Newspapers / Highland messenger. / May 27, 1842, edition 1 / Page 2
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WwlGRAITAIIS SPEECH. Kpeccb of Hon. Wni.;AJraiiaii . 4 : on Tim tom mLUs In tlie Coiled Stales Senate..!prll 11, Oo the 13th of April, 1842, the loan bill being under consideration- Mr," G41EUM addressed the Senate as follows ; ; - ,; .. . ' Mr. President r In the division of the la. bora of this bod it has not fallen to my lot to have any especial charge of the finances and expenditures of the Government. But, being tailed upon o vote for an additional loan for tho public service, I have felt my self constrained to examine whether it was demanded by necessity ; and being nowsa liafied that such necessity exists, I must bespeak the' patience of the Senate : while, I endeavor to show its existence", and the "causca"by: which lrtasteeTrpToducedf-7: For more than five years post tho expen ditures of this Government have exceeded, very. far exceeded, its; revenues. By an official document from the Treasury, De partmcnt now, before (no, it is plainly de monstrated that, in four years, from the 1st of January, 1837., to tho, 1st of January, 18 H, the expenditures were. above one bun. die J and twelve millions of dollars, whilst, i nlho same time, the aggregate income from rcvonuo was but eighty-four millions of dolIars,1n round numbers, being'trrf ave rage annual expenditure of twenty-clgln' ruillions,.with an annual revenoo of but twenty -one million of dollars. I omit lho fractions of millions jo simplify the state, mcnt.' It thus appears that, during that pace of time, expenditure exceeded revenue by twenty-cight millions of dollars., (Sec appendix.) , i i . V . y ; . In the four years from the 4th of March, 1837, tothe 4th oOrarcli7T8il,'tho pre cise period of Mr. Van Buren's adminis tration, the excess of expenditure over re venue is still more surprising.' It amounted to more than thirty -one millions of dollars, being an average annnal excess of expense over income of near eight millions per year an expenditure greater in four years than would have been yielded from the average revenue in five years and a half. . Such having been , tho condition of our monetary affairs during the past Adminis tration, tho wonder Isnot that we are com nellcd to borrow now, but how they avoided n greater debt heretofore. Having expend ed thirty.ono millions of dollars beyond their income from revenuethat wouldna- turally bo expected to bo tho amount of debt which they leu to mew successors on the 4th of March, 1841, instead of five and a half millions, which they admit. Such would have been tho amount of debt left by them upon tho country, had they, like other Administrations, had no other means to expend but such as they themselves, raised. But, sir, it was their good fortuno to inherit a full Treasury, in ready money, and to have falling in, it j at convenient periods during their term, millions upon millions of capital stock, (not current revenues,) which had been laid up by the Government from the contributions of tho pcoplo in pre vious years.. The surplus in the Treasury" was soventccn millions pf!olIars, nino of which had been directed to be transferred to the States, as the fourth instalment under -t Ue-fcpo3)ta-JXct-of 1 830 Nino millions more wcro received by them from debts due to the United States, principally, almost wholly, for the sales of its stock in tho late Bank of tho United Slates, at $115 per share. Adding theso together, you have twenty.six millions of dollars of extraordi nary moans, over and above the revenue, expended by the late Administration. Yet, in addition to this, they borrowed five and a hall millions of dollars by tho issue of "Treasury notes, wtiicl ut-slandtfljrf at tho end of their., term, maid 112 in all more than thirtv-one millions of extraordi nary insans. Recollect, too, that this was "dunngtt-pcriod-wheft-rthey Jiad a tariff of ,dulics,oii all the principal articles yielding revenue, averaging forty per cent. Yet, sir, wo who fee! bound to voto for this loan are taunted by the adherents of the late Administration by being told that we are running tho nation in debt. This reproof, if deserved at all, would come with better grace from those who could show a. better administration of the finances while in their ' charge.: " The distinguished and able Sena tor from Pennsylvania (Mr. Buchanan) nroclaimed in this discussion tho other day that a Whiff Administration in the short space of thirteen months, was, by this bill, about to consummate a debt of seventeen millions of dollars, which