The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1872-04-16
TI1ssN ON TaEEl AEGEBVs,
Extraordinary Admission by the
Secretary GE yYaF.
ice Reports 40 Congress am Expen-
AisHre Sislca 1865 Over 0ae
Hundred :slaii save Will.
E0ssa iE Excess GT Ap.
RCGpK:s:tlUHs.

va
EOssa la Excess GG APP
pr0pE:s.t!Ons.
WASHINGTON, April 5-One Of those
pointed and aggressive debates which
often spring up unforescen when the
House is in Committee OF the Whole
on some appropriation bin marked the
feature Of that body TO day. It is also /
on such occasions that the Democrats |
get an opportunity to make some tell
ng hits by an cXpoSHrc Of the proGiga-
cy and corruptions of Republican AL.
ministraton. IN the debate Of the |
army bill to-day Mr B.ck,Gt Kentucky, !
made startling exhibit lie declared, |
anl produced the figures to prove it, !
that the Quaricgmaster' Bureau had
expended over sixty millions and the
Ordnance Burean over seventeen mill |
ions OF dollars IN excess Of the appro
priations made for them by Congress
since July l, 1865. A letter Of the
/ Secretary Of War, IL answer to a call for
an account of this, failed to sEsw wha!
had been done with the money, only
that it had been spent to pay wlat the
department officials call The debts Of
various hnreaus.' Yet the letter did
show that these expenditures in gross
had been even undercstina ted by the
Democrats, for the Secretary says on
page four of Executive Document No
200, just sent to Congress, that the to-
tai amount received by the department
since jane 80. 1863, in excess OF its
appropriations from Congress was the
enormous SUN Of SLOT 9j9,4l6.62. All
Of This has been used except barely 50,
100000 1t will thus be seen that the
Quartetmasler's Department alone, leav-
ing out all the Others, has in the last
six years, since the close of the war,
spent over $105, 100000 received from
public property sold, in addition to all
appropriations made by Congress. "We
are not told" added Mr.. Beck, what
debts have been paid, what evidence has
been required, what portion has been
paid TO the agents, and lobbyist, and
pets of the departments, The whole
matter is summarily disposed Of with q
mere statement that it has paid certain
debts, and it is mentioned that it is none
Of tue business Of Congress to inquire
what debts have been paid, to whom
they were paid, and for what they were
paid. whether to favorites," etc. This
exhibit shows how hollow all pretences
are that the expenses of the government
can be ascertained. by examining the ap-
preparations made by Congress during
those years. Yet no member of the
Republican majority in Congress ever
admitted that dollar was expended be-
, yond what the appropriation bills show.
, We have become SO accustomed to talk
about millions and hundreds of millions
lately that even the vast sum squander.
3 ed by the QuartermaSter's Bureau is
treated as small matter, just as the
$3.50, 100000 ont Of which the impov,
erished South has been plundered by
the carpet bag emissaries Of Congress
is regarded as a mere bagatelle. Yet,
said Mr. Beck, "Sl05, 100000 is q very
considerable sum- All the members oi
this House could Eot count it in two
weeks in gold dollars if they worked
from sunrise to sunset every day. l
r weighs in gold over 236 tons, and i
loaded into wagons with ton each, th.
teams could not stand in double row;
6 on Pennsylvania avenue between thu
Capitol and the White House. Yet :
quartermaster in the War Depsrtmen
can divide it out and the Secretary Q
! War become indignant if Congress vea
: lures to ask what has been done Will
itI' Mr.. Beck proceeded to show tha
+. the total expenditures of the Govern
ment from 1871 to 1872, twenty on
9 years, amounted to about one hundred
= millions, or $5,000,000 less than th
% Quartermasters department alone ha
squandered in the last six years, il
!. addition to all the vast sums Congress
D has annually appropriated to support ii
He was not complaining Of the fright
- full amount stolen and squandsred du
= ring the war, but was showing that hun
). dreds of millions worth OF propert
e purchased had been sold since the wal
! and the proceeds unaccounted for
"a "When representative of the people,
% said he, sin this nall demands informa
y ton on this subject, as l have done re
- peatedly, he is resisted, harrassed wit
n objections as though he were an officiou
intermeddler; and when at last, by din
of threats to stop appropriations if tn
inquiry is not allowed which the Demo
\ cratic party in the House authorized N
Is to make and pledge their support t
IS make good, l at last got the resolution
\. passed, Congress, whose act the resolr
|, ton became, is snubbed by a Secretar
,e of War, and second resolution onl
ii brings general statement of th
It amount received, without deigning t
70 tell US either what has been sold o
,e what has been done with the money!
r But with the Investigations going o
the day of reckoning will soon be 6
l. hand" Dr. Dawes essayed to answe
d these facts, but he found it quite i'm
It possible. General Morgan repeated
n challenged him to explain or deny then
4< q