Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1839-02-28
Domestic News.
EXTRACTS

and the expenditures 81 the Gocer.meht'
.sFT Submitted by Mr.. Can,breleng, TO The FL.
Of Representatives,, January n, 1888.
By the 63d rule Of the House Of Repre-
sentalives, it is made the duty of the Com
mrree on Ways and Means to "iuquire
into The state Of the revenue and expendI-
Iurc, and to report, from time to tlrne,thelr
opinion thereon" The condition oil our
finances renders the discharge Of This duty
particularly necessary at the present time.
Our extraordinary expenditures have,
within few years, been unavoldably
large, and our revenue has rapidly declined
eiace 1886. In that year our income Tor
customs and lands was more than forty
eight millions; IN 1887 Gncluding the post
poned bouds) it was abou, twenty.tour
millions; aud for the past year (deductIng
the postponed bonds) about fourteen mil
lions and half. The revival of trade will
ipcrease the revenue both from customs
md lands, and, notwithstanding the pro-
aressive reduction in our tariff, it will prob
ABLY be sufficient to meet the wants OF an
economical administration of the Govern
nent. We have, however, no just reason
70 anticipate such an excess OF revenue,as
10 warrant continuance OF ext'avagant
expenditures and the present reduced
state of the Treasury affords proper oc-
casion to inquire what branches OF these
have been unnecessarily increased, and 10
endeavor to restore the aggregate expense
of the Federal Government to the eco
nomical basis contemplated by the act OF
,be 2lst March, 1888, and corresponding
with the maximum duly Of 20 per cent. ad
ralorem after June, l9l2, proposed by
that aci.
Our Federal expenditures have been
rapidly. though irregularly, increasing, from
1859 to the present time. The tiuctua-
,ious appear 10 have been simultaneous
with an increasing or decreasing revenue
an overilowing Treasury uniformly pro-
ducine sudden augmentation of our APP
uropriations. independent however,o ,ot such
occasional extravaganza, it was natural to
anticipate, especially in the first hall cen
tury of its existence, steady increase OF
The civil, military and naval expenditures
of n Government which had no such es-
Establishments a, its origin; and particularly
in a country which has, in so short pc
riod. doubled the number of States in the
Confederacy, enlarged IT'S boundary OF set
,lement to near 5 times its extent in lI9O,
increased its population from less than Tour
10 near seventeen millions; and extended
lis most route from 1,S75 10 near l35, ,O0O
miles.
During the war, large investments were
made by our capitalists in manufactures;
and when it was over, the principle of our
revenue laws was entirely reversed. Our
,axes were no longer graduated by the
wants of Government, but by the demands
of our capitalists for piolection; thus sub
s,itutiug the incident for tho principal
Our tariffs were revised without any re-
gard 10 the condition OF our finances, and a
broad foundation was laid for redundant
revenue. The consequence was rapid
extiunuishment of a public debt, funded
and unfuuded, of one hundred and fifty
millions of dollars. Anticipating this re-
demp,on, appropriations in every branch
of the public service were increased, and
still more extensively to absorb prospec
tive surplus, new objects Of expenditure
were sought for, which had been before
considered under the jurisdiction of the
States. Surveys were authorized, laying
The foundation for Federal system of
roads, canals, harbors, and other improve
mcnts, sufficient 10 exhaust any surplus
which nigh: possibly occur. EStrava-
aance was deemed patriotic, as designed
10 perpoluale protection TO manufactures.
The one vas Indispensable TO The other,
and for titfies the rights of the tax payer
were wholly disregarded.
This attempt 10 interfere with the rights
OF the States, and 90 enlarge Federal ju
risdiction, expenditure and patronage, was
partially arrested at an early stage, by
leaving 10 the States the exclusive and
constitutional control over their roads and
canals:s. But there still remained other
expenditures, which will be noticed here
afier, equally foreign, as the committee
think. TO thelegisima,e duties of a confed-
Grated Government. But notwilhstand-
ing these. the extravasant tendency of
surplus, and the rapid redemption of our
public debt, weShavc heen already COM
PEELED to tePosite eighr-and twenty mil
lions with the States. Fortunately. how
over, this association of protection, sur
plus, and extravagance, is no longer the
policy Of our Government. Both Houses,
by overwhelming, majorities. revived our
ancien, principle, 6fsrevenue in the act of
Cd Of March, 1883. 1Ehe fourth clause of
the 3J section Of that actprovides that af
ter the 30th of June. 1S42, sdulics shall be
laid for the purpose of raising such reve-
nue as may be necessary toSan economi- !
cal administration of ihesG Government"
Believing, as the committee do, that no
other policy can be permanently sustained
in confederacy agindependent States,
they deem it;expedicnt to examine our ex-
penlitures'ipaetail to ascertain what re-