ho admits was contracted by their predecessors. Sir, this may bo very criminal; but, take it without nnvof the palliation or apology to bo found "in the deficiency of tho revenue and tho wants of the public service, did the Sena, tor and Jiis friends do better when, they had possession of tho Government t The very first act of Congress, at the called session under Mr. Van Buren, was an act to bor row nino millions of dollars which had been given to the States by the bounty of Con. press: ft say civen, because, although in -rtegal form it was but a deposit for custody, in substance and intention, at least on the nart of many, it was a gift ;) and in the act tif Congress to which I refer," the transfer is merely postponeujuritil the 1st of Janua. ry, 1833, but a repeafof the gift is avoided; This was the first movement of Congress under that Administration, and the second is" like unto it; that is, an act to borrow ten millions of dollars by tho issue of Trea sury notes. Bv deductions equally fair with those of the honorable Senator, it is shown that, not in thirteen months, bat in seven months after coming into power, the administration of Mr. Van Buren borrowed ' nineteen millions of dollars. This was al leged at the time to be indispensably neces sary, .because of tho indulgence given to (merchants on duty bonds by an act 01 that session, and tho failure of the ieposite banks to pay the amounts due from them to Government; jmd that these measures were to be merely temporary until those means could be realized. But, although lite merchants anil the banks pa! J up what tljey owed, yet tho fourth Instalment was ever paid to lho states, 01 ,-wnora u was borrowed, and Treasury . notes "were kept Senator that there was yet due $100,000 or $200,000 from the banks' of Mississippi, and he believed $30,000 from the Bank of the United States. . y air. Evans : No, the last has neon paid. The Mississippi banks are alt who have not paid." '""''', i ' Mr. Graham resumed.:- This is too tri- fliniT n tmnnnt tn t-nnntiliitn thn 1irht apology for failing to pay the fourth instal. meet and redeem all the Xrcasury notes is sued... It bears no proportion to tho nine rnillions of the former, and tho five and a half millions of the latter. It now distinctly annears that the States lost the fourth instal- ilnjenLwhicJi Juul JbeejtiQffiiseiLilMJmi ana a permanent debt of five and a half millions was fixed on the country, not by reason ot the defalcations ot '. tho merchants and the ,n which: for some rimerwero. reprc- scntcd as the sources of. all tho ills which befell tho Government, but because the ex- penditures during the last 'Administration ' $ t . 1 4 r were raiseu 10 no annual average uuiouiu ii twenty-eight millions of doliars per year. With a revenue admitted to bo deficient by their very first acts of legislation, and which , JijL-rcgulation of - tLccompromUoacLpf 1833, was to decline materially during their .continuance 1 in authority, a system of ex penso was pursued, which not only overran the yearly incomes and exhausted all the earnings of previous years, but superadded n national debt besides. A guardian who should thus manage tho estate of his ward, would find no just cause for wondor in his removal from flico. Wo arc now told however, tlint, although the average rato of expenditure was largo, tho graduation was downward ; and it has been repeatedly a. matter of boast, that, in the last year of Mr." Yah Buren, ilie" whole ambunt expended was but twenty-two and a half millious of dollars. Andit is vehc mentlv contended, that the exporienco of that year shows that sum to bo the amplest amount for annua! expense; and, indeed, that it should full below it. Sir, I hope it will be found to bo" enough for the yearly support of Government. If wc can avoid war, I hopo to sco the annual expenses re duced to twbnty millions. But a very casual examination of tho legislation of .1839-40 will show that lho reason wh no more than twenty-two and a half millions was expend- red in the latter year was, that tho Adminis tration had no more to expend; 1 he seven tcemnillions whic,k they found in tho Trca sury were gone : tho nine millions of debts which they had collected were gone, in ad dition to their current revenues; and a Pre sidentiul, election being on hand, it was not deemed prudent at tho moment to resort to the Jaxing power to raiso new supplies. lho perennial fountain of Xrcasury notes, it is true, was still kept open, but for suffi cient reasons it was not expedient to swell tho amount of those in the monthly published