Delaware Patriot & American Watchman

The Committee of the House of Representatives on "Public accounts and expenditures," have made report on so much of those accounts and expenditures as relate to the State Department. This report shows the necessity of Mr. Creighton's retrenchment resolutions, for we apprehend that there has not, since the formation of our government, been a report laid before Congress on such a subject as this, which displays more wanton waste of public money, more of a disposition to conceal the object of expenditure, than is here evinced. Political favorites must be rewarded, and the people's money is freely used for that purpose. One charge for extra publishing, "notice to St. Domingo exiles," $3,660.70. One man charges $356, for coach hire and expenses of a journey from Mexico to Vera Cruz, while another performs the same journey for $98.25. John A. King very modestly charges $5,258.15 for sixty-two days services, equalling $84.80 per day, and Mr. Clay endorses upon the account, "The President approves the above charges." And so through the whole report, nearly the same extravagance of favoritism, and waste of money appears, and yet some papers have the impudence to call this a wise, virtuous and economical administration, and to say that Mr. Adams has paid thirty-three millions of the national debt in three years. Such things are monstrous. They are alarming. What man having any honesty or any regard for the interests of his country, can permit himself to attempt such deception upon the people. What man can wish the continuance of an administration, who, to gratify and reward a political partizan, can give $84.80 per day, not only without authority, but in open violation of law.

Happy it is for the country, that the close of this reign is rapidly approaching. These abuses must end on the 4th of March, 1829. And we hope that Gen. Jackson will send off all the swarm of clerks and hangers on at the public offices at Washington, and get a new set. The present gang have been there so long, and have become so much accustomed to sucking inordinately at the Treasury nipple, that they look upon these filching tricks, not only with composure, but with approbation.

The country and the people require a change of their servants, and that change must be radical, minute.