The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1838-02-17
spnEcH OF Mr., RIvEs,


Nt"f~-t
(coNnSueD)
l3ut, sir, 10 return from this DEPRESSION, let
MS see what additions are made 10 The official
as well as pecuniary patronage Of the Exeeu,
tive, 81 The provisions Of this bill. When
,haa ,he honor OF addressing th,i Senate at the
la1 session, | spoke Of the bill then under
vonsideration, as the grain Of mustard seed
wnich would grow up into large tree ana
cover The land with its Branches But was
I'LL bv the honorable Senator from New
Yo.k aud others. that the bill did not create
s,asis nr,O oGicer, and my friend from Con
re liaul, car. Niles) conplimcned me, as
well rs remember, Ior my vivid Imagination,
10 the account of which alone he set down
the apprehensons | had expressed But
what do we now see? In three short months,
the Tree, which has already grown up from
this grain OF mustard seed, has thrown out
four large branches in the form of Receivers
General, each OF which will have its depend.
ent ramihcaiions in the form of cashiers, tel
lers, clerks, &c The Treasurer also is TO
have his assistants = and an indefinite brood
Of clerks is provided for all the officers made
depositaries OF the pubic moneys under the
bill, to assist in the discharge OF the new duties
devolved on them. Finally, number OF
10 time, at the discretion OF the Secretary OF
the Treasury, to visit and inspect the various
fiscal agencies created by the bill Now,
here is eioud Of new executive officers, at
once, which bids defiance to calculation. But
il their present number could be estimated (as
the Senator from New York has attempted to
do.) it would be altogether useless, Tor they
must from the nature ol things, be constantly
and rapidly multiplying. Would the honorable
Senator attempt 10 measure the rising cloud,
which threatens 10 orerspread and hlacken
the whole face Of the heavens. by the speck,
mo bigger than mans hand" which has
Just appeared on th1 edge OF the horizon
This is but the beginning and we all know
with what vigor and fruitfuness every hing
grows on American SOIL Receivers General
are allowed by the bill, at present, only to
Massachusetts, New York, South Carolina,
ana Missouri. But will not Maine, New
Hampshire, Connecticut, demand their Re-
cevers General as well as Massachusetts,
Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia, as
well as South Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio,
and Tennessee, as well as Missouri; and SO
in regard TO all the other States that are now
prettrnitted in the bill. If we have Receiv-
ers General, we must finally have Payers
General; for this is an integral part of the
system in France, from which we borrow
The scheme proposed by the bill. In adopting
system. it is fair to presume we mean to adopt
its usual and ordinary concomitants. Indeed,
an honorable member OF the other House. who
is well skilled in questions Of finance, ex-
pressed the opinion TO me, only the other day,
that The functions of paying and receiving
ought 10 be separated, so as TO form checks
on each other and thus we shall have the
French system, in both It's branches, at once.
On The question of introducing a new system
Of policy, we ought never to forget the old
adage. which we derive from France also
c'es, lie premier pas qui coute-H IS the first
STRIP rhtth is dcc,sire, and that taken, all the
rest follow.
The Senator from New York (Mr. Wrighi)
has likewise attempted an estimate of the
erpense of this new system. But this, also,
in nv opinion, is vain thing. he first
mo lest beginnings Of system furnish no
standard by which its ultimate expense can
BIZ measured The Senator'S estimate makes
the annual expense, Exclusive Of what may
be called the outfit, III the cost of buildings,
&c somewhere about $40 900, twenty thou
sand dulars) But this is greatly below the
estimate of the Secretary OF the Treasury,
in his report at the last session; and in
thor Of it is rarely found TO over estimate its
expense. That officer set down the annual
expense at 100000 (sixty thousand dolars,)
This, in my opinion, is very far below the
ultimate permanent expense. An able and
experienced gentleman in my own State, prac-
ticaly versed in these questions, and jealous
81 decided advocate withall of the new system,
in setting forth its advantages, and defending
il from the objections which had been urged
against it, met this very one Of expense by
girngit as his opinion, formed upon deliberate
and careful reflection that the annual expense
would not exceed 100000, (six hundred
thousand dollars.) Now, sir, when | arrived
here, at the extra session of Congress, and
read the estimate Of the Secretary of The
Treasury, ! could not but suppose, at first,
TINT there was an accidental mistake in his
figures. by the omission of a cyphcr, and that
he Intended to have put down the expense
at 5000 000 lat six hundred thousand dol
lars) instead of $60o00 (sixty thousand
do lars
Bat, however, this may be, nothing can be
more certain than that the expense OF this sys-
tom, when fully developed, must, from It's com
plexity, and the number Of officers it will call
for, be very great. We have standard to
appeal TO, on this question, which is worth far
m RI than any prto,i rcasoUings. The sys-
TEN las been long established and fully tried
IN France, and we know il; actual results
there. On the other hand, in England the
agency Of banks has been extensively used in
the collection and disbursement of the public
revenue, instead OF the Individual agencies
which arc enpIpyed in Franre and nra con-