statement,. What, then, was the wise mea sure of economy and retrenchment which was adopted to bring down expenses to income t Was an useless branch of service ait offf Wcro all tho objects which yearly cost tho Government moncj examined, and those struck off and discontinued which were not supposed to be worth what they would cost in taxes upon the pcoplo I No , lifj A new expedient was devised. Ap propriations were mado as usual in all branches of expenditure ; Congress thereby declaring that the objects of appropriation were proper, and were still to receive the patronage of Government. But a proviso was inserted in the ; appropriation bills, authorizing tho President of the United States "to postpone tho expenditures" in caso of a deficiency of revenue; "such postponement, in each case, to be merely temporary, op -until -tlnK close of tho ntsxl session of Congress, manilostly implying that these subjects of appropriation, though suspended . momentarily for tho want of mpneyarojall, Jicrcaf'tcrjLjto bo rcsumcd and finished, If, by sucli resorts ns these, tho public expenditures wero reduced in 1840 to twen ty.two and a half millions of dollars, it furnishes surely no occasion for tho authors of that reduction to boast of their economy, nor to accuse their successors of extrava gance in completing tho worlts"which they had begun. In tho military establishment, tho expenditure was nearly, n million Ics3 in 1840 than in 1839. Why? Because, under the authority of theso provisioas-in the acts of Congress, the' r resident could arrest tho operations of the mcchauid and laborer on tho public works with his ham mer or trowel in hand at midday, and whilst his contract was yet unexpired, though tho walls of the barracks or quarters in which they labored wero but half finished, with an assurance, howcverr that the works were not abandoned", but 'only suspended uutil Congress- should provide additional means for carrying them on; meanwhile the Presidential election will be over. In like manner, seven or eight hundred thou Sand dollars are saved by suspending the works on fortifications and leaving the half finished walls of. your fortresses to wind and veather, until tho -Treasury should be re- pleniihed. Mr. Presidehti this course of temporary reductionto make a fair show ing in tho arithmetic of expenditure, so far from being economy was neglect of duty Either the military establishment and the system of fortifications tho number of men id tho army, and their barracks and quarters; the armories, arsenals, forts, &c. should nave been permanently lessened, or adequate revenues should have been pro. viJcd to support and carry them on effi ciently. The policy which was adopted necessarily exposed the public property to dilapidation, expressly intended no perma nent reduction in expense,' and threw over upon the year 1841 many of the pecuniary burdens which properly belonged to 1840 Mr. President, in tracing the causes of the enormous average expenditure of twen. ty-eight millions per year during the last administration, I believe it will be found to have been chiefly owing to their having had a redundant Treasury, which they had not nomical irom nauii anq necessity. - ta my bumble opinion, the first and prolific source 61 that system of expenditure, as well as of many of tho other evils , under which the country now labors, was in withholding xha louriu insiaimeni iruut uia uiai.ua. uo prived the States of a boon which they had a just right to expect, under the provisions of the act of 1835 a boon which was held out to them as a sure resource for more than twelve months upon the reasonable expec tation of Which, tney had commenced pub lic enterprises and incurred debts, and which, though taken from their grasp al most at the very moment when they were about to clutch it,. was still suspended over their heads, like the bow of promise ia the heavens, until the. turbid and overflowing waters of publia-expenditure "werer raised hlghenough to absorb it. That marry of the States would have become deeply em barrassed, independently of tho action of this Government in this particular, I do not doubrrbutthat the embarrassments of many of thom have been hastened and increased by tho loss of tho fourth' instalment, I be lieve, Is equally certain." To thcmIn their peculiar condition, it was every thing ; to us, I fear, it has been worso than hching. With it, the last Administration' expended in their four years ono hundred and eleven iLone.lmn(ked-andlwelve miHioflsJffiUuk lars. Without it, they would still have had ono hundred and two, or one. html red