The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-02-18
WASHINGTON CITY.
FRIDAY. FEBRUARY Is, 1868.
THE POLICY OF EXAGGERATI0N "a GLANCE
BACKWARD


word must be employed TO convey an idea Of the
prevalent practice Of public men who speak concern
ing the administration Of the executive government
Grave senator's rise and undertake TO state the eS
PenditTres in particular branch Of the service A.
mistake Of one-half only in the way Of exaggeration
is deemed very creditable approach to accuracy
During the last year the administration undertook to
enforce the laws in Utah The whole country with
excsptions approved the measures adopted to that
end and theyhsve good reason TO be satisfied with the
results achieved. It was undc rstood that the Nor.
mon people had determined TO set up for themselves
independent government in the very heart OF the
continent If successful they would be able to com
mand nearly all the highways between the Pacific
and Atlantic coasts they would be able, also, by
adroit management to combine and turn against
numerous Indian tribes Aside from these oonsid-
eratonss however it due to the integrity of the
Union that its laws should be enforced all its
Territories, TO effect this it necessary that the
administration should at once and with all Vigor
despatch to the Mormon country army sufficient
to put down rebellion and protect the civil authori
ties OF the government in the enforcement Of the
laws. An extraordinary expenditure was thus in
Cured Of little more than three millions of dollars
an outlay which, if it is desirable to maintain the
Union, every honest man VIII declare well and
in good time appropriated The settlement of the
Utah question on the basis Of absolute federal su-
premacY was an achievement which reflects high
credit upon the administration result which no
hoDest man condemn and no rogue approve, .
How is ii, then, that public men, in speaking of
the expedition to Utah. its cost and its sacrifices,
continue to exaggerate aud misrepresent every ma
teria incident connected herewith We can i'm
agine why the opposition should enter upon this
policy We can understand them assailants but
it is not easy TO see upon what principle democrat
who has enough of honesty aud intelligence to tell
the truth and to add up column of figures, or who
is even blessed by association with upright men,
should follow in their wake. -ar. s.s1 raalaaaa.
The truth u.s. that the Executive government is en-
gagged an earnest effort reduce the expenditures
1t is the policy of the administration to reench in
all reasonable ways. Nothing is said about it. 1t
is not par&ded in speeches and letters from day to
day, 1t is not heralded from the housetops. 1t is
not Bignalized through that whistle, the Con-
gressonal Globe. How is it in the same line at the
other end Of the avenue? Is long speech big rem
edy for financial disease q Is bold exaggeraton
misrepresentation about the cost of maintaining a
regiment, the extravaganza of paying debts audited
by Congress, and the wckedness of enforcing exist
ing laws, a practical mode of retrenchment? The
House of Representatives the other day-one would
suppose ridcule the existing frore to reduce ex-
penditures-rejectedt the provision of apending bill
appropriating money for the payment of the mileage
members of the neat Congress. They did not repeal
the law authorizing mileage. They did release
the government from its obligations to pay it, but
simply declined to appropriate the money aud of
left it to the new Congress to do So Was
that az economical measure? Was it an efficient
process of retrenchment? ~
Nobody will controvert the proposition that il is
the duty of Congress TO to it that the
is economically administered 1t is the province OF
that body to establish the organic system of the
public administrations say, in other words, uldt
shall be done II is for Congress to determine how
much money shall be expended for public building.
for forhhcations arms annuities pensions mail ser
vice, and many other concerns of the general ad
minstration II, then, there is to be retrenchment,
it is manifest that the power of the executive depart
mentS over the subject is limited, and that upon
Congress- mainly is deyoved the service of pointing
out the way. 1t cannot be done by bold exaggera
tons concerning the expenditures of the depart
ments under existing laws. 1t cannot be done by
assaiIing this or that particular work. about which
little or nothing is really known. It cannot be done
by charging that infantry regiment costs the gov
eminent million of dollars, when in reality it costs
but 100000 Itcannot be done by charging to the
army the extraordinary expenses of Indian warfare,
the expenses of quarters, and other matters for
which the army proper are no more responsible than
for the failure of the potato-crop in Ireland
We have gone on expanding our territorial and
frontier limits till lines stretch over a distance
of more than thirty Thousand miles. The sea-coast
service the Indian service, the land service
the revenue service, the postal service the law
servce--indeed every other public interest I'M
der the government-has been multiplied five
fold within the last thirty years. If we con
slider the difference in the value of money now
and at the commencement of General Jackson's
administration, and what was then and is now re-
quired to be done, the public administration is
economically conducted under existing laws than
at the period referred to. Within thirty years
a great empire of production has grown up in the
West and Southwest an empire which now exer-
cises more influence over the politics and commerce
of the world than all the small States of Europe