The Arkansas advocate., 1836-06-17

fighting, they will do our voting likewise, and in q short time leave nothing worth ortifyina.
 Such deences are contrary 10 the spirit and qenins oi our govefnment and ought neverto be countenan- ced or tolerated., to the unreasonable extent which so,e appear now 10 desre- In the al uanaa 21 and g from the War Department, the Secretary says, no furtificafion ought be commenced until aii the proposed sites resuryeyed, and plans devised upon suitable scale, and recommends board for that purposes which will require small appropriation l of thirty thousand dollars
 He also recommends experiments to be made in re- laon to steam or moveable batteries, which will re- qnire an appropriation of one hundred thousand do- lars.
 1 We'll, then, if concur with the Secretary, we want ut present. no appropriation for new fofiitica tlons but these two sums, equal to one hundred and thirty thousand dollars, to deray the expenses of Board, and the experiments of which have spoken As to the Notifications in progress let such increase be made Tn the appropriations can reason ably be used in the course of the year.
 Ks to the suggestion made that ought, at once, to appropriate sum large enough to complete the work, although tt may be five ten years before il can be completed, do not think it ought to be sanei;e- ed It IS unnecessarily. and for long time putting at hazard, in tho hands of agents who may prove lah less, large sums of money From year to year let the appropriations be made. and thus avoid all nnnecessaz " risk
 According to this same document, the expense ne- cessary for ordnance must be comparatively trifline We can be much more readily supplied than had imagined.
 Upon inc whole think all the reasonable demands for the army for the navy for forti6catons ordnance and other munitions of war; can be supplied without making any serious impression upon that large fund left n the Treasury, after providing for the distribution as proposed in this bill.
 Alusion has been made to matters pending before usi when not acting legislature, which, if perfect ed, may occasion considerable increase of expendi- ture.
 That may be SO yet must remember that not much of this expenditure will or can be this year, or the next made ot, and that these very measures VIII also increase our resources if not entirely equal to our increased expenditure, at least very nearly These matters, therefore, may be laid aside
 Another plan for ridding the Treasury of its surplus IS that of placing in the hands of Commissioners of the Sinking Fund, and authorizing them 10 vest if in some stock, yielding reasonable profit. This might do and Is probably intended as an expedent to save the money from loss; but mode of essening the fund ii would be making bad worse; il would be devlsing plan to increase our store, because we would expect return of the principal and the interest produced by ii.
 l But for myself, have no idea of sending our mo- ney among stockjobhers, into the market, to be hg- gng for bargains which in one way may be very good and ln some others very bad. Far rather would pre- fer they should remain where they now are The last scheme fer adoption Is that from the Post l Office Committee with the aid of steam
 With the aid of ths machinery, have.very little doubt, the whole can be accomplished in very short l time.
 ] The whole of this, which, without intending dsre- epect to the Committees must call artfu conrvance, is neither less than the old sysfem o Internal hprouemen acith Federal means, ond by Federal pow CT revived, and the odious, because of he at. tempt at conceament The old system has the merit of mauness. It's friends think the Federal Govern ment has the power, and openly that they will exercise it, because III doing so, they promote the pub lie interest This seeks to violate the Constitution by stealth, and the contrivers off think the device is arfully concealed, that the public find out the design.
 Now sir, think it perfectly proper that whore rail road can be had, the Post Muster General ought to have the poacer to contract trh he Copany carry his mail, and understand he has this po,oer alreody therefore to existing roads the bill will be of He can make just good contract without as with this bill.
 I It can only operate on roads commenced and unfin- ished ones being commenced How then will 1t operatei Say the road IS 10 be hundred miles long, and ten twenty miles only nished and the Company need funds, they make contract 10 carry the mail, and receive at out of the Treasury, of mo- uey the interest which, yearly, will be equal 10 inc paid yearly inme past, for carrying the ma with this money the Company are to progress, and make another part ofthe road then the contract will be enlar- ged on the principles, an additional sum pad, and thus the road completed Gan this be any thing but enlarged masked system of Internal Improvements and if the charter of the Company is for fifty hundred years forevers your contracts to be in the same way. To carry out this system, what sum would itpro baby cost No man dares to offer conjecture. I To enable to give glimpse of if, let us suppose one case. Upon given route the sum paid for carry ing the mail was twenty thousand dollars per annum. We 10 give to the Company presently, and to be retained as long the charer lasts, sum which at an interest of per cent. will produce twenty thou sand dollars yearly dred and thirty yihree thousand three hundred and thirty three dollars and one thrd.