and llirco millions, giving for average annual exicnscsrnoar twenty.six millions per year enough for all reasonable purposes enough, the country .will say,, nay, has de termined, for all the good that was accom plished. r ' By yielding this to the States, one of two results must have happened, either of which would have had a "happy effort,- In mitiga ting the severity of our present embarrass mcnts eilhc'r a material reduction of cx plnjnurelo correspond in' some degree" with tho rate of income, or a timely provis ion of means for support , by reason of which the suddenness of our present diffi culties would have been avoided I listen, ed on yesterday with much pleasure to ma ny of tlio remarks of the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Culhoun) on the dan gers of allowing expenditure to exceed in come, and the tendency of an overflowing Treasury to protluco extravagance. And I could but regret, that thoso nmims, go true in thcmselvesJtfid not boon applied in 1837 and tho 4ff instalment allowed to go to the Slates instead of being retaken into the Treasury of this Government, thereby af fording the means for cxtravogancc. '.. Mr. Calhoun said the Senator was not here, and of course could not know the reasons which had induced him to vote for withholding tho. 4th instalment from the Stales. He was opposed to collecting mo neyyfor distribution, and went for distribu ting in the first instance only because there was a surplus on hand. When it was need. cd,he voted to restore it to tho Treasury. Cut ho had uniformly voted against extrav agant appropriations. Mr. Graham said he had not been exam, ining tho votes of the Senator for purposes of censure, but was call rng-h1s-nttcnricirning-Statcs.- These declarc-them a-xoiWrj and that ofthc ScnatCTtovhat I-conccive to have been an unfortunate hiistake, in giving to lho Government temporary moans so far to exceed its regular income in its ex penditures, and to carry them to a height from which jtlio present state of our finances would demand so abrupt and hasty a He. scent. As it is, a service now costing you twenty odd millionsof dollars per year is suddenly let down upon means not exceed inar thirteen and a half millions; and its weight is accumulated by a public debt of five and a half millions, left by the last ad ministration, bearing ah annual Interest of 330,000 dollars. To meet this deficiency what have wo ? Instead of surplus, we have debt instead odextraorui3jyjTicanAiiilL ing in, wo ha vo a' daily increasing charge of interest ; instead of a tariff of 40 per cent, wo have ono nearly approaching 20 per cent, and that upon little more than half tlioTiipoFtsTTWhat ffienTs wo propose to borrow money to defray the present expenses of Government, wo are tolU mat wo aro running ma nation in ueui. If we propospj to levy duties to furnish a pcrmanct revenue, we are taxing the peo ple. If wj suggest retrenchment, and cut- ting off such parts of the public service as aro not. most needed, we arc told there is imminent danger of war, and that tho most vigorous nrenaraUoos-forit-sliouId H6l be OmiltedT Mr. President, our whole duty in this emergency seems to me to bo corn prehended in three propositions: 1st. Borrow such sum, upon tho best terms you can obtain, as will relieve your present necessities, and save the public hon or from disgrace. '- 2d. Reduce your ' expenditures to the low. est point which is consistent with an efficient public sc rvice. ; ' " ' :? ' - 8J. Levy such duties upon" imports as are necessary or an economical adminis tration of tho Government, awl no more. But, sir, our opponents have ono panacea for all tho difficulties of lho times. Take back the proceeds of theHands, say they. A direct proposition to tharefTect was early introduced by the Senator-fromMissouri, (Mr. Linn.) And no matter what may be the particular subject under consideration, it is perpetually moved by way of amend ment. Now, let me ask in all candor, if they are resumed into the Treasury "of what avail are they T Last year the nctt proceeds but little exceeded a million of dollars, and it is exceedingly doubtful- what they mSy be in years to come. To say nothing of the immense quantities in the. hands of specu. lating companies, the very fact that large grants were made to the several new States by tho distribution act, embracing in thn whole, I think, near two millions of acres, with the liberty of selecting choice quali--ties grants already perfect becauso made by the statute itself, and incapable of re peal, whatever modern democracy-may urge to the contrary, will make those States afloat "by issuing and redeeming again and again, leaving five and a bf millions out standing when that Administration closed, Mr. Woodbury would remark to the millions of dollars, the maximum that has been estimated here,-what is this, compared with fourteen millions, the amount by which the Secretary of the Treasury informs us the current revenue of tho year will be do- fictent! With or without the lands, there-1 fore, the necessity for a, loan is exigent and unavoidable, - ' f'; -v..