The Madisonian., 1840-01-04

Diu hoe tle oecrctdIy actually lofesec thlsi
And how does he evade the responsibility Of
telling an open tale Why, by proposing that
Congress should erect around the Treasury a
safeguard against +" fluctuations" Fluctua-
f'ons is the word-fuctua,ions mpy create a
dehciency--may produce bankruptcy, and
therefore, he makes to Congress this earnest
and oery considerable appeal:
"The Department Is now without any resort tenn
porary or permanent In case Of material dgfcteneics
and considering all the circumstances before men
toned with the dangerous liability In law 10 have
The whole outstanding Treasury notes paid In at any
moment Tor public dues, without a power remaining
70 Issue others IN their stead considering also the
present repuisioas in the commercial world which
affects so seriously the receipts from both duties and
lands considering the disasters which are beiaing
the banks and rendering collected funds in some
cases whoy unavailable and the aduanles necessary
TO be soon made for the large payments Of pensions
and Treasury notes falling due in March the ear
Hest attention 10 new legislation on this subject seems
highly prudent II not Indispensable, Tor The eiiectual
security OF the public credit"
The "new Legislation" desired, contem-
plates the keeping on hand "LARoR BA-
LANCE beyond the expenses Tor ordinary pur-
poses"
The Secretary makes also another shift, in
the hope of having an excuse for the embar-
rassment which imbcciiity and mal-admnis-
traton have brought upon tho country, and
through it upon the public treasury. He en-
treats Congress-the representatives of the
people to restrict their appropriations.
Butt continues the Secretary, and we call
attention to his pregnant remarks, Z. when
acting on these or other cases, il Congress
cannot, consistently with its views Of duty to
the country, adopt the course suggested, and
restrict the amount Of appropriations, whether
ordinary or extraordinary, TO the certain cur
rent revenue, the only remaining courses
which seem defrnsible are these either to
proride for recalling portions Of the public
money no,c deposited Nth the States, or esta-
bhsh an adequate system Of direct taxation, or
at once resort 10 The contingent po,cer con-
tempiaied in the eristing ia,rs concerning
he taTV ,chea changes become necessary
for The purposes Of rerenue, and restore The
duty on seueral articles Of htrmy notc free"
But the Secretary OF the Treasury, full of
ingenious devices, to avert the Odium which
must inevitably visit the authors of bank
rupt treasury, thinks 1t may become necessary,
" unpleasant as it is to "dim,niSh IN a gene
raj pro rata scale or other,oisc, The compensa-
tion 10 all officers, ciuH and military, Erecutire,
Judicial and Legislatice" He thinks it bet
ter to do this, "ttan to expose the Treasury 10
bankruptcy !"
Here, then, is hard blow TO be leveled at
multi,udes Of officers old and worn in the SER
vice, who, in the whole course of their lives
never have received for their exposures, tolls
and sufferings, the amount of public money
received BY the President in one year, to save
the Treasury, alack! from the ruin which this
ruthless crew in power have, themselves,
brought upon it, Pitiable resort to save the
Treasury from bankruptcy Look at the Su-
pernumerary clerks appointed to office under
the dcposite law Of 1896, kept there, to write
the editorials of the Globe in part, after the law
itself, according to their own showing,was OBJ
solete . Look at The party pensioners quartered
upon the Executive Departments. Look at the
sums Of money poured, year after year, into
the lap of the " cormorant of the spolls' IN
charge OF the Globe. Look at the vast sums
of money lost by the appointment of dishonest
men to office-,he increase Of the expendi-
lures from thirteen millions TO thirty five
look at the squanderings Of the party in power
IN every direction, and say, it is for this that,
now, the petty pay of the soldiers of the war,
the defenders of the Republic, who have
spent themselves in the service, is to be taken
from them to save from odium those who have
been rioting in public plunder
This is really too bad. To what an humi-
liating condition is this country reduced
We have no objection to proper reduction
Of the salaries Of public officers. In many
cases reduction should be made Let the
-ay, in the Executive mansion. There are
multtudes of young men who will perform
the duties Of your executive and legislative
Offices quite as well as it is now done, and for
salaries less by 80 per CT, in many cases,
than is now paid
We can find you President who will be
content with the office one term, and who will
not spend $4,000 for Brussels carpets, Br-
tish chandeliers, splendid mirrors, gorgeous
silk curtains, ST., 500 chairs, $4,000 for the
decoration of an audience room, nor air him
self in an English coach.
We will find you Secretaries who will be
accessible and obliging to the common people,