Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1859-03-29
rhs Extra session QuestiOn.


alta session, failed to pass the usual bill for the
support of the Post Office Department. The OBJ
yious and proper course upon the happening Oh
such contingency, is the calling OF an extra
session; but after many anxious consultations
on the subject, the Cabinet have determined not
to resort to this constitutional expedient. ID re-
ply to q note of Mr.. Mattingly, Superintendent
of the Potomac Steamboat Company, Mr. hon.
the Postmaster General, gives the reason why
Congress hiss not been convened, ana explains
the course of administration proposed by the
Dsnartmept for the relief of its creditors. DE
says that fifteen States of the Union, not hsv-
;no eIected members, would have been disfran-
chised had Congress been assembled on the Attn
of March. If the appropriation bill which fail
ed had made provision only for the fiscal year
commencing on the LIST of July next, there
would be no special difficulty, as contractors for
that year win not be entitled to payment till
short time before the regular meeting OF oon-
gress; but there is deficiency on the present
year of 81, $780,, 90, all of which VIII nave
matured by the S0th of June, and which must
be met in some way. The Executive proposes
therefore, to issue to the contractors certncates
for the accounts due them respectively on TINS
service. Congress, says the Postmaster General,
cannot repudiate these debts, and as that orancn
of the Government is responsible for the failure
to pass the appropriation bill, interest also must
be allowed. Mr.. Holt concludes by saying that
system of retrenchment, so far as practicable,
is now an imperative duty. Accordingly Blk
hundred and ninety-fye new post routes estsp-
lished by Congress in June last, will not be put
into operation; and we learn from other sources,
that number of special mail agents have been
discharged. g
The National Intelligsncer, in the course OF
several articles, reviews this letter of the Post
master General, and exposes the fimsy Pretext
for not calling an extra session of Congress, ana
the illegal and unconstitutional expedients resort
ed to by the Executive in the present emergen-
cy. An extra session of Congress is no new and
untried experiment. One was held during the
administration of Van Buren,, and another IN
I1s41. when Harrison was President; and on
both occasions those States which had not pre-
viously elected members, held special elections
for the purpose. The Executive has no right to
spend dollar of the public money,sor resort to
any mode of settling accounts, except by au'
thority of Congress; its plain duty, therefore, is
to summon an extra session that the necessary
laws may be passed. 1t is not the business OF
the President, moreover, to enquire whether any,
or how many, States will be "virtually disfran'
chised,n each State having the power to elect
Representatives if it sees fit. But while the AID
miuistration is crying out in favor of a hard mon
ey currency, it has devised an expedient BY
which San irredeemable and legally invalid pa
per currency is made the means of providing FOL
the maintenance of one of the great arms of the
Government servicel" ave can fancy" says thf
Intelligencer, shat those who have so sturdily
Iimpugned the rag money of the United States
Bank, with all the guards thrown around tina
institution, will be not a little puzzled to find
reason by hioh it shall be demonstrated tina
this Departmental currency is highly Oonsti
tutional and Democratic" The certificates
however, will pass into the hands OF broker
and speoulato8 and the contractors suffer loss u
the amount of the shave. To make up the de
Hciencies and guard against future losses OF tn
same kind, they viii not take contracts at tn
Same rates as heretofore, and thus the expense
of the Department will DO increased andtbe pub
lie interests sacrificed. And then Congress
may refuse to pay interest on the ciaims-the,,
may say it was the fault of the Executive, il
not summoning an extra session, that the debt
were not paid in due time. Upon whom vii
the loss fall in that event2 Should Congress
sanction procedure which might have been 81
easily avoided, there will be little necessity
hereafter for the passage of appropriation bills
as It "can hardly be expected ct the same time
to occupy itself in the business of auditing tn
certified accounts Of one year and authorizing
appropriations tor the next"
In regard to the duty Of retrenchuent, the In
telligencer does not perceive that it is any more
s.imperative" snow" than heretofore. Nspecia
mail agents are useless appendages to the De-
psrtment, they should have been dispensed witt
before; otherwise, the public interests must sui
fer by the loss of their services. And why
should the Department discriminate and refuse
to put the new post routes into operations The
act of Congress establishing them is just as SIM
: perative" as the laws authorizing the continu
ancs of old routes, and it is as much the duty o.
the Department to put in operation the former
as to continue the latter without Congressional
appropriations. 1t cannot do the one or the 9TH
er legally and constitutionally, and hence the
; Imperative" duty of the Executive to call Con,
gress together.
. The Washington Union gives oiew to the
reason for failing to assemble Congress. The
Administration is anxious to "avoid, if possible,
a resort 50 Objectionable to the great body Of
the Democracy of the country as an eztrs ses-
sion." The party might suffer from the inves'
legations of an opposition House of Representa-
tives, and therefore one Department oft Gov
ernment must be carried on without appropria"
tons or money Charles the First of England at
tempted to carry on his Government without
the agency of Parliament. The bad luck which
befel him might deter the President from fol
lowing so importunate an example.
Government Expenditures.
Mr.. Garrett, one of the Democratic members
OF Congress from this State, made q speech in