Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-05-06
FRIDAY, MAY 6, 1859.
democratic EItravagance--The Fall
Iae;es of its Defenders and ApoIog-

lists.
1t il agreed on all hands that the expendi
lures of the Federal Administration have in
creased enormously within the last six years
The Democratic speakers, committees, and
journals are making a most vigorous, but
unsuccessful effort, to avoid the responsibility
and odium attaching to this admitted extra
vsgance.
They are required to answer the following
facts:
lst That they have had a President during
The whole period under discussion:
2nd They have uniformly held majority
in the Senate ranging from IA to Is.
3rd They have uniformly held a majority
In the House of Representatives, with the ex-
ception Of one Congress
4th. They have all the time had it in their
power. through the President and Senate to
check e1:raVagant and unnecessary appro-
priations if they had possessed the will /; and
with the exception of one Congress, have had
absolute control, in the executive and both
branches Of the legislative departments, over
The appropriation of the public money.
We have not yet seen or heard fair and
full answer 10 these overwhelming facts. We
do not believe they will be, or can be, salts
fact"rily answered to the people. But instead.
the defepders and apOlOgists of the admins
fration contend that majority of Democrats
generally voted against these appropriations,
afa!laey, by the way which we will expose in
w days, and that the 34th Republican
Congress is responsible to the country. To
sf,.TF, fh.oa : IL
an afsduity seldom equaled. The result of
this figuring has been TO show that that "pro-
figat Black Republican Congress" appro-
priaIcd Sil, 4SS,777 99-abOve the amount
estimated as necessary by the departments
during beth its sessions! They challenge a
denial Of this startling assertion. Admitting
the fact as stated, it only relieves the admin
istraliOn to the extent of less than eleven and
a half millions in its aggregate expenditures
but deducting it all from one single year of
Mr.. BCCHASAN's term aud it still leaves a
large increase over the ordinary expenditures
of the government. So that at the best, this
is but an insufficient palation.
But is this really and substantially even a
q paIiation?
The two sessions of that Congress, which
SO outraged the Democratic theory CT
economy; made appropriations respectively
for the fiscal years ending June 3Oth 1857
and June Both, 1858. These were the years
for which the Saith Congress provided. But
the administration did not stop at expanding
during those years the amount for which il
had estimated, and the eleven and a half mil
lions over plus. 1t spent all this. and we
find the next Congress-, which was Demo-
cratic, reporting and passing deficiency bills
amounting to Sl0,045, 399 47-mainly for
deficiencies in the appropriations made by
that Black Republican Congress, for the wear
1858. Although the r, publicans forced ap
preparations upon the administration of eleven
and half millions more than it called for,
it got through with it all and ten millions
besides
How then stands this plea of opposition
profigacy and extravaganza! Do not the
above facts show that the outcry against the
Saith Congress is sheer humbug? Does il
answer single one of the leading facts that
the Democratic leaders are called upon to
answer?