Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-07-02


ton, and 10 be "fundrd,' lei examine for
men the base and shallow pretences for such an idea
We shall at least do benefit by it, !! successful
We shall force his friends here admit that there
such debt, and that, for political purposes, vile and
monstrous exaggera;on has been resorted TO by their
own friends.
II this thirty-one millions be debt, whom then
are we To issue the scrip or certificates u stock,
when It is funded under the funding schemes of the
new dynasty: OF the Ghole amount one Item Of mar
nhe millions money collected chiefly from the T.
bahK, On account Of the capital formerly owned
There. Is this nine millions debt owe, when We
nave merely collected that amount from creditors
" so, !" whom d" we owe il, and why: VITA change
IN our political dynasty friendly 10 L. S. Bank,
We 10 oe called 1n To refund 10 that Bank I'll our ca
pal We have collected and thus generously 10 AID that
distressed and unfortunate corporaton as ,e propose
to AID most oi the rest Of creation though pretended by
our opponents that We ourselves the General Govern
ment, have been left III tie mort p,,able AMI ebarrass
ed condition.
THIS is one Of the greatest hnmbups in his age Of
humbugs, Ia pretend that dollar Of this nine MI.
hons debt TO any body, or which should
be funded.
The thirty-onc millions is then reduced to twenty.
two. But mixed up IN another item Of about seven.
teen millions Is a balance Of money of near egh, mil.
hons wlich III the Treasury The first OF Janna.
~ 1884, which has been expended, it shond b., on
objects directed by Congress Is that debit II So,
10 whom; War shall have the stock tor II, This IS
quite too ridiculous TOR argument, that are 10 fund
and pay debt 10 some unknown somebody, seven
millions OF dollars, which belonged 10 ourselves, and
for which do not and never did owe 4
cent.
This leaves only fifteen millions, Or, not half Of the
mighty ihrly-onc. But Of that fifteen, nine mil
lions is coniessedy the fourth nstament. Is that 4
debt We owe: debt for what ), What property did
gct for il; And from whom No. IL Will do II
talk at ME houses and political og.ca5ins, about our
tta last RIttt IL.
lie much for Secretary Of lie Treasury 10 COIN,
tenance such dea-a Secretary who had the solemn
laws OF the twenty-Sx States before hun, and their
ceipts, showing that all the instruments 10 be con
sid-red money belonging still TO the United States,
and mol 10 The States That instead Of owing them the
fourth insiament, debt, they owed rs all the three
others, and were LIABLE and had engaged 10 return
them whenever required. That the transaction wasrS
pressy and deliberately agreed 10 bc mere deposiie,
temporarily, to be- returned when needed, aud
Il gift outright and much less deM owing by us.
Much less could it even b. pretended by any lnte!
gent lima meier, that the United States by using the
fourth ins,alnent, their mory and for their own
public purposes, thereby incurred any debt to The
States.
Al OF tic whale thr,y-one millions, debt. then
after deducng this dwindles 10 between four and 81
millions.
The inflated balloon, 50 large with party gas, thus
pricked collapscs and leaves nothing but the co,npara
lively small amount Of debt named another portion
Of tie report and there named not due now, bat III
hernsuing year.
What miserable abortion or prctence there is, then,
IN all this thirty one mons, inr any debt now due 20
IS IL Justify TINS early session: THIS scrutiny shows
also the carclessness and originality, nj least oi fiscal
officer having whole head Of his repor. devoted 10 tie
public debt, and yet, ~ no part OF the information
given under that head, stating the amount of thu pub
lie debt. Was such wisdom exhibited before
And now ask any gentleman the other side To IN
farm ~. hu.m
debt the Secretary TO state has been caused hy
the appropriations under III. past Administrations and
how much b. new appropriations, and his new fsca!
Bank" scheme, under the present Administration:
But one or two minutes lohger as to tins large item
Of thirty .one millions Why it dragged in 50 awA
wa.dy in respect 10 this session, unless It vas meant
10 convey impression 10 cursGy readers that debt
10 tins extent had been created BY the past Admins
tration; II had object. Was Il, then, the mere
partisan object Of holding UP the preceding Admins
traiion eAira.agant and odIous. II 50, an ready
to prove, from Official documents in the Secretary $
own office, that he was conveying an impression,
which he knew or was bound 10 know, to be utterly
groundless.
Thus in document No. AZ, Of the Senate at the
twenty fifth Congress- second session, !, IS reported
from the Treasury Department. that The appropriations
made by Congress exceeded those asked IN the annual
estimates over nineteen Millions making aggregate
ofthirty.sx millions ofeXcess Now, none Of those pass
ed IN 1887 had been made expended on the Isl o
January 1887, and probably Of the former ones
being made mostly in July previous had been expend
ed hey ond the ofiour or five millions. There was
then imposed this four years from 1e0 to lcll,
outstanding appropriations beyond the estimates, equal
10 this whole thirty-o millions, and which, though
il or its predecessor called for hem it com
PEELED by Congress to expend beyond the ordinary n
preparations called for and outstanding Yet 10 spend
this excess is now imputed To il aS extraragance ana
waste BY some Of the very persons IN the Opposition,
who were foremost aud TO break down The rea-
sury wiih them.
Arain: BIZ another document, No. i5G Of the Senate,
twcntysix,h Congress- first session, II appears, that III
these four years more extraordinary and temporary APP
preparations required by Congress to be expended
Than was the average Of the two previous Presidential
terms nv the whole amount Of tins thrty-onc millions,
and quite forty-six millions more than IN The lfesi0en
tal term Of the younger Adams Yet tIs now charged
upon Mr. Van Buren, and his friends by those who
moved and advocated many Of those extra and tempo
rary approprations that the balance Of only thirty one
millions Of III his expenditures over the receipts
is evidence Of his want III economy. A want 81 eco
nomy for balance against him Of thlrtyone millions
when they compelled hn to cxpcnd quite orty.six mn
lions than were imposed on their own adm'h's'i1
ton. ,
Nor was this pcrud ~ time Of peace, the Sc
cre,ary states; but il burdcned with Of the most
EXPENSIVE bloody Indian wars that has ever ravigcd
our frontier.
Aua,n-Lonk at the other side 10 the arcErrs in this
Derlud. from l-5I 10 leu lie LAtGUtlfI GdHh't -
crease or diminish the receipts except sometimes from
lands By many or few advertisements. But Congress
can In those years the tariff had become essrned hy
Congress itself under biennial reduction: Was ne
nast Administration ulpabe for that, when the ira-
sure originated before 1t into power over ioriy
millions of revenue, which would otherwise have &C
crued had also been relinqushed and reduced by the
alteration in the tariff Of 1852 and lc33. Added 10
10 this. the Secretary has seized on period i'r ms
comparison when most extraordinary revulsons had
b.rnn in the commercial world-lessening and al
must entirely for a time paralyzIng all revenue
Was this very time picked out on that very account
HID the Secretary intended 10 draw TAR COM
parison Of the receipts and expenditures, alter
great civil revolution, like the accession oil General
Jackson in 1929, or great event III The monetary
concerns of The country Ike the removal OF the dc.
posites in 1-33, it wonld have been natural and
nrGper TO lake these dates, and not l-31-those two
eras of ruin in the view Of most gentlemen on the
other side-a sort Of Tiegra in their political chrn-
nologv-the results would have been useful but they
would not have answered Tie purpose OF conveying to
the world al impression of great comparative expense
over The receipts and hence Of great supposed wasten
ness Thus, by document No 22, Senate, 23tl Con
ress Sd session, and the annual reports since on the
finances il can lie that from l-29 10 ie!u "heh
m