The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-07-15

)NAL ERA: WASN'T
| to aid an Administration like this or its prede
cessor in carrying on the burdens of the Govern
| ment, when they cannot vote for a single appro
priation bin without having all these contineen
cses and jobs and other items thrust upon. them
and being told, you voted for them" Sir. i car
say, for one, did not The gentleman win no
| find me in that category.
| hare already referred to the military estab
lishmenf, showing vast increase in its expendi
lures. i might, with the documents before me
show how millions have been sunk for transport
alton, subsistence, and supplies, upon contract.
made without public notice, but am admonisb.
ed that my time will not allow.
Without an opportunity to examine, and under
the plea of pressing necessity at an early period
of the session we were called upon to vote ex.
travagant appropriations, intended to cover large
contracts for subsistence and transportation
many of which are illega-or have it charged
upon us that we were willing to leave our pallau
| army in the Rocky Mountains, without food and
shelter. Unwilling to do that, some on this side
voted for the deficiency bill; but who can trace
the expenditure of this money!
INCREASE OF OFFICES
We were told yesterday, by the chairman of the
Committee of Ways and Means, that all these
appropriations are in pursuance of existing law
Now, want him to answer, at his leisure, how
It comes that, in 1882, there were employed in
the collecting Of the revenue two thousand, five
hundred and thirty persons and that, in 1854
when the law had not been changed, there were
employed in the various CUSTOM houses two
thousand nine hundred and thirteen: and in
1857, three thousand and lightweight employees
and this before the new tariff had gone into on
GRAFTON? How comes this increase of five hmm
dred officers in the custom houses2 Under what
law was the increase made? By what authority
are these fresh leechcs set upon the Treasury ?
Sir, large portion of the appropriations annu-
ally made depend simply upon your will and if
you cut off the supply, the expenditure will cease
without impairing single provision Of law.
THE Reform MUST BE BY THE HOUSE.
/ Sir, retrenchment and reform are now matters
of imperative necessity 1t is not the mere cry Of
demagogues, but q problem demanding the at
tention and worthy the highest ability of the
representatives of the people. No party is fit to
govern this country which cannot solve it. 1t is
in vain to look to executive officers for reform.
Their power and influence depend upon executive
patronage; and while we grant, they will squan-
der The Senate is neither by the theory of our
system, nor by its composition, fitted for the task
This House alone has the constitutional power to
perfect radical reform The Constitution pro-
vides that no money shall be drawn from the
Treasury but in consequence of appropriations
made by law, and that all bills for raising reve-
nue. shall originate in the House of Representa-
tives. These provisions were designed to invest
in this House the entire control over the public
purse-the power of supply; this is invested in
the House of Commons, and has been jealousy
guarded by it. 1t is the pearl beyond price
without which constitutional liberty in England
would long since have fallen under the despotism
of the Crown.
ABUSES AND INSPIRATIONS OF EXECUTIVE.
By the exercise of this power we may hold the
Executive and the Senate in check. But instead
of using it, this House has, by slow degrees, al
lowed the other departments of the Government
to evade and virtually overthrow its constitution
al power. This change may be briefly illustra-
ted. The theory of our Government is, that
specific sum shall be appropriated by a LAW orig
mating in this House, for a specific purpose, and
within given fiscal year. 1t is the duty of the
Executive to use that sum, and no more, expressly
for that purpose and no other, and within the
time fixed Such is the theory !; but what is the
practice? Under a section of 9 law passed in
August, 1912, which was designed only for that
bill and for that year. the Departments assume
the power to transfer appropriations made for
one purpose, to any other purpose in the same
Department, thus defeating all checks. Without
law, they use money appropriated specifically for
the service of one fiscal year, to pay for the ser
vice of another fiscal year. A marked example
of this occurred recently. The present Secretary
of the Treasury took money appropriated in
March, 1853, for the expenses of the Territorial
Legislature of Kansas for the year ending June
30, f056, and in the face of refusal by Congress
to appropriate money6o support the bogus usurp-
ing Legislative Assembly for the year ending
June 30, 1857, took the balance of the old appro-
priation, and applied it to that purpose.
Az ak,,oa L. Al n
is, in their habit of making contracts in advance
of appropriations. They make contracts without
law, and compel either to sanction them or
violate the public faith. will give common
instance. An appropriation of 100000 is made
to construct custOm-hOuse the Department,
instead of contracting for a custom house of that
cost, make contracts for the construction of one
costing two or three millions. In this way, the
power of the House has been absolutely over
ruled. And when they come here and ask for
money to carry on the work you vote the money,
to save from entire loss the sum already expend-
ed, and because the contracts have been made
Now, sir, say that every contract which looks
to the expenditure of one dollar more than has
been appropriated, is utterly null and void.
Take, for instance, the custom house at New
Orleans In lS48, Congress appropriated SIoO,O 900
for the construction of a custom-hous in that
city, upon the express condition that the city
should donate to the Government lot ground
for that purpose, and make out clear and valid
title. Well, sir, the 100000 appropriated was
all expended in the sinking of the foundation of a
building of untold magnifcence, never contem-
plated by those who made the appropriation.
The Department again came to Congress for
another appropriation, and Congress has gone
on making appropriations until S2675, 258 have
been expended and the Representative from
New Orleans is now demanding more monep to
complete her custom house. =
For the city of Charleston, South Carolina, in
lS48, an appropriation of 900 was made, as
a sort of rider to an appropriation for custom
house at Savannah. Well. sir, upon the basis
of that 100000 the Government has gone on
with its plans, and has already expended
81 ,7O3, 900. do not know how much more will be
needed to complete the building; but the Repre-
sentative from the Charleston district told us the
other day Dat valuable ornaments of stone were
lying about, and further appropriations were
needed, either to complete the building or pro-
tect the materials from destruction. In this way
the Executive is gradually sapping the founda-
uons OF the Government and destroying the con-
stitutional power of the House. Instead of
representative Republic, we are degenerating
INTO a Bureaucracy, governed by red tape and
subaltern clerks. While the powers of the House
are invaded, the Executive takes care to extend
by construction, his just powers. Of this we have
an example in the Utah war; What power has
the President, without the consent of Congress,
to order the army to Utah, and thus involve the
Government in an expenditure of millions upon
millions? 1t is said that he is Commander-in-
chief OF the army, under the Constitution of the
United States. But the Constitution declares that
Congress shall declare war. He is Commander
in-chief, but only to carry on war when war has
been declared by the Congress of the United
States. He is our instrument, he is our SER
want, and not our master. And yet he has in
VOWED the Government in this Utah war. tits
o usurpatiOn which ought to be resisted hu the