Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1859-04-01
Vol. VINO. 35.

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been established. At the last session Of
/ Congress a resolution was passed by both
I Houses establishing another overland
mail route from St Joseph, in Missouri;
and but for the veto of the President
would have become law.
If you want to reduce the expenses of
/ the Post Office Department, you must
repeal your laws establishing the several
overland mail routes; ay, sir, and you
must stop authorizing these steamship
/ lines You must place these lines upon
the same footing with the mail service
upon the land, and let out the contracts
to the lowest bidder If you viii do
( that, stop the steamboat lines where they
are unnecessary, and act upon the Post
master General recommendation to give
the carriage of the mail upon land aud
upon sea to the lowest bidder, without
regard to the carrying Of passengers,
am Of the opinion that, in five years,
with the present postage, the Post Oflice
Department will be self-sustaning. lJ
has not had fair trial 1t has had
crowded upon it railway carriage at enor'
nous prices. There, too, would inter-
/ fcre, aud fix a reasonable maximum price
for carrying the mail, If reasonable
price were settled upon, | have no doubt
it would be acquicsced in 10y these COM
panies. With these reforms, sir, the
Department can be made self sustaining,
without the increase Of postage Or tho
abolition Of the franking privilege.
| need not speak of the present head
of tho Post Office Department. ] did
not come here to defend him lie needs
no defense Ono thing, however, he
has done which has not been done here
tofore. He has gone beyond the rail-
roads and the big steamships. lie has,
sir, furnished the country proper the
hills aud the valleys, with mail service,
to which they were entitled, but which
had heretofore been obstinately denied
them For this he il entitled to credit.
Now, Mr. Chairman, if we want to
reduce the expenditures of the govern
mont, let us 90 to work and do something
Of the kind that have indicated. Let
US repeal those laws which render it
necessary to make useless expenditures
which require the erection Of useless
public buildings, on which millions Of
dollars are thrown away annually. Let
us repeal the laws establishing overland
mail routes aud steam ship lines, and We
can save millions in that way. Let US
try at every other point to reduce the
expenditures Of the Government before
VIC call home the ships that protect our
commerce on every sea and oar citizens
in every cline or before we call in our
outpost and leave tho people on the from
tier to the mercy Of hostile sayages.
1t has not been my purbose, Mr. Chair
man, in the remarks | have submitted,
to show that the expenses Of the Govern
ment cannot be reduced; but, first. that
for the last half century they have not
more than kept pace with the growth,
expansion, wealth, aud population Of the
country; and, secondly, that they have
not exceeded the necessities Of the pW lic
service, as now organized by law, IT,
then, too much money has been expeh
ded upon whom rests the responsibility
answer upon Congress, and not upon
the Administration.
Sir, during the last Congress there
were one hundred and ninety distinct
items Of appropriations made which were
not asked for or recommended by my
Executive Department Of tie Govern
ment, amounting in all to 81 ,4S9, 770.
And at the last session Of Congress, we
all remember that IS, 600, 600 had to be
added to the loan bill to meet appropri-
atoms not asked for or contemplated by
the Executive. Yet gentlemen complain
Of tho extravaganza Of tho Adminstra-
ton Nay, more, sir These gentle
men who complain so much about extray-
agancc. make no move 10 repeal the laws
to execute which the appropriations are
MADE. Let them commence reform in
The right way by a repeal Of those laws
requiring unnecessary appropriations,
and not defeat the appropriation bills
and leave the law remaining on the stat
ute-book unexocuted / ask you is il
siatcsmanlike? lsit Just for gentlemen
to sit here from Congress to Congress
aud wait at each session, for the appro-
priation bills to come up. and then de-
feat them to exhibit their economizing
spirit to the world, and particularly to
their constituents While / am here
/ expect to vote such appropriations 10
arc required by existing law and as tho
requirements Of the public service do
mand and leave my constituents TO
settle the question as to whether am
right or wrong.
fIToro tho hammer foil