Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856.

596 ABRIDGMENT OF THE SENATE.] Executive Patronage and Government Expenses. [FEBRUARY, 1835. who at that time pronounced the expenditure -a deficit was erroneous, and so stated at the to be extravagant. time. I then estimated the receipts from the [Mr. BENTON said, yes; he was called a radi- customs at sixteen millions, and I only desire cal in that day.] that my estimate as to the surplus revenue may Well, then, said Mr. C., you cannot object to be as correct as my estimate of the revenue the basis on which I rest my calculation: to of last year then was. I have little apprehenthe expenditure of that year the committee sion as to the customs. If there be error, it is added two per cent. annually, on account of as to the public lands. I have taken a sum less the growth of the country; a sum as large as than the average of the last four years; much can be safely added, as they have abundantly less in fact than it appears; for instead of taking demonstrated. They have gone further; they the income of 1833 at three millions nine hunhave added the full amount of the pensions, as dred thousand, I might well have taken it at estimated by the Secretary of War, and they five millions, the amount at which the land find that, even upon this liberal basis, the ex- sold, although the return of the year is put penditure ought not much to exceed twelve down at $3,900,000, without giving anywhere, millions of dollars per annum, allowing for the as far as I can see, a satisfactory explanation. decrease in the pension list, on account of But I am well aware that the great sales of this deaths, to say nothing of the very great reduc- and the last year are to be attributed to the tion which will probably be made on account large tracts of fertile land brought into the marof the almost innumerable frauds which are ac- ket, and which may possibly have a greater knowledged to exist: take this sum from the effect on the revenue from this source than income as estimated by the Secretary himself was estimated by the committee. for the present year, and it will give the sur- Mr. POINDEXTER then modified his motion, plus estimated by the committee; and yet so asto make it 20,000. this plain substantial statement, confirmed by the Mr. KING, of Alabama, was willing to vote for authority on which the Senator himself relies, 10,000 of each of the reports. is pronounced by him to be wild —visionary- The question was taken on the motion to a hallucination t print 10,000 and decided as follows: But the committee has been accused of impeaching the conduct of the President, and call- YEAs.-Messrs. Benton, Bibb, Black, Brown, Bug.in qeiond mofties. Tenar has chanan, Calhoun, Cuthbert, Ewing, Goldsborough, ng in uestion his t motives. The chtarge has Grundy, Hendricks, Kane, King of Alabama, Leigh, as much foundation as the other assertions of Linn, McKean, Mangum, Naudain, Poindexter, Porthe Senator. The committee has nowhere cast ter, Robbins, Robinson, Silsbee, Smith, Southard, censure, or imputed improper motives; they Tipton, Tomlinson, Tyler, White-29. have spoken of facts, and facts only, as they NAYs.-Messrs. Hill, King of Georgia, Morris, found them, and traced them to their natural con- Shepley, Tallmadge, Wright-6. sequences, without regard to any individual or any party. If there be any who feel, the fault is not ours. The committee has not acted upon FRIDAY, February 13. party ground; they investigated the subject referred to them with impartiality, as citizens Coonel John Laurens. attached to the country, and having an interest The bill supplementary to the act for the in the preservation of its institutions. They relief of the representatives of Colonel John deeply felt that the crisis is of a most alarming Laurens was considered as in Committee of the character-that the character of our Govern- Whole. ment is undergoing a great change, which in its The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a consequences threatened disaster to the country, third reading, by the following vote: and that the only effectual mode of arresting the approach of revolution is by the application of YEAS.-Messrs. Bell, Bibb, Black, Clay, Ewing timely and peaceful remedies, such as those Frelinghuysen, Goldsborough, Hendricks, Kane, Kent, which they have proposed. King of Alabama, Knight, Leigh, Linn, McKean, It seems that the estiprates are not to receive Moore, Naudain, Poindexter, Prentiss, Preston, Robbins, Robinson, Silsbee, Smith, Southard, Swift, Tipcredit, because it had been last year antici- ton, Tomlinson, Tyler, Waggaman, Webster, White pated, in the argument on the deposit question, -32. that there would be a deficit, when there was a NAYs.-Messrs. Benton, Brown, Calhoun, Cuthsurplus. Mr. C. said that he had asked the bert, Grundy, Hill, King of Georgia, Mangum, MorSenator whether he intended the remark to ris, Ruggles, Shepley, Tallmadge, Wright-13. be applied to him, and he must say that he had not received the answer which, according to the Executive Patronage. usual courtesy which prevails in the body, he On motion of Mr. CALUOUlN, the Senate had a right to expect. I throw back, said Mr. proceeded to the consideration of the bill reC., the assertion of the Senator: I made no false ported by him from the select committee on prediction; I anticipated no deficit. It is well Executive patronage, to repeal the first and known to those with whom I associated, that, second sections of an act to limit the terms of at the time, I looked into the subject, and then service of certain civil officers, approved the 15th stated that the estimate that there would be of ]May, 1820.

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Title: Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856.
Author: United States. Congress.
Canvas: Page 596
Publication: New York, [etc.]: D. Appleton and company [etc.]; 1857-61.
Subject terms: United States -- Politics and government

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Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856.

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