The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-06-19
THE PUBLIC EXPENDITURES.

We publish to-day most lucid and able speech
from Mr., Letcher, Of Virginia, on the expenditures
of the government 1t was intended . reply to ..
partisan effort Of Mr. Sherman, Of Ohio the object Of
which was to furnish data for campaign assaults
upon the administration and the democratic party
in the approaching congressional elections IN sew
eral Of the States The speech of Mr. Letcher tears
the production Of Mr.. Sherman to pieces In most
unmerciful manner. It leaves our modern Munclau-
sen in as unlucky plight a. his prototype was in
on the memorable occasion when the sudden melting
Of . deep snow over night left the Baron's horse
dangling by the bride At the top Of church steople
several hundred feet high, to which he had tied it,
on an evening Of his marvellous travels. The hon
orable gentleman from Ohio had by process Of arith
metic not unfamiliar to his side of the House. though
it would astound old Pike and Bonnycastle il they
were alive, built up superstructure Of government
expenditures for the fiscal year 1899 to the APP
palling height of nnety-two millions of dollars "a
minimum Mr.. Letcher has dissolved the fabric of the
member from Ohio, and left him dangling far
above the region Of fact the seed Of his tutelary
divinity Munchausen, was suspended above the sur
face of terra frma
At the time that the speech Of Mr. Sherman was
delivered it was evidently the intention of the oppo
ston to swell the appropriations Of the session of
Congress- to as large maximum possible. The
object WAS manifold. An enormous expenditure OF
money would have afforded an admirable basis Of
assault upon the administration and the democratic
party in the approaching elections for Congress, and
in tho great campaign Of 1860. Occurring, this
I. an. Al
very dminutive receipts into the Treasury, the
cess of expenditures over receipts would render
necessary an increase OF the tariff for the protection
of the manufacturing interests in the backrepubli-
can States camor for this increase of the tar If,
it was thought, could be Inado highly available be-
fore the workingmen of the North in the present
cessation Of enterprise fall Of wages, and general
lack Of employment
The plan of the proposed campaign was, thus,
very formidable one. A great outcry against the
extravaganza of the dominant party; proposition
for increasing the tariff measure Of public neces
sty resulting from democratic extravaganza the adj
vantages of thus protecting The honest and needy
American workingman against the pauper labor of
Europe these were to be the pleas and pretexts
for a common assault of all branches Of tho opposi-
ton, united in grand People Party /" against
the administration and the democracy.
Thanks, however, to the wisdom and prudence OF
Mr. Buchanan, the first branch Of the scheme of the
opposition failed most signally. They were not al.
lowed up the appropriations of the session to
ninety two millions of dollars according to the covert
suggestion Of Mr.. Sherman. Tie President gave
them warning at the proper moment that he would
take time to examine infinitely every item OF money
that they put into the appropriation bills He would
not tolerate the abuse which had grown up of hold
ing back these bills until the expiring hours of the
sessions filling them with every sort Of extravagant
and abominable expenditures; thrusting them under
his nose in the nighttime for signature, when il
was impossible for him to- detect the vilany and
thus succeeding in their scheme Of extravagant and
Hcentious appropriations by darkantern trick upon
the Executive. We have the result of this bold
and honest inAexibility of Mr.. Buchanan Members
knew that unless they sent him their bills by satur-
day they could not adjourn the session on Monday
20 thsy sent them by Saturday. They knew, more
over that If they filed their bills with abomination'
they would come hack to them on Monday morning
branded before the country with veto and 30 they
refraied from loading them down with plumber items