Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1859-11-25
Government Expenses.

There is demagogue so stupid that he cannot raise
an outcry over official extravaganza and none SO weak
as not to be able to make something of plausible case
against the powers that be- for it is certain that as our
country grows our expenses also grow, and that the
time is forever passed when the expenses oil our oae OF
Federal Governments can be brought back to the same
dimensions that they occupied at the beginning even Oh
the present decade to say nothing OF time before lne
existing generation came upon the stage Inc country
has grown rapidly-her population has increased anu
her territory has much ncreased-she has no" 10
keep up expensive establishments on the PACING sne
has to defend an immense frontier she has to provide for
introducing Steam into her Navy by which the COST OF
that branch of the public service largely enhanced
The appliances of modern warfare are far more expensive
than they were few years ago. The price OF labor is
now much higher than it before the advent OF Gall
fornia and Australia gold what would have been re-
garded as competent salary in 1880, would be looked
upon as a mere pittance in l859-'6O In the changeo
conditions of the world and of relations to it, we can
as little afford niggardness as we can extravaganza
false economy is economy at ALL and certainly 1t is
false economy that deprves the Executive of the means
adequate for the full protection of our citizens at home
and abroad We trust that all speculative grants, land
steangs steamship plumber, and other corrupt move
ments for the depletion of the public treasury may here
after be carefully watched, but also trust that no
neglect to make due provision for the public defence,
will ever again leave our frontier in position to be in
suited by such contemplate antagonist as COrtinas
and his banditti.
It has been frequently the of late years that Con-
gress paying little attention to the Official estl-
mates submitted by the President and the heads of de-
partments has loaded the Treasury with demands to
meet appropriations not asked for nor contemplated by
the Executive while at times the most pressing needs OF
the public service have been left unprovded for,
paratively unprovded for. The injustice of this pro-
cedure becomes douby apparent when the admnistra-
ton is held responsible for extravagances to which 1t
was perhaps opposed or for neglects not at all cbarg
able to it.
The next session of Congress will be of the most
stormy in the history of the country The elements OF
which the new Congress will be composed certainly
leave ground for serious apprehensons upon this score
and as this the Presdentmaking Congress- is much
to be feared that too much attention may be paid to
the manufacture of political capital and too little to con-
siderations connected with the public good. We can
only hope for better result, without having any great
confidence in its being brought about The indications al
ready becoming apparent lead to fear that the very
oueery madeu up opposition majority in the House of Re
resenatves will be more inclined to embarrass the Pres
dent than to serve the country by promptly providing
the proper amount of for the efficient carrying
of the public business and the maintenance of the public
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