Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-03-12
National Extrayagancc.

National Extravaganza.
MANY of our readers will rccolcct the popular
complaint in 1870 against the extravaganza of Mr..
Van Buren, in furnishing the Presidential man
sion in a style Of Oriental splendor, NJ the OK
pense of the public Treasury. The famous speech
of Mr. Ogle Of Pennsy vania---n document more
widely circulated than any other that vas issued
during that memorable campaign opened the
eyes of the people to an abuse of which they had
previously conception whatever. They found
on, that n Democratic Administration. pledged TO
economy and reform and the representative of a
party which affected sevore simplicity not only
in the administration of Government bu, in their
domestic habits, was devoting large sums of the
public money to the suStcnancc Of tho President
in q style OF luxurious magnfcepce nc'or before
approached by any of his pred'c' so1s.
This was one of the cau,es-and not unim-
portnn me eithcr--whch led to TIA disastrous
overthrow of the Van Buren, dynasty. People
who are toiling and laboring nj home, como of
them for nothing more than Tie absolute means
of existence, could not view with uncpnccrn the
wasteful and luxurious cxirnvagnnce which npper
taincd to the Presidential household
But if there we're cause Of complaint this
nation be nj ouscd Mt the present time. Still loud
or should the thunders of popular displeasure
reyerberate throughout the land from one extreme
Of the Confederaay to the other.
The corruption and extravag canoe which marked
the days of 1910 are more than parallelcd by the
corruption and'extravaganec of the present day.
Some notable developments have recently been
made with regard to the cost Of furnishing tho
new Southern wing of the Capitol ut Washington,
which so far throw into the shade the prodignity
of Mr. Van Buren's time, NJ almost to lose all
points Of n.parison.
In answer to resolution upon the subject, the
clerk of the House of Ropfcncn at,es has sub
Intsed to Congress report ii the cast of furnish
ing one Of the new wings If the Capitol, which
shows.an aggregate expenditure, for that purpose,
of nearly halt million IF doha~' Nearly half
million dollars %. the public money has been
expended IN The mere furniture for the Ecprcscn-
tatives' wing of the National Capitol
The bill Of particulars is given from exami-
nation of which the people will see how much Of
sincerity there is in Democratic professions of
economy, and how little Their proclamaiuns Of
simplicity and plainness comport with their actual
performances. Thus we find, for instance, that
the furniture for the Speakers Room, and for the
Of the Committee of Ways and Means (of
which Com mittec, en- passant, Mr.. Letcher was u
member) cost in the aggregate five thousand, eight
hundred and fifty-two dollars! Nearly six thou
sand dollars for the mere furniture not of n bed
room, or Of parlor, but of couple of rooms de-
voted to about u dozen members Of Congress for
the transaction of business.
Does any one wish to know how such bill is
made up? We will give few ITEMS from which
the reader will see Mt glance how IT il DOME
We find for example, "a large French mirror for
the Speakers room" charged ut II eos, Of thirteen
hundred and fifty dollars. We find marble
clocks charged at one hundred and forty five dol
lars apiece We find chairs charged Mt ninety dollars
apiece. We find CURTAINS" mt three hundred dol
lars set We find ''carpeting" charged at four
dollars and a quarter yard "washsands"
eighty five doEars--" pitchers" eighteen dollars
"pierable" two hundred ard seventy five dollars,
and other articles in the same proportions Need
we wonder, when looking ut such an exhibit, that
they should have stopped even at hall million Of
dollars in this extraordinary instance Of prodigal.
ity?
Now. no enc will object 10 respectable furni-
ture, and even fine furniture for our National
Capitol. But that is not tho poi,t This turn-
ture is pnid for at twice or thrice IS real worth
OF that, there can be no doubt We do not know
under whose charge it was done--nor do we care.
The fact we think is evident, that the Govern.
ment has been required to pay the most enormous
prices for these articles, and we leave the reader
TO draw his own inference.
The appropriation for the payment of these
bills was recommended 10y the Committee of WAYS
and Means of which Mr.. Le,chcr was member
and the vote Of Mr.. Letcher was in its favor
Perhapshe can give some explanation to the peo-
pie Of Virgidia concerning all these matters
Some persons may be disposed to regard this as
trifiing affair, but we do not consider it. 1t is
only by stopping :the smaller frauds upon the
Treasury that'we are enabled to reach the large
ones. Considering the extraordinary increase in
the expenditures Of the Government within the
last few years the people are entitled to know how
the money goes. We are on the track ofother
abuses, and it shall not he our fault if the people
are kept any longer in ignorance respecting them
EyRFaM NORFOLK OYsTERs
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