Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1860-09-15


from Mr. Buchanan who are honest aud patriotic yet as
general proposition the Federal Administration is but
the synonyms of corruption widespread rank and seet
ing We have aeon by the sworn statements Of Demo-
cratic witnesses above with what dgent care tue freS
ent distributed the rewards Of his favor to the corrupt
agents of his elevation. We have seen how Baker, the
rlroad superintendent whose subordinate was engaged
10 distributing fraudulent and forged naturalization pa
pers by trick and art;e promptly placed at the head
of the custom house in PHILADELPHIA; how that subord'-
nate who not only distributed those papers, but commit
ted fraud upon one of his party leaders, by using the
frank of Senator Bigor in sending them, was put into
comfortable Office how Sche the purveyor OF the New
York Hotel fund.- was placed the Custom House at
New York, through whose hands large proportion oil
the current Of the government flows how the
Federal oliceholders Of the preceding administration
were assessed certain per cent on their saaries and
how Witt and Wendell reveed in printers lux and live
oak contracts OF course to sustain these beeders OF
the Federal Treasury the Federal expenditures were ne
cessary increased and they up accordingly to the
most e1trayagant figures As apt illustration OF this
fact we quote from speech made in Congress by Dam
oerate member from Virginia Mr.. ~ r. H. Garrett, du-
ring the session before :he last
"But few years ago, in ls5I-59 the expenditures,
exclusive of payments account OF the public debt aud
awards under the then recent treaty with Mexico we're
$50 O22 O99; and in 1928, the expenditures exc-
sve Of the payments on account OF the pubic DEBT
we're Sl3 544 Z62 Last year, IN lS57-5S, they were
S7I 492 $685. and the estimates asked for for the next
fiscal year exclusive Of the payment oil public debt,
amount TO S1l, 25i bSd.
"Now l beg this committee to remember that this
country is as large this moment as it in S5l-32
with the exception of - Gadsden purchase. beg the
committee to remember that il the country now EXTENDS
from ocean to ocean, If stretches from Puget Sound TO
Key West aud the Tortugis. it now spreads from the
Aioostook to San Diego, beg them to remember that
80 il did in lS5-52 II YOU have TO protect and defend
ard maintain your Government throughout the whole of
this vast region which occupy, we held the same
region and had the duties and functions to fulfill
! six years ago.
oCan any gentleman pretend that Il is fair, that is
Just that is legitimate, that the expenses Of this Gov
ernment in time OF profound peace should have doubled
ia sl ysarsl Look through the lit Of items and you
will 6nd that the expenditures have almost doubled ~
svsry item Is not there place to apply the knife
Can the gentleman from Philadelphia justify such con-
duet even TO tie iron market of his own State
ale SAYS that the expenditures do not admit OF much
reduction Is this probable, in view of the fact that
they have doubled ~ SIR Let us look through the
list and, with my brief experience here, with what
admit TO be very insufficient knowledge, think can
point cut some important retrenchmsuts, more than
| enough to meet the estimated deficiency.
FIRST there are the legislative expenditures. In six
years they have grown from 81 PAS 10 1888, 524-
Does The gentleman from Pennsylv think that moth
ing can be Topped off there? Why continue our vast
PRINTING erpenses Why should the Government enter
into the okpubishiug business, unless u be 10 main
tain party presses here and to furnish yourselves with
documents and books for sieeti0HeeriRgf Now, look
al the salaries Of the surveyors OF your public lands
They constitute rat er small item but wish to Illus
rate this subject in small items well large ones In
lS5l-52 they were S72 52S; last year. they Sl63,
III. In the former year. the min. establishment cost
$40 OOo; now they cost S6i3 49, Why is thaty Isit
beoluye YOU have 20 and silver to coin Not at
all /. is because under The piie system grooming up in
this country rhen goa spend money IN district, you
| are called on 10 eZDeHd IKE sum in another.
Patronage and expenditure beget demands of more
city patronage and more expenditures, until the whole
country is dotted with public establishments not for tie
benefit Of public service bot for The advantage Of tie
| tar consumers in each locality.
"The collection Of the revenue cost S2,0S5,65l in
1852 and 81 905 434 last year The Secretary of the
Treasury-0nd will have something to say presently in
answer 10 the gentleman from PENNSYLVANIA in defence
of that offcer-has reported bill to reduce those
penditures. Your lighthouse establishment
has in six Years increased in expense from S597 10
81 1872 S57. Why? Not in consequence OF necessary
lights. Ga many Of the northern coasts the lights are
50 numerous that they are a source OF danger TO the
niygaors Instead Of guiding them through the shoals
and rocks, they misead them to their destruction. !
fear not the lights, bit the patronage hat Ua'
needed
! THE deficit in the marine hospital fund has nearly
doubled since 1852, and might show the same OF al
most every other head Of expenditure.
'Tbe navy yards kept up for the benefit OF the
people employed, and the money spent Aud so We
have them dotted in every direction. believe the gen
lleman from Georgia Nr. Sews'dl has m" +" "S''"'-
| tue osdgc % ucu. si., vscn now
81 come the items for Increase and repairs
Remember that this does not include the building OF the
soops ordered last session There distinct estimate for
them This is for the ordnry repls II amounts TO So l0o
200. Five years ago it only S23uOUOO; six years
since only 100000.
take the next item, for barracks $4,000. There
again the pruning knife can be employed These bar
racks are built aud extensively built points where
they are only 70 be used for year or two. We are
continually changing frontier forts and instead of
putting up houses like those OF the settlers around them
We pm, up expensive gothic cottages for the officers
aud durable barracks for the soldiers
Then take the quartermaster's department. The
estimates are larger than the expenditures Of last year
vet now We have no Mormon war. ] acknowledge the
difficulty OF reducing items like this know that it is,
TO some extent, striking in the dark The Quarter
Master Gedcrll tells you, the Secretary of War tells
you, the Committee Of Ways and Means tell you, that
| they cannot control these expenditures; theh | say
thai tue oaly way control them is the way you
would control any other exrayagant person; that is,
by stinting them in money
From the foregoing the people may learn that the
public expenditures have vastly increased, and some
thing of the objects to which It is applied, and Of the
system which they are supporting. ButA is not all
If they are surprised at this they will be incensed at
what is to follow.
The blood Red Flag OF DI,unIon.
H., l.sh hoo,