Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-07-16
A Lame Defence.

The exposure of the unparalleled extrava-
gance of the present administration has filled
the Democratic party with trepidation and
: confusion. The party organs and hacks all
over the country are figuring up defences and
excuses. Some of them boldly refer the enor-
nous distribution of plumber to certain acts
of Fillmore's administration but the absurd
,fty of this is so palpable that the members of
their party will not believe it. Numerous
other evasive and paliating excuses are offered,
but none of them go down with the peo-
pie At length the Washington Union con-
Guides 10 take the bull by the horns, and de-
MES that the public expenditures of the pres
ent administration are unreasonably or i'm
properly large. One of the corps of that pa
per's editors has made a tabular statement of
the appropriations for the year, beginning
with the present month, from speech made
in Congress by Mr.. LETCHER, of Virginia, be-
fore the facts could be known, which shows
the total amount to be in round numbers, SIR
freight millions. This statement is straightway
copied into all the administration journals, as
conclusive of the facts, and as a refutation of
the estimate which has been made as ranging
between S80.000,0O0 and S1O0.000.000. Let
us examine this statement In the first place
this estimate is made in part, on appropria-
tions which were not at the time, and caunot
yet be ascertained.
There is certain class of appropriations
that are, from their nature, indefinite. These
the Union estimates and this is one source of
error, which may materially change the re-
suit. 1t cannot he said that the appropriations
for the present fiscal year are S6S,00O, 600,
and no more, and the statement of the Union
does not possess any superior claim to accura-
cy over other estimates One estimate is placed
against the other, and the truth still remains
to be developed In this view, therefore, this
defence of the administration amounts TO just
nothing at all. But it is totally demolished,
Ceaving out of view the statement of the cor
respondent of the New York 7fDars, republisbed
by us few days ago. if it has any claim
whatever TO accuracy, by the fact recently
suggested by the Washington correspondent
of the Philadelphia North american, that there
is an unexpended balance of appropriations
made during the last Congress, of Sl6.5S8 So,
which should be added to current appropria-
tiOns of the first session of the present Con-
gress, and which swells the available means
for the present year to the aggregate of $751;
5s6,5ss 35, taking the estimate Of the Wash
iugton Union to be correct. This item is left
out 10y the Union, and its readers are left to
infer that the total amount at the command
of the President for the year ending on the
30th June, 1859 is no more than SOS, 000, 900.
1t is well known to the country that during
the panic of last fall, the Secretary of the
Treasury suspended work on several of the
public improvements, and refused to COM
mence work on many others which had not
been actually commenced, but ordered by
Congress. 1t is thus that the unexpended |
balance of sixteen and half millions of last |
years appropriations was created-and not |
as the Washington Union argues, by the pru-
dence and economy of the administration. |
The actual expenditures of the last year, will |
show an enormous and wasteful extravaganza, |
without the sixteen and half millions unex
pended. Last years account is closed. and |
the administration and its supporters and |
not deceive the people by er parte statements
and tables of uncertain estimates and they |
show in the attempt, that they are excessive
ly stupid themselves, or believe the country |
to be excessively stupid, and the same time
exhibit the utter, unmitigated fallacy of their
pretended defence. 1t may yet turn out that,
with the S6S,OOO,OO of the Uaion subject as
it is to almost indefinite increase and the
snug balance of Sl6,5O0.OOO, together with
the " deficiency bills" which may come be-
fore the next session of Congress, the 6xpend
itures of the year just commenced will run up
to the neighborhood of 500 900, 900, as has
been often suggested. We have never assert
ed that il would be so much. We have
thought, taking the average of the past few
years. and the constant increase, that the ac-
t,ldl expenditures of this year would run up to
Ss5 or $50 100000 but putting all the facts
and figures together, it is possible we have I'M
the greed of the spoilsmen-our
notions Of their proagacy. rapacity and ca
pacity for plumber may fall short of the real
ity. We shall see, and we mean that the
masses shall see.