-. -' .- But, Mr. President, were it otherwise, I would ponder long before I could consent to disappoint the just expectations of the States and the people in regard to these lands. No subject has been more discussed or bet cr understood in this country for the last ten years, than that of tho distribution of their proceeds among the States. ,c . None occupied a more" prominent place in the Presidential canvass.of 1840None was mora distinctly or boldly put forth as a lead, ing article of bis creed of policy, in his let ters, speeches, and addresses to his fellow, citizens, by the illustrious man who was then called to preside over us. And whether we look to the results of-elections,-lhonro cecdings of popular "assemblies, or State Legislatures, no measure on which parties in our country have divided has, so fur as 1 recollect, so many and such unequivocal evidences of public opinion in its favor. Sir, to my mind, it is clear that tho Con stitutbh of the Unitod States docs not con-templatoaho-public hndsns among Jhfe means for tho ordinary support of Govern- mcnt When the venerable men who Iram ed that Constitution breafhed into the nos trils of this Government the breath of life, and prescribed tho laws by which it should live, and movo, and havo its being, they de clared upon what aliment it should subsist. Aware of tho vital importance of the mo ney power, which not only affords tho sup. plies of peaco but the sinews of war, they proclaimed, as tho very first of tho adihori. tics of Congress, the power tolay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises" for thouyposQ of TmyhTg-thc-dcbt3and providing for the common defence and ger.. oral welfare ol the United States ; not such " taxes, duties, imposts, and excises" as shall be necessary for the purposes express ed, in addition to, or aAer applying the pro. ceeds of tho public domain, but an abso lute power is conferred, limited only by tho application to constitutionaj objects, Asto lho nublic lands, nothinsr 'is said of them as a means of supply ; they aro not mentioned at all in the three first articles of the Constitution, which emphatically create the Government, by constituting a Legisla ture, Executive, and - Judiciary, niid are brought forward in the latter part of the fourth article, not lis a sourco of contribu tion tcj tho Treasury, but a public property, the disposal of which is committed to Con gress. " Tho Congress shnll have power to dispose of and make all need to I-rules and regulations respecting tho territory or other property of tho United States." IIow Coo gross shall dispose of it, whether by sale or gilt, whether on one object or another, is not defined. Tlie trust is without limita tion in the words of tho Constitution. And for instruction ns to our duty in administer ins it. we are thrown back upon the direc lions of the donors in the deeds of the ccd- mon fund for the use and benefit of such of States as have become, or 6halt become members of tho confederation, or federal alliance," &c. And hero let mo remark, that I recognise no distinction between tho disposition of the lands ceded by States, and thoseacquircd by Treaty. Tlie great man, (Mr, Jefferson,) by whoso negotiation our first great purchase of public land was made entertained strong doubts as ro the power to do so, and it was surely a doubtful quostion. But that difficulty being overcome, and the question settled by practice, tho lands thus acquired became " territory of tho United States," to bo ' disposed of by Congress" in like manner with other territory. That lhnt other territory was.not looked to jn the Constitution, as a resource to pay cur. reut expenses ; and that it was intended for the benefit of the States severally I have endeavored to show. To enter no farther Nje cessions oi jorin uarouna ana ueorgiu , made after this present Government was os- tablishcd and in full operation, granting thoir territory to the United States, not for revenue, not for tho benefit and enjoyment of tho United States as a political corpora tion, but fbr tho use and benefit of the United