The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-02-11

oiais 'i's 70 I've 80, u ~ OF comparatively small
amount by no means large enough 10 justify call
| for additional means TO the exten, now desired
ihen, again, the duties TO BIO refunded on refined
| sugar exported, about 200; this also ought 10
nave been anticipated Drawbacks Of this description
are payable and paid every year and constitute part
OF the ordinary expenditures Of the year; and al
though do not say that the Secretary ought to have
foreseen this particular instance yet with the expe-
Renee of the pas, before him, he ought % have taken
INTO his estimates the probable liabilities Of The Trca-
sury for claims Of this character Bur Al an events,
ths y quite small not sufficient, would suppose,
oembarrass Furnishing and well administered Trea-
suiy 30 seriously AZ Il seems TO have done. Besides
these are some decisions OF the courts that
appear 10 require the re1nding Of duties from
| tne reasury to considerable amount What the
secretary means by a considerable amount will
hot undertake to define. apprehend il i not very
aiee, OF 'he amour, would have been stated by the
letters communicated with the Secretarys application
appears that the decisions referred 20 resie 20 $50
da ash "gunny cloth, and worsted uiushn al Of
which, 4 seems, are entitled TO be imported free Of du-
~ what amount OF revenue has been hitherto de-
rived from these sources, have no means oil know
ing; but imagine il is very considerable These
then, are the charges thrown upon the Treasury he
tween the Tth and the 2lst of December amounting
only TO about ss650000 the most of which ought to
have been anticipated and provided for relied upon to
justify the call for the issue Of five millions Of rcsour-
ces TO The Treasury. Now, sir that be success
full Or prosperous administration Of vast machine
as the Treasury OF this nation which be thrown
arrangement by comparatively IN
significant call upon IT, if iohoHy unerpected
as little over half million of doarsnot fifiieh
part OF the expenditures Of the year. and requiring
means TO obvate ten times greater than the assigned
causes themselves No, sir these but preterts.
They are seized upon because they happen to have
occurred subsequent TO the date of the annual report
and are all which have occurred since. Why were
not the real causes Of the embarrsssments Of the
treasury communicated In that report and why was
not Congress requested provide for the deficiency
For the reason already given. That is document
for the People, for general circulation prepared ac
cordingly with lust admxurc Of sefcongratula-
ton and glowing account of the success Of the Irea
sury, notwithstanding many embarrassments and tr-
ais Surely that was not place 10 expose deficiencies
such an exposition would not have been in good
keeping with the valedicory panegyrc which the Sc
cre,ary seems to think the occasion required
Now, sir, although, | have already remarked
there Is unquestionably very great pressure upon
the Treasury at this moment requiring prompt relief
am constrained TO say that the exhibitions OF the Sc
cretary upon this subject far from being satisfac
tory. The explanations which he offers 90 not show
such pressing exigency as is represented TO exist,
and as undoubtedly does exist, How does il appear
by his own showing He has made no communica-
ton directly to the House, TO the committee
but the honorable chairman of the COMMITTEES of
Ways and Means has private communication which
he has used, showing the embarassmerts Of the De-
partment. II is not an official document the accuracy
of which we have any mode OF testing noy o. heseaf
ter. But what is i'll First as to the means o. the
Secretary represents them TO be as Tolows
Receipts from customs, deducting draw
backs s3,loo,ooo
Receipts from lands $4,000
Miscellaneous sources, and banks &c. 10000
s3,coo,c9o
To this is to be added the balance on
hand at the commencement the
year l,5so,s55
And now the power to issue Treasury
notes under the act Of Mach 81, 1879 5l2,6lS
Forming an aggregate ofsyaissble ns.ans
for the first quarter Of this year, by
the Secretary s computation, of t5, l33 ALB
The Secretary has undoubtedly estinis',d the re-
ceipts OF the quarter quite a. low hes t s found
to be. The customs he esiimsif, qstt S',suatHg all
drarbdcks, whether including ishiE hc;r.es q not,
cannot say, although seems they sia lily re-
tanned out Of the cccruns .svenue. : receipts
from lands he put at shout nil c.,,5 of tag Sferage
receipts Of the yeas az e:,imf,ed BY Gy"tr and of
Why the receipts OF this Quarter saoGl - expected
to fall far below the ordinary SveTss otpts Of the
two years tossther is noe'hc,e c.g'atIt think it
would be quite safe to add about 49, f. TO the esti-
mated receipts from this source Bp, i, III estimate
stand as il has been eiSen TO "a ct 5f-J34I3 What
the estimated expenditures OF the quaner3 they
are stated as follows:
Fo, ordinary expenses pensions aeon o cG s eoa
For debt Of the District Of Columbia, $4,000
For fishing bounties 1000
For expenses OF the census, 55OOUO
Forming an sscresatc of e543,c5o
which, it must be admitted Sreesee very upon the
means Of the quarter. Bal il to ne, that,
this side of the sccount tbs secfstty he's been on
what too liberal in hrs csssme'ss re kss s.y;n
items which @ nsiS ~ the aggregate q .oa. mill
lions and hsN Syf osdineey,e y sdtrfSa. Dasa it
embrace the drawbacks caicA IL has npes.a Of
repeatedly - charge upon ,as 3. = qu9des o. the
year, and ehich are astrty Provided ioS ~ deduct
inyf nom, tAa eno ~ Pc ~ n YeYcNuN
The fishing boun,ns ass insirisd IA ,hs fssscgato
Of expenditures fos tho qSafirr -tho3EA | should in
fer from the psactice shich the sscs tasy - PIE
walls, that they are also usually estsns4 cri Of The
accruing revenue, and IL O., yGosidsd fol Iii tho
way. Besides, the Secretary in a's aanuai re-
port which he scfers embraces tronS the charges
falling upon the first quarter OF the Ss ths srtbses
incurred by the session vi Consfess, and private
bills What annount 10 lkeiy 10 fen 1po the frea-
sury from private bills" II - mn cary fostsee.
From present appearances, RotniLg 1haisvFi; and
the Secretary, though he oisheo ha own dusr.rr TO be
amply provided TO meet pfiyste i!e doas rot esti
mate single SOLAR as likely to fail upos taJ whole
year from that quarter But piyGae bills do not ne
cessarily fall upon the trst quartet hsany Of them,
and, indeed, all where any great smoun is involved
require the upon ehich thsy sfe founded to
be audited often taxing monbs and sometimes years
to finish. The whole change ast year fof private
claims absut fourteen thousand dolats end see
disposition TO increase greatly ihc present Now,
sir making some allowances, which seem TO ne called
for on both sides of the account, although il would
still present case requiring relief, yet i does
moi exhibit condition Of much peril, and exciting
much alarm, the Secretary evidently pefceivos
and feels He says on the 7th OF January, y do not
see how it possible preserve the public faith, Sc
any further delay will place the Department, n daily
jeopardy &C.. and he cntrea,s thc speediest action
possible | doubt not he has just grounds for en-
teraining these apprehensons have no question the
demands upon the Treasury are very heavy Calls
for payment arc undoubtedly made for services ron
dered last year. and not then paid for, both from
want Of means and from desire 10 keep DOWN 'he
apparent expenditures Of that year
The Administration boasts of its economy ana OIL
reduction Of expenses; and il is very desirable, no
doubt that the exhibits OF the Department should tu