The daily gazette., 1878-12-09
Deven's Quarter of y Million

At the last session, Congress made the
following appropriation in the Sundry
Civil bill:
"For defraying the expenses of the
Supreme Court and Circuit and District
Courts of the United States, including
the District of Columbia, and also for
jurors and witnesses, and expenses Of
suits in which the United States are con-
cerned, OF prosecutions for offences COM
mitted against the Uni'ed States for
the safe keeping of prisoners, and for de-
fraying the expenses which may be in
CURED in the enforcement of the act ap-
proved Feb. rs, 1871, entitled an act TO
amend an act approved May 80 1870, en-
titled An act 20 enforce the rights of
citizens of the United States TO vote in
the several States of the Union, and for
other purposes, or any acts amendatory
thereof or supplementary thereto, two
million seven hundred and fifty thousand
dollars"
This sum was voted in a lump, after a
careful examination of all the items.
which experience had shown to be ncces-
sary for expenses of United States
| courts" trusting in great degree for an
honest administration of the fund to the
integrity of the de tdcto Attorney General
And now, when only five months of the
fiscal year are gone, the Fraudulent
President has the eilrontery to tell Con.
gress what follows
at is the opinion of the Attorney
General that the expenses of these pro-
; ceedings will largely exceed the amount
which was thus provided, and rely con
fidently upon Congress to make adequate
| appropriations to enable the executive de.
partment to enforce the laws"
In other words, Congress grants Ger.
tam amount Of money 10 be expended
for certain objects, and the executive de.
partment, ms cad of keeping within tn,
| limits of the law, extravagantly, and foi
partisan purposes, exceeds the appropria
ton, and then the occupant of the Whit,
| House, who is chiefly responsible for thi,
abuse, coolly tells Congress in an oiiicia
form, that adequate appropriations t.
enable the executive department TO en-
force the laws" must be made.
The power of the House of Represen
tatives over the public purse is thus in
sultingly denied, and the man who hold
the Office of President through fraud, for
gerry, and perjury presumes to set him
self up to dictate what the appropriation
shall be.
Treading in the footsteps Of Landau
let Williams, and taking pattern by hi
methods, Mr.. Devens has expended near
ly, II not quite, quarter Of a million q
the peoples money for the hire Of part
san deputy marshals, black and white, il
the recent elections. These agents wer
employed in Florida, South Carolins
Louisiana and other Southern State
where their presence and their activit
> might be useful in helping to elect men
bers of Congress; while large numbc
were also detailed for different localiti.
i'll Northern States for the same gener,
object.
Of course the usual pretences will |
urged for this scandalous misapplicatio
Of the funds set aside for the courts bl
= the subject should certainly be fully di
{ cussed when the deficiency comes to
q considered in the House.
Such abuses will continue to appear
! some form until Congress shall insist,
is done in the British budget, for est
C males by items down to the last dim
n and make il penal offence for any e
ecutive officer to exceed the specific a
preparation. In that way there can
e no division of responsibility, and Il
J. country will know exactly how eve
dollar is spent. With the least marg
$ OF discretion the Treasury will alwa
be plundered in the future as it has be,
> in the past.-N. Y. Sun.