States of America, Norlli Carolina and Georsria fn-;r, nrmnlinn tn thoir respective and usual proportion in tho gcit- T ' eral charge and "cxpehditurc7&c. (the" same in substance wun me grams oi vir ginia and other Stales, which ceded under the old confederation,)" afford an early ex position, not only of tho designs of thoso States" themselves on this subject, but of the 4 sroneral understanding of the deeds of the other States at that time. But, sir, the whole , legislation of Con gress in regard to these lands-shows tint they have never been cohsidcredf as stand, ing on the "basis of the revenues'of the nation The immense grants which have been mado from time to time to States,' State corpora. Uons, benevolent institutions, and as cliari tics to meritorious foreigners in distress who have come among us, would never have been, attempted or allowed out of a fund which had been raised by taxation, direct or indirect. And for a scries of years past the tcadjng statesmen of all partits seem to have concurred in the opinion that, within a shdrt period at least ," the proceeds of the public lands ought no longer to be. relied upon as a source of revenue ; the difference between them being that thoso with whom it is my pride to be associated, adopting tho policy of the eminent Senator from Ken tucky, (Mr. Clay,) who has recently re. tired from this body, were for an equitable distribution of the land proceeds among all the States, while our honorable opponents, approving the suggestion of General Jack, son on this subject, were for ceding the lands themselves to the States in which they are situated. In his message of December 1832, the then President says : " U is de been obliged to provide for themselves as the heir of. fortune is generally a prodigal, while the ion of industrious poverty, who must needs accumulate for himself, is cco- sirallo, however that in convenient time this machinery, (the land offices) be with drawn from tho States, and tliat the right of soil and the future disposition of it be I surrendered to the States respectively in which it lies.'' I need not refer you tothe report of the experienced Senator from Al abama, (Mr. King,) at the head of tlie land committee of that session, and the speeches of other, distinguished gentlemen of that political school, to show that in both parlies there has been a general concurrence in tho firopriety of " looking to tho custom-house or revenue,'" and that the real contest upon the subject of the lands has been between a general and equitable, and a local and par. tial distribution. Tbe evidences upon ibis point have been abundantly furnisliedtiythe Senator from Indiana, (Mr." Smith) upon a recent occasion. - 1 must therefore be par doncd, Mr. President, if I cannot .yieltkto tho eloquent appeals which are almost daily addressed to us against withdrawing tho land fund from tho- excheeuer-of this -Go- 4 vernment and giving it to the States.. But J'cstcrdny wc were tola tint the lands snouiu considered worthless for rcvenuoT"now; wo are assured, from tla same quarter, that they are as tho pursiof Fortunatus. You havo only to retain them in hand, and wish, to obtain whatevcrircasure you want. AYMejKkhoaUhcjByd money nor credit. Tiiio appeals, sir, are but tho aftcrlhought? of tho advocate, after a decission agalint him upon the points mado at tho hearing . And when the pcoplo are persuaded, as they are con. stantly, thai every dollar of land proceeds distributed creates a necessity for no-v tax ation,lhey will not fail to remember that those who ppposo, distribution when Uic Treasury is empty j did it with equal earnest ness when it was'full : tbey will reflect thai this taxation will bo tho same whether Hie land proceeds are taken frum the Treasury b J lho" plan of dtst f ibiilion7i flwhlclrThepcovlln-suctr mntrcrsv plo of each State get their duo b'.nrn, or thoso other plans of surrender, cession, or graduation, by which tho wholo is given to a few States. And in this connection let mo remind you that, if thero wero objec tions to tho passage of the distribution bill, there arc objections to the rccal likewise, i have shown already, twomillionsof acres of land havo been granted to certain States by that bill, which arc incapable of being re called. With what propriety can these grants be allowed to remain, ns -they fliust remain, in full force, whilst those States tto whom the grant waj of injney only, ZiC to bo deprived of its bencfitsj I have said, Mr. President, that the au thorsof tlie Constitution did not rely upon tho public lauds ns a means for ordinary maintenance