The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1858-09-23
The Lobby The Republicans
and tllc Expenditures Of the
Government,

Government.
One Of the chief sources of the hostility
of the opposition to the President is to be
found in the fact that by public message
he declared to Congress he would sign no
bill making appropriations of money which
shoold be presented to him within the last
twenty y.four hours Of the legislative session.
The object OF the President was to be able
to fully investigate the merits of that class
Of bills particularly, and, knowing that
they are the most difficult of any to comprc-
hend, he demanded time TO examine them
This simple and reasonable rule, thus reso.
lu,ely enforced, was a fatal blow ut the
whole lobby scheme, nine tenths Of which
is in the hands of the Republicans. They
had every reason, of course, to feel that the
President was most unfriendly to all their in-
terests. and set to work with all their known
energy, force and ability, to denounce his
administration by every conceivable misre.
presentation. Their minds naturally enough,
resting upon grand schemes to defraud the
government, they were particularly exercis-
ed on the subject of alleged extravaganza it
| its departments and ''the frightful increase of
the public expenditures" Receiving for q
few years past larger amounts of revenue
than were sufficient to meet current outays,
the treasury had redeemed many millions Of
its six per cent. bonds at large premium,
thus saving one or two years interest. The
revenues again rapidly falling under q sud-
den suspension OF trade, it became neces.
sary to issue new bonds and call the money
thus paid out, back into the Treasury
Forthwith this movement was everywhere
heralded as proof Of the extravaganza of the
administration, charging them in point of
fact, with the effects OF q commercial revul-
sion which extended all over the world.
This magnificent idea seemed at enc time
to promise so we'll that large body of idiot
politicians rushed out of this city into vari.
Gus parts of the country, determined to in.
augurate Presidential movement for 1860
upon it. They were not very we'll informed
upon the subject they undertook to discuss.
but having tried their utmost to enlarge the
appropriations to the highest possible point.
with view of embarrassing the treasury,
and doubtless believing that they had been
successful, no time was to be lost in throw
ing the whole responsibility upon the Presi.
dent. The movement-it was call the "peo.
ple's movement"-collapsed in about six
weeks; and it turned out that the "people''
engaged in it were that delectable BODY Of
gentlemen known as the Washington lobby,
assisted by half dozen vagrant politicians.
The "people's movement" having failed.
we find Mr.. Trumbull, of Illinois, picking
up the tools which Mr. Crittenden and Mr..
Humphrey Marshall found too inconven nient
to handle, and battling away with them with
more than Quixotic energy. Mr.. Trumbull
who votes for every conceivable nppproria.
ton and strains every muscle to increase
the expenses of the government, is utterly
amazed that its affairs are not carried on as
cheaply as they were when we were collect
ing fifteen or twenty millions OF revenue. -
MIR. Trumbull is guilty of inefrable mean.
ness in pointing out those places where O
detective revenue force is required, the ex.
penses Of supporting which of course, are
greater than the revenue collected Of the
several points, and then charging the raspon.
sibility thereof to the I'D administration, We
cannot, of course, speak for the intelligence
Of Mr.. Trumbull's audience. They NAV be
idiots for aught we know. Certain it ia, h,
puts poor estimate upon their capacity, OF
VCly h'eu OhS upou HIS OWu LeSLlm00V.-
But Mr.. Trumbull is an abolitonist, actin!
upon the maxim that the end justiies tn
means. While he is charging extravaganza
5 Mr.. Cobb is busily engaged in cutting OF
! every unnecessary charge upon the treas
, ury, and is daily receiving complaints tina
the revenue force is being reduced belo,
the actual demands of safety.
Now, all this indicates q vagrant partner
r ship between the corrupt lobbyites and ih
= various branches of the opposition. w
4 need not tell the reader that those who OF
pose appropriations in this city, and use el
! cry exertion TO limit and cut down the pul
:. lie expenditures, are Democrats, and thl
those who vote for every scheme looking
the increase of the expenses, and to tt
squandering Of The means of the governmen
i are Republicans and Americans. As W
s. have said, they organized regular Pres
,. Dental campaign only two months ago c
of the strength OF their own wicked extrav
gance in voting away the money OF the PEI
: pie. and were defeated only by the steat
m opposition of the Democracy, both in o
Of OF Congress- washington Union.