Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-05-11
N Defence.

ianss Of his equaaimiiy. % no amoant OF sndenia-
lbls Wing truth. showered down upon the guilty
Ihssds of the Democracy. can mako them confess
themselves the miserable sinners that they really
ARE.
Thus. they even have the sublime impotence
and assurance TO deny their responsibility for tho
extravagant expenditures Of the Government
And what, think you, is the excuse they sc. "p'
Why, they say that the Congress before the last
had an Opposition majority in the House Of Rep
resentatives-and that therefore the Democracy
were not responsible for the expenditures!
Now. it is an exceedingly laborious and uphill
business to answer such n charge as this because
every sensible man must zee and know Mt once
that tho plea is totally indefensiblc. To answer
. charge 40 palpably absurd is about ms hard work
as to attempt seriously to demonstrate the cor.
~rectncss an axiom.
Everybody knows, or ought to know, that it re-
quires the concurrence of three distinct 'institn-
tons" TO pass an Appropriation Bill, and make it
q law Of the land-to wit, the House Of Reprcscn-
tatives. the Senate, and the President. Grant that
the House of Representatives passes an %extrava-
CANT Appropriation Bill-can not tho Senate
check it3 Can not the Senate amend the bill fit
thinks proper, and cut down the Appropria-
tons? Most assuredly il can. for tho thing il
done at every session Of Congress. And. even
supposing The Senate to agree to AN extravngant
appropriation. has not the President his Constitu-
tional right of veto' unqucstionably he hns, us
everybody knows.
Now then what is the use If the Democracy de-
nying their responsibility for tho extravagnnt cx-
penditures, when such denial is The most prcpos.
terously absurd thing in the world? They have
had the President since lsj2-they hive had tho
Senate since ls43 they hive bad the House Of
Representatives, with the single exception Of the
Congress before the last, for many years. At no
time since Mr.. Pierce entered upon the Presidcn-
CIV, have the Democracy been unable to defeat any
bill-appropn,ation or otherwise-thnt has been
introduced into Congress. We challenge u denial
of this fact. And it il upon this undeniablc fact
that we convict the Democracy Of permitting cx-
trnvagant Appropriations To pass through Con
grcss. and l. hc approved by the President swami
ping the national credit. and degrading md dis
grazing the character Of our Government for hon
esty and integrity.
But, let us examine the plea II lille further. In
the Congress to which they alludc-thc Congress
before the last-ao pa,tY, in point of fact. linl II
majority. There were three parties Am
orleans, Republicans, aud I,rmocrnts-ncithcr
having an absolute majority II the whole body
A Black Republican speaker was elected. it is
true-but it was done. after two months wrang-
ling. by adopting the plurality rule, (which. by
tho way, was moved by u Tennessee D'mopnt9
Therefore. no party can lie he'll responsible for
extravaganza, 81 far ns the II tn-r of Representa-
tiyes is concerned. l,nt when we get to the Scu-
ate we find II large Democratic majority there
aud the Senate J,ussoIhc same ijH that the House
OF Representatives did. What party was resron-
siblc in the Senate?
When the Appropriation Bil4 reached the Pre-.
sident they were signed aud approved by that oii-
cor. What party is responsible" for that? If Mr..
Pierce was ever anything else than II Democrat,
we have yet 10 learn the fact, nlhat. even uion
the only possible point of defence that the Dem nr-
racy put in, We see that they are equally ms guilty.
as il they had openly confessed tbclr sins, nnl
pcnltentinlly acknowlcds god their numerous trans
gressions.
Let us look into this matter Il little further
The Congress before the last d"i make cxtrnvn-
giant appropriations. The Democracy say-ah-
surdly enough, rs we have Just shnwn-,hat it
was because the Opposition had II majority in the
House Of Representatives. Eni what was the 70.
suit? The result was that the administrators
actually erlcnded ten millions ct 1oNays ~err
than Congress appropriated Now. this i. n far;
not generally known-but il is as true ms Holy
Writ. The next Congress which succeeded that
in which they had an Opposition majority in The
House of Representatives ls the Democracy as
se,t) passed a Deficiency BH Tor up,ruls Of ten
mihions Of doHars! The Democracy complain If
the extravaganza of n Black Republican, Con.
grcss- but they not only spent all that tina, BLACK
Republican" Congress appropriated, but ten mil
lions Of dollars besides! Under these circum-
stances are we not justified in drnominating the
Democracy n sweet set-the sweetest set Of pat.
riots that ever iiourished in the tide uf tune?
Now, how the Dem 'ericy can have the ''chcck."
the brazen cfrontery --to deny their responsibility
for the extravaganza of the Government is. in
deed. a wonder of wonders. We have heard of
hardened criminals who persis,ently denied their
guilt, until they got to the gallows and the rope
was adjusted about their nccks--and then, when
all hope was gone, they would come out aud make
q full and free confession. But the Democracy.
although in the last agonics of dissolution, still
foebly gasp ont the words of innocence. If the
proof of guilt were not absolute and perfect, there
might be some policy in this course of conduct
but, in this instance. it is such n logged defiance
of the truth that we are lost in amazement at its
recklessness aud hardihoud.
Let the Democracy. if they would obtain abso-
luton, make a clean breast Of it, and freely con-