of Government, and in my humble opinion, to effectuate their design of making this a Government of limited paw. crs, confine! to comparatively few objects, it outrht lo be restricted to those modes of supply pointed out in the Constitution. All history will verify tho fact, that those na tions have been mojt rjmarkuble for purity and correctness of administration, for the strictest accountability of public agents, and have longest preserved their liberties, who have kept their ruling powers constantlv- denendant upon the contributions, direct or indirect, annually levied upon the people. As a certain writer has remarked, "they who would trample on their rights arc re strained by the want oftheir money." This general truth applies will tenfold lorce to a Govcrnmci'i far distant from the grcit mass of tho peo plo whom it affects, nnd so complicated in its structure and divenifiod in its operations that, to keep up a minute knowledge of its details of administration, federal politics must be mado, to a great extent, an exclu sive profession. That period of ourhUto. ry, when peculation, and embezzlement were moU rife, when1 tho responsibility of public officers was least rigid, whemalarJea wero unregulated, ond the gains in many offices wero almost wnot their holders de sired, and when appropriations were most extravagant, was the period which I have "reviewed in the fi r'st pa rf of these remarks'," when revenue was not redundant but gross ly deficient, but when there were surpluses and extraordinary incns in your coffers, which tho Administration had nolhyig to do with but to expend. Think you, sir, that in any other state of tho Treasury, a district attorney would have been allowed to receive emoluments greater, by more than one-half iIliu ihn fialfirv rtT lho Prciftj.nt of tho IT States greater, according to his own de claration , ""whe h o "bouTlo lea "olficeTlha ri "any citizen of a free republic ought to re ceive: that marshals, collectors of customs and postmasters, would have been permitted liko Roman pro-cousuls, to enrich them selves to immense fortunes out of the offices created for tho public benefit alone,. and oftentimes by like instances of official abuses abuses to which no corrective was ap- died until the 3d of March, 1841, the very ast day of tho Into Administration, when a clause was inserted jo the appropriation bill a kind of bequest to pious uses upon the death bed repentence spoken of by tho Sen ator f rom' South Carolina , ( Mrr-Preston,) restraining the compensation of these func tionaries to six thousand dollars per annum for tho future, - -i i - Sir, adversity is not without its uses. Lamentable as is tho present condition of the public fisc, it will compel us to at least an earnest endeavor, at economy and re trenchmont. When tho question conies to be determined, as it must now.be deter mined, whether any particular office, insti. tution, or department of service, is worth lo the public what will be required in taxes for its support, I have an assured hopej that sinecures will bo abolished, a more rigid accountability established, and our system reduced. Vjthout any desire on my part, ydujjrir, have done me the honor to place my name on a committee on retrenchment, raised during4 the present session on the motion of my friend from Kentucky, (Mr. More head,) and I have felt it my duty, in the intervals" allowed by other and prior our competitors in tho market, and, apart from the depression of moneyed affairs, musWliminish the receipts from that source. But suppose-the annual proceeds to be three cngageuTODtff-of my time to, look some what into the public expenditures both past and proposed. ftThe estimates of the Secre tary of the Treasury for, the present year amount to twenty-four and Vhalf millions; that is fox the civil list four millions less, by nearly one million, than havo been its expenditures for the last six or sevew years. By rigorous examination I doubt not but that hundreds,- thousands, perhaps hun dreds of ihdusandir ntore may bo saved in this branch of service t but if you wish to save millionsj you must go into the War and Navy Departments. . ., Wars, it has long been known, cost money; and we are learning by experience" that rumors of wan are also expensive. . For many years past we have been threatened with hostilities, and I rejoice that there is now a prospect that these difficulties with foreign Powers approach a termination-! hdpc a peaceful termination.1 In the event of actual war, I shall be willing freely to contribute cVcrv thing-to thtmttonoi'defencer- Binrif we are