of both houses of Congress who have done
the country essential service in their exertons to
stay ths tendencyto extravaganza; they are in all
cases, without single exception, democrats
but our object in this article was to compare the
statements Of the Illinois senator with the facts as thew
appear of record The senator after dealing in some
general misrepresentation, particuIarizes Tho ex-
penses Of collecting the revenue as o subject for
which he censures the democratic party and holds
them responsible for increase in the same. He
institutes comparison between the expenditures
under this branch when Mr.. Fillmore was President
and the last year of Gen. Pierces administration.
and attempts to ridicue certain expenditures in GER
lain localities by showing the disparity between the
amount paid for tho service in collecting and the
amount actually collected
For instance. he says at Wilmington, Delaware.
here was collected in 1851 81, OO4 95, while the ex
pense Of collecting was $l584s SO. He omitted to
ell his constituency that in 1862 the last year of
Mr. Fillmores administration at the same port there
vas collected "a, 4Sl 49, Of which the expense Of
Collecting was $28,13l 10; and yet he held the doc
'ment1n his hand from which he obtained the one
net end from which he might have communicated the
thsr Again, he says at Annapolis, Maryland there
VAS collected in 1857 s374 25 and the expense of col
Getting was 1888 AZ, and yet he remembered to for
ret to inform his constituency, to whom he was en-
ieavoring to mpart the truth from the very same i
document. that in 1852 there was collected at Annap
''s he very same port, 1923 co. and the expenses
paid for the same $2,l33 80 Again, at Ocracoke. 9
n North Carolina, $50 So was collected in 1867 I
expenses $2,s0l 50; and yet this very official report
II the Secretary of the Treasury r,,,;oh IL .:..l