Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-05-10
From the Opposition.
Democratic Confession of Demoer
Extravagance.

OF the public debt and awards under the then
recent treaty with Mexico, were $50, OPP ,099;
and 1928 the expenditures, exclusive of
the same payments on account of the public
debt, were S43544.262. Last year, in 1851
So they were 71.492. 1893; and the estimates
asked for, for the next fiscal year, exclusive
of the payments of public debt, amount to
$7I,254,63
"Now, / beg this committee to remember
that this country is as large at this moment as
it was in 1852. with the exception of the
Gadsden purchase. l beg the committee to
remember that, if the country now extends
from ocean to ocean, if it stretches from Puget
Sound TO Key West and the Tortugas, if it
now spreads from the Aroostook to San
Diego, beg them to remember that so it did
in 1852. If You have TO protect and de-
fend and maintain your Government through
out the whole of this vast region which we
now occupy, we held the same region and had
the same duties and functions to fulfil six
years ago.
''Can any gentleman pretend that it is fair,
that it is Just, that it is legitimate that the
expenses of this Government, in time of pro-
found peace, should have doubled IN siz Years?-
Look through the list of items, and you will
find that the expenditures have almost doubled
in eUery item. Is not there some place to apply
the knife? Can we go home to our constitu-
ents and tell them, you sent us to Congress
in time of commercial disaster; at a time
when, if the revenues of the Government
were languishing. the revenues of the people
Were more languishing: we have made no
effort to reduce the expenditures We have
left tn EN- at double what they were six years
ago; and we have imposed additional faxes
upon your" Can the gentleman from Phila-
delphia justify such conduct, even to the IRON
market of his own State?
He says that the expenditures do not adj
NIT of much reduction. Is this probable, in
view of the fact that they have doubled in sac
years? Let us look through the list, and,
even with my brief experience here, with what
admit to be very insufficient knowledge,
think can point out some important retrench-
ments, more than enough to meet the estima-
ted deficiency.
First, there are the legislative expendi-
lures. In six years they have grown from
S1,248O18 to S3,583.524. Does the gentle
man from Pennsylvania think that nothing
can be Topped off there? Why continue your
vast printing expenses? Why should the
Government enter into the bOOk-publishing
business unless be TO maintain party presses here.
and to furnish yourselves with documents and
books for etc(ioneering? Perhaps they are
needed for that exceedingly intelligent ''read
ing and writing community" which the gen
tleman from Pennsylvania boasts that he
represents. Ny constituents may not read
and write quite so much, but let me tell him
that they prefer to read at their own expense,
and not at the cost of their tax paying fellow
citizens.
Now, look at the salaries of the surveyors
of your public lands They constitute rather
a small item, but wish to illustrate this sub
ject in small items as well as large ones. In
1882, they were S72,52S; last year, they
were SI63,7l7. In the former year, the Mint
establishments cost $4,000; now they cost
S643,487. Why is that? Is il because you
have more gold and silver to coin? Not at
all. 10 is because. under the UiIe system gro1cing
up IN THIS country, tchen you spend money IN
district, you are called on TO ezpe,ad like sum in
another.
Patronage ard expenditure beget demands
of more city patronage and more expend-
lures, until the whole country is dotted with
public establishments, not for The benefit of public
service, but for the advantage of the tax con-
sumers i'll each locality. A Mint is needed at
San Francisco, the capital of our modern
Ophir. think that you Should have Mint
at New York, the second commercial me-
tropolis in the world. But why should there
be one in the neighboring city of Philadel
phia Why should you have one in the
mountains of North Carolina and Georgia p
Why one at New Orleans? If the system is
to continue as it has begun, we will soon have
MINIS in every State of the Union.
1.-The collection of the revenue cost S2,0S5,-
654 in 1852, and S2.905, 432 last year. The
Secretary of the Treasury-and 1 will have
something to say presently in answer to the
gentleman from Pennsylvania in defence of
that oficer-has reported bill to reduce
those expenditures. Your lighthouse
establishment has, in six years. increased in
expense from 1897 ,466 to Sl162,857. Why?
Not in consequence of necessary lights. On
many parts of the northern coast the lights
are so numerous that they are source of
10 fhaF of rrf,i1
them through the shoals and rocks, they mis-
lead them to their destruction. 1 fear tcas
not the lights, but the patronage that needed.
The deficit in the marine hospital fund has
nearly doubled since 1852, and | might show
the same OF almost every other head of eXpen-
diture.
The navy yards are kept up for the benefit Of
The people employed, and The money spent. And so
we have them dotted in every direction. |
believe the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Sc
wardl has one in embryo in the State of Geor-
gia even now.
81 come next to the items for increase and
repairs. Remember that this does not include
the building of the slOops ordered last session.
There is a distinct estimate for them. This IL
for the ordinary repairs. 1t amounts TO So
100000. Five years ago it was oily 81, 800, 900;
six years since only 81, 200 900.
Take the next item, for barracks, S770,-
employed. These barracks are built. and ex-
pensively built, at points where they are only
TO be used for year or two. We are contin-
ually changing our frontier forts. and instead
of putting up houses like those of the settlers
around them, we put up expensive gothic cot
tages for tie officers, and durable barracks for
the soldiers.
''Then take the quartermaster's department.
The estimates are larger than the expenditures Of
J..f.
/ acknowledge the difficulty of reducing items
like this; | know that it is, to some extent,
striking in the dark. The Quartermaster
General tells you, the Secretary of War tells
you, the Committee OF Ways and Means tells
you, that they cannot control these expendi-
lures then say that the only way 10 control
them is the same way that you would control
any other extravagant person that is, by
stinting them in money"
This truthful and candid exposition, on the
floor of the House OF Representatives by a
Democrat, OF the enormous and unnecessary
increase in the public expenditures since the
accession to power of the Democratic party
in 1853, should, OF itself, be enough to drive
Off ovcry honest Demoerat from the support
of that party. The facts stated by Mr.. Gar
nett, were derived by him from accessible
official sources, and admitted of no denial on
the floor Of the House when they were stated,
nor can they be denied or explained away. We
commend them to the thoughtful attention OF
our Democratic friends.
The representative from Pennsylvania, who
had assumed, aud in speech maintained, the
position, that the Government expenditures,
enormous as they are. do not admit of much re-
duetion, and which position Mr.. Garnett coiu-
batted, was Mr.. PHILLIPS, thorough Adsuais-
<dfioa Democrat.