Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1836-05-03
,rwenfy-fourth COngrcss--Ist sess

The Secretary of your Treasury in his annual report
tells you, that after satisfying all claims upon Urea
sury founded upon past and ordinary appropriations,
there at the of the present session Of
Congress, pretty large surplus in your Treasury,
(which would be required for the ordinary purposes
of the Government and which might be applied TO other
purposes included in the estimates aud literally aid
In promoting any constitutional OBJECT wh'ch congress
may deem most expedient. The exact amount OF SUR
plus has been subject of speculation and dispute with
many gentlemen II satisfactorily appears, irom
information furnished by the Secretary OF the Treasury
member of the other branch Of this Legislature unt
the first day of January last the actual surplus was
about sixteen millions of dollars This u.s. indeed fair
subject of exultaon many of us whose reoolections
extend back only two short years Then you wero
told by the panicmakers of that day. that country
ruined, that general widowed national prosperity
and empty Treasury would be the certain fruit of the
great measure upon which such Of curses
beaped Ii said that Treasury could not be
found Only short years have elapsed and where is
there aught 10 justify these gloomy lorebodngs'-
Where these prophets of terror and distress ?
Why, cir, find them racking their invention for the
best means of easing your bloaed Treasury of its
tents Should these false and unfortunate prophets
der ut the evidences every where exhibited, that the
confidence of the people in them is oa the ,cane--nay
that il il gone forever?
What Sir is the best The most ;udcious mode of dis.
posing of this surplus revenue? lst Shall we immedi
aey reduce your tariff of duties upon protected articles
and retain this surplus order 10 meet any deficit which
such immediate reduction might hereafter OCCASION?
Or I'd, Shall we recommend IN amendment of your Con-
stitution, authorize the distribution of this
plus among the Staes' Or, Sd, Shall aasy this fund
to the purposes of securing permanent deences Tor
country TO the erection and armament of your fortified
tlons and to the Increase of your navy!
l. To the first proposition that of reducing your
and securing This fund for any contingent deficit
result from such reduction, objection viii readily
every rejecting mind. 1t ,oouid vioiate the
compact incooed in your compromise act Of 1888 The
instability of your legislation has already become too
proverbia calculations made under it, in reference
TO it, have already too often been frustrated by the tickle
spirit of change, sometimes misnamed improvement"
The act of 1888 made in spirit of compromise
between two great and important interests which agi
tated this country to its centre and would depre
cate fatal that quetude which that healing
act produced, spirit here that would pIemainrely
modest any OF lis vital provisions Let Southern gen
temen beware how they listen y.S'i to any sugges-
lions disturb any of the radical provisions of this act
am not never have been the advocate of ultra, of
most extravagant tariffs The district whck have
honor to REPRESENT second in manufacturing Interests
to scarcely any in the State which gave me birth
know the feelings, the aspirations of many Of the
fncturers of the North Like every other great interest,
it embraces both reasonable and unreasonable men,
There those, and only few, trust whom you
hardly satisfy with any measure of projections short
of total exclusion of the manufactures of the old world
who, do for them what you please, would still as~NA
your with the horse-lee csy os Gre, giUe
protection. At present, SIR, there is an abiding
feeling among large proportion, If not majority OF
the Northern people, that there time when the
advocates of inoIdnatc protecting duties pushed their
claims unreasonable Their sentime
the North should disturb the compromise BILL and if
the South should violate disturb any of the of
this adjustment they woald do it at the risk of losing
much OF that repugnance to exorbitant tariffs which is
growing sentiment at the North Gentlemen will
therefore seriously pause and look consequences be-
fore they attempt to interfere with the present tariff of
Inent of those great interests which wrought by the
famous compromise act of 1888 Cut this subject loose
and set this whole matter adril again and there tell
ing, sir, which section Of the country would be the
gGner and which the loser Every great interest Of
country is prosperous and TO attempt to elevate the
above the other, would 5e unwise, unjust and faith
loss an Me The voice Of wisdom proclanIs to
upon this subject, "Leave 1ceH enough alone"
Cd Your tariff is to be disturbed. Are you pre-.
pared in the next place. TO amend your Constitution in
order to enable you to distribute your surplus revenue
among the States of this Union?
L.. So a.. IL. IT.
will readily to every intelligent mind aud which
will merely glance presently there considerations
which render this Unprecedented and unconstitu-
uOnal remedy, unnecessary. DO gentlemen Tecollect,
that the head OF your fiscal department tells you
under the operation Of your compromise BILL you will
hereafter realize much, any, surplus revenue espe-l
eIally If you reduce wholly abolish the duties Up
articles Of foreign production, which YOU
should do because you do it, without ct all yio-
Iating the spirit Of the compromise Of 1888 The
abolition Of duties wines and silks from beyond the
Cape of Good Hope, would alone work reduction Of
six hundred thousand dollars other articles might
be reduced TO reduce the flowing from
yonr than million Of dollars without al
oil violating that principle Of protection tn the year
1912, which recognized by the act TO which have
oflen alluded; and If you 10 make reasonable
and liberal appropriations for objects Of public defence
and make such modification of your tariff Of duties
you could do without prejudicng articles that require
protection, and which intended TO be protected by
the act of 1888 il more than probable that your sur
plus revenue would not hereafter accumulate TO such an
extent, 10 justify the extreme remedy Of amending
your Constitution, commended for by SOME gentlemen
committee that have been told, by authority upon
which bound to place great reliance, that after
1912 when telas and most formidable Ecducton to be
made under te act 1883 the dminuton Of your customs
will be between Eve and six millions Of dollars that sim
gle year, and then the from customs, as We are
told will be 9inetead Of ~ 100000 Of dollars I'm this view
Ofthe future, sir am fortified by the fact that we can
hardly expect that the importation of dutiable goods in
1896, will be equal 10 the ImpOrtatons OF 1S5 The i'm.
portalons during the last year unusually large in
consequences of the apprehension Of rupture with
France. So also in regard your pubic iss IL can.
not reasonably be expected, that your revenue from
them WILL in the present year be equal TO what sey were
n the ast Immense quantities Of the public lands have
lately gone into the hands Of speculaors who have pur
chased very large tracts These will be W. market rea
dy 70 compete with the Government in supplying tie
WANTS Of the actual settler IL should be recolleclod
besides that the sale Of the Chckaow lands has been
postponed % The present year. and the proceeds Of them
must be invested tor the benefit Of the Indians n this
view Of the certain past, and the JroJabie future il
not Onweo now 10 adopt the desperate expcdient Of
amending your Constitution, to authorize the dis.
nbuten Of surplus treasure for six years come
Sir, the disease ought indeed to be desperate before
you adopt this new this hazardous remedy Arguments
almost Irresistible will 70 every feGecGne mind
against the unired scheme Of making this great central
Government the tax-gatorer 5oN and the dis.
penser TO- the different members Of this COME deracv
The plan Of taxing the people with hand and pav.
ing IL back with The other has al least the chafm Of no.
vey. And when you deducted first the expense Of
collecting IT, and Men tie expense of paying it back in
"a Tho hands Of your citizens, il will be very apt to oc
10 almost every body, at it would have been much
betcf p have lca ~ NE pockets N The pcopie Bu