The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-03-02
REMARKS OF MIR. HUNT.

In Committee OF The Mole on the STATE of the
| Union, on the Girl and Diplomatic Appro-
priation Blu February 22nd, lS4l, in refe-
renee 10 the proposition submitted by him
on The 18Th Of that month.
| Mr.. ii. said that gentlemen having made motion,
which over-rode the submitted by him ON Thurs
day last,-deEned their positions and discussed at
iength matters and things general and that motion
being now Withdrawn, after having answered the pur
pose designed by IT, the question required upon his
own proposition which was TO strike out the proviso
OF the section under consideration His proposition
was pam, maiter-of-fact, business one and the
hai Ne ne mad now TO submit of unpretend-
ing, business character Time had been, at former
period OF the session, when he had felt DESTROYS of
giving somewhat at large his views in relation To
the course Of policy Of the present Administrator.
the present condition of the country and its finances
anu our future prospects, the opportunity do SO had
not been gwen him and he felt that the time for such
discussion had now gone by.
| The Chairman Of the Ways and Means in under
taking to reply TO the grounds upon which he had
pas'd the motion, had been more oracular and as il
| seemed TO nun Mr. II less ingenious than was his
wont. With an apparent air Of triumph he had
asked, how the gentleman from New York (Mr II y
could claim to be friend of retrenchment and reform
while submitting his proposition to strike out the pro-
viso OF the bill how gentlemen could ON this floor
support such proposition (s the TO stsIKe on
with the fact before them that the clerk of the Fede
raj Court in the city of New York, had received s
600 per annum. The District Attorney of the South
ern District of New York $2S, 900 year, and the
| Marshal Of Mississippi 1857 900 a year2
And all this (said Mr.. H. was put to the committee
and TO the country as nees, as Information commu-
nicated to this House for the first time by the Chair
man of the Ways and Means, when most of it had
been IN possession OF gentlemen for twevemonth
past.
He Mr.. III had on former occasion stated that he
had in his mind doubted whether he had not better
learn the former part of the proviso standing that part
requiring quarterly returns of the Of fees and
emoluments, with view Of guiding future legislation
but upon reflection had felt satisfied that sufficient
information had already been received enable COM
mittec to correct these agIant abuses He had stated
in all sincerity that should he spared to take his
in the 9th Congress, the Chairman Of the Ways and
Means would find him Mr.. H. if not in advance, at
least by the side of the gentleman in every legitimate
work of legitimate reform. And he should redeem
/ the pledge thus given. Retrcnchment and reform
were called for by the people--the doctrine was a car
dinal one with the incoming administration. But to
| correct all the abuses of an administration that for
twelve years past had been squanderng the money Of
the nation in support of parasites and favores in de-
moralzing the country, and breaking down its nsttu
tons, was work not of moment, but Of patience,
labor, and time,
The chairman had said that you have an example Of
the sort Of connexion proposed by the Ioviso your
custom houses and your land officesthat the officers
of these establishments receive by way compensation
per centage the collected and the amount
of land sales. Be il so. Yet very title reflection
would convince the worthy chairman that the cases
bore an analogy to each other and that the prac-
tce of government in relation to the collectors of
customs and the land offices, went but very little
way (f any towards answering the objections urged
by him Mr.. II. to the pIoyiso in question. Your
lands sold at the minimum government price of a
dollar and quarter per acre. The hardy pioneer the
actual settler and the landshark, the SPECTATOR must
pay this amount, whether the receiving collecting
officers receive any compensation not. That Go
yernment chooses topay It's collecting officers by giving
them per centage the amounts collected, adds not
farhing to the Burdens of the purchaser TO the
nT L. ata
The duties imposed from public policy, for protection,
for countervaling the action of foreign governments
or Southern gentlemen perhaps will prefer stating
it. for alone are to be paid at all events And
the burden to the payer increased BY giving
compensation to the officer from the gross amount
collected.
Not So with the District Attorneys. With the ex-
cepton OF salary of $500 allowed most Of them, their
compensation was made up of fees, increased by the
increase of business done by them. The chairman
had said these fees were too large. Mr.. FL had said
the same, when he originally submitted his PROPOSE
ton. He had said the amounts received were entirely
dsproportoned to the labor rendered, and whilst he
would allow 10 public officers liberal compensation,
one which would command the talent and worth Of
the country, he would cheerfuIy unite in any well
devised plan for relieving the people, and thus reduc
ing the amount received by these federal officers.
But the original bill proposes relief to the unfor-
tunate sutorto the class of men, of all Others least
| able to bear excessive burdens Mo- that govern
| ment may but rcpenish Golfers emptied by its own
.
to struggle under the load of excessive impositons
And this is the practical operation Of the chaIrmans
ideas of reform-of retrenchment A fair exponent of
the doctrine preached the housetops and believed
by confdng people twelve years ago not princi-
| pleof which has heen carried out
Passing from the bill, reported by the Committee,
and looking for moment to the proposition OF the
| gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. thompson in con-
nection with the other proposition coming from the
1 gentleman from Tennessee, Mr.. Cave johnson,
other and insuperable objections prcsent themselves
MIR. H. had no objection TO the proposition TO place
i the federal officers the same footing with those of
the respective Sates-et the tariff of fees be the
for both classes; but the fo propositions alluded to,
and which gentlemen of the Administration, in their
born zeal in the of economy had the power
TO establish, would produce the result of laying duty
for the Treasury Of perhaps $4,000 from the marshal
in the State OF Mississippi by scale OF State fees
and only $4,000 from the officer in the State of
New York, by another and totally different scale OF
fees And this system of imposition of duties excuses
taxes, call it by what name you please was at war
with the 9th section Of the LIST article Of the Constitu
ton that section provides that the Congress shall
have power
LIST. To lay and collect taxes, duties imposs, and
excuses to pay the debts and provide for the common
defence and general welfare Of the United States but
all duties, imposts, and excuses, shall be uniform
throughout the United States"
The want of uniformity of itself sufficient
objection, in his mind to the course of legislation
now proposed This course was, also, in his opinion,
Enough he did profess to be very learned in rules
order) opposed to all orderly legislation II was thrust
ing into simple appropriation bill, provisions, chang
ing existing laws in reference to important class of
officers; provisions, hastily propounded amidst the
hurry of debate without consultations without delbe-
ration and but lily calculated in his Judgment to effect
any beneficial object. If this sort of legislation was
be tolerated. must long look into the Appro-
praton bill for the Civil Departmentfor all the inn
portant provisions which to regulate the conduct
of the federal officer of the Government. But he
bad placed his objection mainly tie ground Of
order. He barely noticed that ground as worthy, he
thought Of grave consideration.