Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1836-05-03
Twenty-foUrtil COnsress-fss scss


40 ''' ,Moru Sonropriation BM-fCoNcLUDEDI
The Secreary of YOUR Treasury, his annual report
tells you that after satisfying all claims upon your
sury founded upon past and ordinary of
there WINS Mt the commencement Of lire present OF
CONGRESS, pretty large surplus IN your treasury
which would not be required for the ordinary
of the Government, and %hch might oe aPP'ta " w
purposes not included in the estimates, ana hoeIay ~
in promoting any constitutional chc: %h:aa Congress
n,,n deem most expedient. The exact amount OF sur
plus has been subject Of speculation and dispute
many gentlemen l. now satisfactorily pTe Ts,sTv
to member of the other branch Of this Legislature '
ON the first day of January last the actual surplus
about sixteen millions of dollars This 49, ihueuu ID.
subject of exuation to many OF US whose
can extend back only two short years. men you WV
told bv the pancmukers Of that day. that your
WINS ruined that general mdewed na'iohai PtoSPectv
and an empty Treasury would be the certain irut o te
great measure upon which such oceans OIL cuSSS he
6eaped twas said that your Treasury could not pc
found ONLY two short years have elapsed ana wne'e 10
there aught now to justify these gloomy
Where now are these prophets Of terror and distress
Why, sir we find them rackng .esS reasav of its can
tents Should these false and unfortunate prophels won
der at the evidences, every where exhibited mat "e
confidence of the people in them is on inc 'eaae-hay'
that it is gone forever: .l or do
,o.n1 of This surplus revenue? Let Shall we immeo
ately reduce your tariff of duties upon PtoteSet
and retain this surplus in order to meet any oech "c"
n. % Sh,l I'VE recommend an Neutrality-suspicious. Con
,,;nton 90 as to authorize the distribution OF TINS sur
nls among the States. Or 3d. Shall apply this fund
TO the purposes of securing permanent os
country to the erection and armament OF your lof'ca
TONS and to the increase Of your navy
To the first proposition, that Of reducing your re-
venue and securing this fund for any contingent dehc
10 result from such reduction, objection Will reaoiy
occur 10 every reAectng mind. II eould 1'iota:e ne
co,poct incoLced IN your compromise act Of 1855 Inc
instability of your legislation has already become TOO
proverbal calculations made under IT, or IN references
to it. have already too often been frustrated by the MCKEE
,nirit of change sometimes misnanled improvement.
The act of 1888 made in spirit OF compromise
between two great and important interests when ag
cafe as fatal to that quietude which that healing
act produced spirit here that would PletnalureIy
modest any Of its vital provisions Let southerh gen.
temen beware how they listen or yield to any sugges
tons to disturb any Of the radical provisions OF tS ao
am not | never have been, the advocate .o ultra of
most extravaeant tariffs The district which haVe the
honor to represent second IN manufacturing
TO scarcely any in the State which gave me o'sth
facturers of the North Like every other great interest,"
it embraces bo,. reasonable and unreasonable NEIL
There are those, and only few, trust ~Hom you
can hardly satisfy with any measure oil pIotecton SNORT
of total xcuson of the manufactures OF the old world
who do for them what you please, would still assaI
YOUR ears with the horselecch cry Of Gi1e gre Us
more protection" At present. sir there is an ABIDING
feeling among large proportion not t;a ma' h
advocates of inordinae protecting duties pushed their
claims unreasonable extent Their sentiment 49, that
the North should not disturb the compromise bill, and II
the South should violate disturb any OF the terms OF
this Adjustment they would do it at the risk Of losing
much Of that repugnance to exotbtant tariffs whichs
now growing sentiment at the North Gentlemen VIII
therefore seriously pause and look TO consequences oe
fore they attempt TO interfere with the present thi OF
dues on protected articles and thus disturb the settle
ent of those great interests which wrought by the
famous compromise act of 1888 Cut this subject loose
and this whole matter adrft again. and there no e
ing sir which section of the country would be the
gamer and which the loser. Every great interest OF our
country prosperous and 10 attempt to elevate the
one above the other, would be UNIV unjust md ta
less in The EXTREME The voice of wisdom procl1ms TO
us upon this subject, "Lea1c ,ccii enough alone
Cd Your tariff is to be disturbed. Are you pre-
pared in the next place. amend your Constitution in
order to enable you to distribute your surplus revenue
among the States Of this Union?
independently of the objections to this scheme that
will readily occur every intelligent mind and ut wLch
will merely glance presently there are considerations
which render this Unprecedented, and n0,o unconst'u
that the head Of your fiscal department tells you that
under the operation of your compromise BILL you vii! not
hereafter realize much if any surplus revenue, esPe'
chilly if you reduce or wholly abolish the duties up.
on some articles Of foreign production, which you
should do, because you can do it, without at all VIC
ating the spirit OF the compromise OF 1883: me
abolition Of duties wines and sas from beyond the
Cape Of Good Hope, would alone work reduction OF
over six hundred thousand dollars other articles might
be reduced so as to reduce the revenue flowing from
your customs than million of dollars without at
all violating that principle OF protection till the year
1872 which recognized by the act TO which have
90 often alluded and if you to make reasonable
and liberal appropriations for objects Of public defence
and make such modification Of your tariff of duties
you could do, without prejudcing articles that require
protection and which were intended to be protected by
the ect of 1888 it is than probable that your
plus revenue would hereafter accu9aate TO such
extent, Us to justify the extreme remedy OF anendng
your Constitution, contended for by some gentlemen
here. in confederation of this view, would remind the
committee that we have been told by Authority upon
which we are bound to place great reliance that after
1872 when the last and most formidable reelection is to be
made under the 1858 the dminuon Of your
will be between FIVE and six millions Of dollars in that sim
gle year. and then the revenue from customs as we are
fold will be 9iustead of IL 900 Of dollars In This view
ofthe future, sir ana fortified by the fact, that we can
hardly expect that the importation of duaL,c goods in
1886 will be equal TO the imporsatons Of 1895 The i'm.
variations during the last year unusually lsrpe in
consequence of the apprehension Of rupture with
France So also in regard to your public lands 1t can.
not reasonably be expected, that your from
them will in the present year. be equal to what they were
in the last Immense quantities OF the public lands have
lately gone into the hands OF spectators who have
chased very large tracts These will De in market rea
dy m comnete with the Government in supplying the
wants of the actual settler. should be recoeced
besides that the sale of the Chckasaw lands has been
postponed the present year. and the proceeds OF them
must be invested for the benefit of the Indians IN this
view of the CERTAIN past, anu tne pTooape Fassre IS
not unwise now to adopt the desperate expedelr Of
amending your Constitution as to authorize the dis
trbuon Of your surplus treasure for six years to Gomez
Sir the disease ought indeed to be desperate, before
you adopt this new, this hazardous remedy Arguments
almost irresistible will to every rejecting mind
aoainst the untred scheme of making this great central
Government the tax ga,berer FROM and the revenueds
penser to- the different members Of this eonederucy-
The plan Of taxing the people with one hand ard pay
inc back with the other has at least the charm Of
vetv And when you see deducted frs. the expense Of
collecting it. and then the expense Of paying it back in
to the hands of your citizens it will be very apt to &C.
cur to almost every body that it would have been much
better 30 have le in The pockets Of the people But