Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-02-05
Federal Extravaganza SIidell
movement for the acquisition OF

Cuba. n
SEEING the insurperable adherence Of Spain
to part with Cuba, and the bankrupt condi-
ton of the Federal Treasury, facts which
everybody of all parties must know, we have
construed the pending movement of Senator
SIIDEIL in Congress, placing $4,000, 900, at
the disposal of the President to be used in
the acquisition of Cuba, as a mere scheme TO
divert the attention of the country from the
deiinguencies. of the administration. That
the President or anybody else should see any
hope that Cuba can be acquired presently by
the United States for the sum of 80 900 600
or even for any sum, is scarcely reconcilable
with the ordinary conditions and manifesto
tons of sanity AS merely a transparent
pretense it is scarcely worthy Of serious con-
sideratiOn. Yet there is small proportion
of the Democratic Journals of the South. that
seem DESTROYS to make an Issue on the subject.
in order, if possible, to make it appear that
those who oppose the chimerical project OF
Mr.. SLIDELL. are acting with the Republicans.
| and in opposition to a measure that would
asgrandize and strengthen the South. These
journals, We are happy to know. are few. The
more discreet and sagacious of the southern
! democracy can see nothing but error and evil
in this movement, and oppose it, if for no
other reason, on the all-sufficent ground that
its tendency and probable effect, VIII be to
postpone Indefinitely the very object which it
| is proposed to accomplish. Others oppose it,
| in addition to this,On the ground that the gov
ernment. and especially the democratic party.
is not in condition to ask or grant the
necessary appropriation of money We give
! below an extract from the Richmond Err
anli,er on the subject, which of all the South
ern supporters of Mr.. BUCHANAN has been
quite as devoted and consistent as any. 1t
| will be observed that the Examiner lays down
r sweeping programme, against the Mexican
Protcctorate. and the Pacific Railroad, as well
ia the Presidents Cuban views. Poor BUcH-
ASAN is truly unfortunate:
| "Thn acuuipscerce of the people of the
United States in the increase Of the expendi-
lures Of the Government when the national
| treasury was full to Overlooking, and the
| country plethoric with prosperity in all IFS
/ channels Of trade and commerce, has led
many unthinkiug politicians to believe that
| the terrible party cry Of "R"trenchment and
| r form" will never he beard again in this
country. No party, however strong. can
Withstand the accusation Of having rec klessly
! and extravagant,y expended the public trea-
! sure.-Such charge arouses the most violent
preiIdces of the people. and woe unto that
| political party against which it is directed.
| In 1910 il swept through the country like Il
| tornado, hurled the Democratic party from
| power, and tore almost every Democratic
/ State from its moorings save old Virginia.
| Men did not stop to investigate the charges
| against ~; they knew that the treasury was
empty. that we were borrowing money. and
! that the expenses of the Government bad
been increased during the Admnis ration Of
Martin Van Buren. and they thrust Van Buren,
| ont of the White House. We are now stand
! ing upon the brink of the very precipice
| from which Van Buren, was hurled in 1910.
! The treasury is empty, our expenses are
! double the revenue of the Government, and
we are borrowing from twenty to thirty mil
! lions Of dollars to meet the existing deficit.
| The customs are yielding only 100000 of
dollars per annum whilst the neccs airy ex
! penditnrcs of the Government are nearly
$50 900 600. Yet it is proposed by the Exc
cutive Department of the Government TO
select the present as an appropriate time for
| the creation of national debt. which would
render the very name OF the National Democ-
racy odOus with the masses for the next
quarter of century. To carry out the late
Executive accommodations of an armed pro-
| tectorate in Mexico. would cost the country,
il has been estimated, 100 900 900 of dollars.
besides the probability of another war with
that country. To construct the Pacific Rail
road desired by the President would cost
certainly 1j0,000.000 of dollars, whilst the
purchase of Cuba, if accomplished at all at
this time, would cost 200 600, 600 Of dollars.
This would give us grand total of $50 000-
900 to pay the interest on. which would
require the sum Of 3000).000 of dollars. or
about three-fourths of our present national
revenue, and render it necessary for US to
| borrow annually some fifty or sixty million
| to defray the expenses Of the Government
This would be splendid legacy for the Ad-
ministration 20 leave to grateful country!
| The legacy of the Alien aud Sediton Laws,
which the Fedcralists left to posterity. and
the subsequent brquest of the Hartford Con
| vention would be tri1es compared to the
| years OF LEGISLATION which this sin woud
| visit upon the National Democracy. With
this national debt of $500. 900 O0O. the interest
! upon which would absorb three-fourths of our
national revenues, with what chance Of sue
cess could we defend ourselves from party
charging down upon us with the cry of RE
! trenchment and Reform "
! II IL, therefore, the imperative duty Of the
| Legislative Department of the Federal Gov
| ernment, to commence in good earnest the
| work of retreuchmrnt and reform by refusing
| TO approve Of measures which will lead to
! the establishment Of a huge national debt. 1t
| is equally the duty of the State-R ghts Dem
| ocracy to oppose all attempts 10 increase the
| power of the Executive at the expense of the
| Legislative Department of the Government by
| giving to the President the absolute control
! of thirty millions Of dollars aud if Senators
aud members of the House of Representa-
| tlves desire to fortify themselves with irresis-
| uble arguments aginst the proposition OF
| Slidell, they will find them more clearly PIE
sentcd and eloqueltly urged in Mr.. Buch-
anan's speech upon the Veto Power, in
reply to Henry Clay than in any othcrdocu-
ment which we can at this time call To mind.
In that speech. he warmly eulogiSed Andrew
Jackson for Invariably and fearlesSly exer-
cising the veto power, when the Federal
! Wing party desired to increase the power OF
the President; and from the character OF
| the speech, we feel assured that sho1ld Sen
ator John Slidel's 'thirty million
short cut to the Presidency in 1867 slip
through Congress, the President viii crush
the said Slidcll's ridiculous aspirations by
| dropping veto" upon his BILL"
The Cuban q m esfion I'm spain