Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1816-01-17
.Waus and Means.

I q ~. ~ ~ !. y 2 Il
Report 81 the Committee Of Ways anol
Means, in the House Of Represented
tiyes, to whom vas committed somuehl
of the Presidents Message as relates
to revenue.
Joauary 9, lsl6-Reaa and committed
to a committee Of the whole house |
The committee Of WAYS and means tGi
whom have been committed that part oil
| the presidents mess &c which relates til
the revenue, and tho annual report q
| the Secretary of the Treasury, excepting
THAT part which relates to the establish.
lment Of bank, ask leave TO explain The
general views which have induced then
Ito submit to the horse the propositions
with which they shall conclude their re 1
Iport:
"The arrangement Of the frances with
Ia view to the receipts and expenditure
of a4permauent peace establishment.
has been the first subject after proyidins
for the deficiency in the appropriations
: of 1915, which has engaged the attention
.f the committee. Whilst they recoe-
nize, With unmiyed satisfaction, $ tha
2 improvement in the condition of the pull
revenue, which will allow an imme
a date alienation of the burthens imposes
!by the necessities Of the war;" they we
know that such an alienation can on
be expected and wished to an exter
|" which shall leave to the gnvernme'
oithe means of maintaining its faith invle
late, and Of prosecuting successfully tt;t
i. measures Of liberal" and provident pO.
,l,Ilicy.
n ia forming an opinion upon the ex.
penditures Of permanent peace esta
:. bIishn. lent. they have supposed it right
II that their attention should be directed
not only to the resources Of the United
States, but to the condition of other pow
s ers. L. the perplexed system of Euro
!, pean policy, the U. S. can have no dis
q position to interpose but their conduct
must necessarily be affected by views
connected with the military or financia
resources of those states with which thei
81 relations are most interesting. 1t is i'm
." possible not to see that Europe is more
military than ever, aud that, accustomed
Iby twenty years of war TO exertons tina
were once thought impracticable, her go
m! vernments have acquired power whlcI
/ make preparation more difficult and NOR
l. necessary, on the part of every state ex
st|posed to the chance Of their hostility. |
Of must be doubtful what precise increas
Or of expenditure these considerations o
foreign policy or views of internal I'm
Inro ement may induce congress eyentu
Iallv to authorize but even the measure
|now before them appear to require con
siderable addition to the estimates OF the
|annual peace expenditure.
The only preparation against the dan
(pers offoreign aggression, which it tail'
:. within the duties Of the committee G
: |ways aud means to recommend. is tina
''sIot a reveaue; which. III supplying tn
wants of the government. shall not b =,
|eiEzen; vT5nr s,faf ffSs Sc csFstfSs o. re
IF pairing, by an expansion of the power
e LOT some of its parts, the isjuries which
III war may inAict in others: and above all
e Ishal be disencumbered from debt as sooi
as the resources of the country and tht
II conditions of its contracts will permit
Public debts have indeed sometimes beer
i considered as giving stability and ordev
Ito state, but the committee can neve
believe that government which secure,
Ievery civil and political right to thu
lgreat body ofthe people, can want tia
Isecurity which would be afforded by thl
distribution of any amount of annual in
Iterest upon it's debt, which to be received
h3by the few must be paid by the many. Il
NAV be true, that public debt only
!, Ims kes different distribution of the in
come of society, but it pays the stock
IheIder what should be reserved for sup.
|porting the seaman and the soldier. That
lIgovernment indeed does well, which
when forced into war, brings into the
contest every resource which credit or
lrevenue can furnish /; but it neglects one
of its first duties, when it allows the sea-
son Of peace to pass away without an a
ideo uate provision for removing every in
lcumhrance upon its effective revenue.
1.-The committee accordingly consider it
as an indispensable requisite in any ar
. arrangement of revenue and expenditure
lin peace. that it shall provide for the ra-
Ind extingnishment of the public debt.