The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-07-28
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rcontinued from fr,t pqqe.l


attention for a few moments to their inmates.
An appropriation originally made OF
$4,000 to build a custom-house In Charles
ton, South Carolina. Between the time when
the original appropriation was made and the
close Of the Thirty-fourt Congress, $l,670,000
in additional appropriations had been made,
from time to time, towards the completion of
the building Last session, the Senate passed
q bill appropriating $250,000 more to continue
the work. The appropriation was twice voted
down by thu House, but was finally passed
through, under a report from a conference
committee, reducing the amount to 100000.
That money, we are told, is all gone. The
$4,000 is all gone; the $l,670,000 is all
gone; the 100000 is all gone, and now we
are called upon for more. And, strange to say,
the Committee of Ways and Means have heed
ed that call, and have, this session, reported a
bill appropriating 100000 more to continue
the work, or, more properly speaking, to feed
hungry and clothe naked Democratic pollt-
clans, who rely on Government patronage and
Government contracts for subsistence. There
are army contracts, navy contracts, contracts
for the purchase and sale of public property,
contracts for carrying the mail, and various
other Government contracts, which have not
time to examine now and which | hope may
not generally prove as ruinous TO the Govern
ment as the sale of Fort Smelling, by which the
Government was swindled out of at least
100000, by the faithlessness or frauds of its
own agents.
Sir, l have no means of telling the exact
amount, vet it is evident that millions of dol
lars are squandered annually, by retaining in
the public service custom-house officers, diplo-
matte and other agents and employees, whose
services are not needed. In 1857, the whole
amount of revenue collected at the custom
hal
eight custom house officers were employed to
collect it. at a cost to the Government of
Sl5e48-loss to the Government of $l3,344,
over and above the entire revenue collected.
At the custom-house in Annapolis, Mary land,
the same year. there was collected 1914 four
officers were employed in its collection, at a
cost of $9S3-loss to the Government of 5000.
At Ocracoke North Carolina, there was collect
ed, same year, $50; Seren men were employed
In its collection, at cost TO the Government
of S2.3Ol-loss to the Government, beyond the
revenue collected, $2,2l9 At Port Oxford,
Oregon, same year, there was collected So
tpo men were employed in Its collection, at
cost Of 81, 703-loss TO the Government, 81, sos.
At Monterey, California, there was collected,
same year, $40; three men were employed in
its collection, at a cost of S7,Oj0-lOss TO the
Government, S7,O05.
A Government that creates and continues
collection districts, year after year. where there
Is comparatively no revenue to collect, for the
sole purpose of giving SiHecures TO SIX or eight
men in each district, to reward them for party
services, is a Government that free people
will not long sustain. Screen Government officers,
kept under pay the year round, to collect $50
revenue; three officers to collect Sl5; ttcO Off
GERS to collect s., are cuTIOstieS, indeed, iii a
Government where the people have retained
the sovereign power IN themselves, and pay the
Government expenses.
But these are no greater cItriOSIties than
some of the appropriations made for the cree
ton of buildings in which TO collect the reve-
nue.. Three million one hundred and seventy
five thousand dollars to build custom-hOuse
in New Orleans is decidedly curiosity. Two
million one hcudred thousand dollars to build
another in Charleston, South Carolina, is a GU
Tiosity worth looking at, by people who fur
nish the money by the sweat of their brows.
The great object Of free Government Is ex-
emption from such impositions - exemption
from taxation to support III idlenesS and luxury
Il lazy, privileged class, TO poison and corrupt
the social system, to riot on the industry OF
others, and glory in the degradation Of aristo-
cratic dissipation. There are many other col!
lection districts in the country, well supplied
with officers, where the whole revenue collected
as not equal to the salaries of the officers APP
4 L
fer TO them now In detail
have in my mind several smaller leakages,
WHICH help to deplete the Treasury, such as the
So. 600 given to the President annually, in the
shape Of perquisites in addition TO his constitu-
tional salary of $25 900, and In violation of the
Constitution such as the new corps of commits
sioners of customs, recently appointed, with no
duties TO perform, but to visit the collectors IN
their several States once a year, and receive
their salaries of $4,000 each such as The dis
bursing agent at New Orleans, appointed TO
disburSe the money appropriated TO build the
custom-hoGse at that place, at Il salary of $4,000
a year, when there is a superintendent under
pay at ten dollars day. who can disburse the
money Just as well as not with no additional
cost to the Government such as keeping four
times as many naval officers under pay, from
year to year, as eau be employed in the naval
service, rusting out in perfect idleness upon the
dry land.
But, waving these smaller matters. desire
sir, 10 call your attention. and the attention of
the country, TO a stupendous fraud upon the
Treasury and upon the people, in the form of
appropriations made for miscellaneous purposes.
Now, a small appropriation is wanted annually
for such purposes, and only a small appropra-
ton. In 1900, the appropriations for miscea
neous purposes amounted to Sl93,G36 in 1910,
$3l5,7 1888; in 1850, 81 1863, 297. In 1851, APP
preparations for miscellaneous purposes were
made to the enormous amount OF $lS,94G, lS9,
and increased trihe I'm 1858. Thus we see
that this Government now expends annually,
for mere miscellaneous purposes, ten times as
much the whole expenditures of the Govern
ment during the first years of Washington's
Administration; and $4,000, 600 more than the
entire expenditures of the Government in 1880.
Where does this SlS,000,000 may, ALMOST
Sl9,OOO,O 00-appropriated annually for miscei-
ianeOus purposes, go? Sir. desire to know
what has become of the S37 200, $50 appropri-
ated the two past gears for miscellaneous pur-
poses2 | must know, before | will vote for a
single appropriation containing such items As
a man, | protest against such denominations
As a representative of the people, / protest
against them. | will not submit to them in 81
lence.
Appropriations are specifically made for
every item of expense worth naming. The APP
preparations for miscellaneous purposes are de-
signed to cover very triaing OUTLAWS that are too
small to be named. Sir, / repeat, what be-
comes of this vast amount of money, thus APP
proprated annually il is all used up. The
Government officers take il = j out Of the Treas
ury. Sir, il is part of the Deh,Sasatic secret
service fund one of the main pillars or which
the Democratic party now stands the cohesive
power which keeps it from breaking into frag
ments- With Its present sihs nnrepented Of
and unforgiyeD, the Democratic parry could not
survive single election, in any part OF the
country, If the doors of the National Treasury
were barred against Its feiORi0US fingers But
bar them you cannot, so long as the people, by
their votes keep the present rulers in power
for they have the control of every branch of the
Government and they have learned how TO