Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-01-14

Opposition ECONOMY ana heAOIAus
We have stated in previous Issues, and the fact
cannot be questioned, that the extrsvagant expen'
detures which have been subject Of complaint
against the Democratic party, were uniformly op-
posed by majority Of the Democratic members Of
Congress, and supported by majority of the o2-
position The opposition Press is full Of denunci-
atoms against the party which resisted these appro-
priatiOns, while proposing rerenchment and reform
by elevsting to Office the very men through whose
agency the resources of the country have been
souandered The Democracy are Condemned be-
cause they have not been able to prevent corrupt
coalition of Know NOthngs and Black Republicans
from wasting the public money, and in order to
remedy the evil, the people are urged to place the
government in the hands of those who have been
chiefly instrumental in creating the public debt.
We are tsuntingly told that the Democracy have
shown themselves incapable Of guarding the fnan-
ees against punderers and thieves, and the country
il invited therefore to transfer the guardianship
of the treasury to those who have robbed it.
We have said that majority of the Democratic
Congressmsn voted against sll of these exravagsnt
concentrations. under which the government is now
grooming. But it is urged by our Know Moth
ing and Black Republican contemporaries, that
they have not resisted succcssfGliy-that the
public money has been squsndered in spite of their
efforts to prevent it, This is true The cunning
and corruption of the united opposition have some
times eIuded the vigilance of the Democracy They
have sometimes seduced few of its members from
their fidelity to principle and inveigled them into
their wasteful and prohigste schemes. But this
admission only proves that q few men IN the Demo
cratic ranks have occasionally acted as badly IS the
great body of the opposition constantly act, and
that the Democratic members are not so unanimous
and united in guarding the treasury as the oppOsi
ton are in robbing it. This is the ground OF all
the censure that has been hesped upon the admins
tratiou. BELL and SEWARD with their party friends
hy persistent eKertiOns and By the detection
of few weak and wsvering men on the Democratic
side Of the House, have sadded upon the proper
and necessary appropriations, which were actually
REQUIRED to carry on the affairs OF government
other useless and extravsgant appropriations which
the President could not veto without stopping the
wheels Of government.
certain amount of money is of course absolute
ly necessary to pay the current public expenses
Most of these expenses are incurred under the re
ouiremeuts Of laws which have been passed BY
Congress in former years. and for which the present
administration is by no means responsible. Inc
Departments hand into Congress estimates OF the eK"
set amount which will be required TO defray the
expenses Of the government, and whenever these
amounts are exceeded Congress produces the ex~
cess by it's own action In 1856, the estimates
sent in by the treasury Department amounted to
something over S96, 600, 600 for the two years CT
S4s 600. 900 per aunum. In addition to this Con
sress voted appropri ,tioDs not demanded by the
Administration, to the amount of Sll 100000 For
these appropriations, maj priy of the opposition
almost invariably voted, while the Democrats who
voted with them voted in opposition to the body Of
their party. The estimates for the last year we're
about $4,000 900 Of dollars, and the increase over
thst amount was voted for by majority Of the
opposition and opposed by the body Of the Demoers
cy. The additional pay to members OF Congress
the extrsvagant internal improvement schemes
which are now draining the treasury, the enormous
printing bills incurred by the Rlaek Republican
Know Nothing Congress of 55-6, were all supported
by the opposition and passed in spite of the votes
of the larger part of the Democratic members
vet these same men have the efroutery to ask the
people 20 condemn the administration for their own
extravaganza, and to thrust the Democracy from
power TO give place for themselves.