to have peace, I am not for. maintaining such a system of armament as would only befit a gieal military empire. The esti mates of tho War Dqiartmcnt, including Indian Affairs, &c, for this year, amount to about eleven and three-fourths millions of dollars a sum equal to the whole cost oflhQGjvernment lwr.ny. .ynnr ags though less than has been expended an that Department for the last few years. Those for the Navy Department are ncarcight ami three.roUfth BltnhonTtK.hig-irfo-infU-trrm;. fourth or three millions more than has been applied to that service annually for several years last past. Baling this excess, tho estimates for this year are less than wero the expenditures of the boasted fourth year of Mr. Van Buren's administration. Aud, sir, with tho most sincere desire to sec au efficient system of defences, and without any pretension to professional knowlodgu 1 nm linahTc to atiprovo t.iut rapidity nnd cxtent of increase con- tempbted by -the Heads of Departments in the reports at tho commencement of this session,, unless in. open prospect immediate war. -We hnvo soon from the repealed de. clarations of the Senator from Nw Hump shire, (Mr. Woodbury,) as ia tho appropri ations of Congress exceeding his estimates-, when Secretary of the Treasury, that Mars aud Nepluno p-viilcd over Mammon when tho Treasury wus full ; and wo aro obliged to ttvid yielding too much to their influences now that it is reduccd.".r."--,,' " But, sir, I weary your patience; - 1 rose but to explain the real unhappy condition of our fiuanees and , expenditures, tho causes which led to it, and my conception of th moda of relief j to sho.v that the question of the passage or rejection of this bill, is u question of . affording or withholding the necessary supplies to lho Government of our country. Such befng our condition, 1 voted for it as I did for the Usuc of Treasury notes under the last Ad ninistrution. I will not Btop the action of the Government by denying it the means of going on, no matter who may be in power. Baitisn Tariff. Anions the articlu.i cxpurtud from tlieUTtiicd-Siatc?to Great Britain, onwhieh n duty h laid by the Go. vcrnment or the latter, arc as follows ; On American corn, per bushel, "33 j cent.., wheat, per bcshel, 82 cent", " fobaccp, per pound, 75 cts., . ' pork , per pound, 3ccnt8, " bacon, per pound, 0 cents1, " beef, per pound, 3 cents. With the exception of tobacco, on which tho duty is enormous, Franco has interdict, ed tho other articles nbovo named, from this country. Is it not fair and expedient, then, that the American Government sbouM tax heavily, the silks, lacrs, jewelry, wines and such liko luxuries of France t Surely the objection that .a discriminating duty l lliat effect ha lnJuItLityjBtyrAvtU-- have little weight with public intelligence, when the facts are considered. General Jackson The 81,000. The Ju'diciSryCorumicc - of tho"U.:" 8. . States" have reportel against .refunding to tho de fender of New . Orleans tho $1,000 fiuo imposed on him by Judge Hall. Wm. M. Phics. The jury in this case has returned a verdict against him of $83, 000 this is the amount of lho defalcation It will bo remarked that ho was U. S. Dis trict Attorney for New York. Methodists. The Methodists of Texas have added jwtnty.two hondrcil to their church withiu the last 18 months. . , The following named: gentlemen, have been invited by the Secrctary; of War, to attend the Annual Examination of tlio Ca dets at tho Military Academy, to commence on the first Monday in June next : Thomas A. Deblois, Esq. of Maiuc. '"-James j. Austin, Esq. of -Massachusetts- Gen. E. P. Walton, of Vermont. Rev. Alonzo Potter, D. D. of New York Prof. Alexander Dallas Baclie, of fVm--sylvania. L George P. . Macculloch, Esq. of New Jersey, Gen. George A. Stewart, of Maryland - Col, Josiah W, Ware, of Virginia.. Gen. Alexanc'er Mckrac, of North Car olina. Richard W. Habersham, Esq., of Geor- DrTChurehillJ. Blackburn, of Kentucky. Gen. Robert B. Mc A fl'eo do. Wfa T Dtehnison, Esrj. of Ohio. John G. Fkyd, Esq. of Indiana, r ' Hon. A, S. Brown, of Mississippi. Dr. Benjamin W. Maclin,- of Alabama. Frederick W. Curtenius,Esq., of Mich igan. ' Dr. Frederick Hall, District of Colum bia. , ; Capt. Beverly. Kcnnon, United States Army. J Col. JJ. AtbertV V. 8. Army. Capt P. IL Salt, do. .. .. We will also state, for the information of tho public, that the Cadet appointments for this year have been made. Tho next ab jections will be made in February or Ma'cn 1843.--ATadioiirt, 30 ull. 'v.'l i I
May 27, 1842, edition 1
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