The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-02-18
PUBLIC FINANCES
SPEECH OLE MIR. BARNARD,
or NEW YORK,
In THE HorsE OF REPRESENTATIVE Jan. Is, 1874 l


| In THE HOUSE, or REPRESENTATIVES,, Jan. Is, lS4 |.
Concluded.
| military post two for the concentration Of
troops, in the event of hoses is very natural idea,
and not altogether perhaps, beyond the pale OF those
things for which this Government constituted.
The Secretary of War suggests, with this view, po
sition Albany for the northern frontier, and an
other near St Louis for the western and for the ma
Rhine frontier of the Gulf Of Mexico he thinks 1t
important to establish depot for armed sea steam
vessels, somewhere below the Falls of the Ohio
| With what hope these suggestions made we may
imagine, when we find the Secretary at the same time
| speaking, IN tone Of utter despair, Of his having
repeatedly recommended without effect, the establish
ment OF a national foundry"
Mr. Poinsett seems quite in cal nest when he speaks
of the neglected military deiences Of the country Of
the state of these deiences the western border and
against the Indians we may Judge by what have
said already Nothing IL, yet, complete or hardly
approaching completion in the deences for the long
line Of boundary between the United States and the
/ British PROVINCES. And for maritime frontier,
the whole coast says the Secretary "fiom Passama-
quoddy Bay to the Sabine river, is exposed every
| point not defended by Nature to he invaded with nl-
punity" Indeed In the event Of a sudden rupture
with foreign power, he may strike fatal blow al
any point he pleases; he may lay cities undor
contribution reduce them to ashes and pollute
soil with the foot Of hostile solery and yet the Adj
ministration OF the last four years which in all that
time has failed to complete the defcnces Of single
point the whole coast relires, huggng itself
in its with all selfcomp acency, and declar
ing that it has accomplished all the purposes for which
| this Government instituted,
There is another not unmporant interest, that has
Jared worse at the hands Of this Administration
than the national defences. mean the harbor and
| river improvements They belong to commerce, the
regulation of which appertains to this Government,
and out Of which 1t has its principal revenue and sup
port The Administration cannot shelter itself here
behind constitutional scruples majority of its
friends in this House, suppose, have such
pies. And yet, for two years, every movement to-
hasa h.
prosecuted half way, perhaps, to their completion
has been promptly met and voted down-nay, frowned
| and traInped down. About three millions Of dollars
asked by the Engineers for these works the pre-
sent year-the whole of for works partly executed
and not one dollar or will be obtained In my
poor opinion, until these works finished nobody
can say, with truth, that the Government has
plshed all The purposes the most important of
| the purposes for which it was instituted
There is one other interest which must not omit
| to advert to in this connexicn That Administration
in this country which does take Of the Navy
takes care OF nothing. If il be guilty Of neglect in
this quarter il Is guilty indeed and deserves credit
for any thing. This sim ifcommitted, should be deemed
objectionable. And what has this Administration
done for the Navy rather what has il not neglected
to do would not say word to wound the cstirna-
bic gentleman at the head Of the Navy Department
apprehend it is not altogether his fault if the Navy
has run down and that the whole service is in most
wretched condition suppose there can be doubt
| The Navy Commissioners estimate that, for long
appropriations ioT repairs, &C, oI Vessels
have not been equal the actual loss and decay while
| the increase has been very moderate. 1t will be
seen that instead Of any reform or Improvement in
this matter less than ever proposed to be done the
| present year.
Ii seems that the task Of making estimates for the
naval service devolycs on the Navy Commissioners
but at the same time they not at liberty to say how
much that service really requires. specific and re-
stricted sum is given them and they are to work out
the problem with that; Just SO much canvass is fur
nished, with which they required to dress up n
line.of battle ship in full suit of sails though there
may not be really enough for sloop Of war. OH
GERS and men must be paid stores must be provided,
and navy yards kept in order that takes much !;
and then 50 aeh i @ Certain Sum is I'm nds e.
be order preserve value in vessels and stores
equal to the original Of the existing force already
ahoat And now, MIR, Chairman, what do you sup
pose remains Of the restricted sum to which the Com
mlssloncrs limited i1r the increase of the Navy
| in 1871 Just one hundred thousand doildrs-"mucll
less, say the Commissioners, " than the average
nual appropriations for this purpose for tho last TWEEN
ty- five years" The Commissioners deem it indispen-
sable To complete two steamers in progress, and to
commence IA third; to complete also the frgatc Con-
gress and build another frigate replace the Guer
ricrc; and, for all this they limited by iron
will above them, TO the sum of one hundred thousand
dollars and this Is called accomplishing all the pur
poses for which this Government was instituted
i Ii cannot surprise any body, after what we have
now seen, TO find the Secretary Of the Treasury in
strucng the resilient TO ask for another laurel to be
added to the brow of this Administration for its inan
cia achievements While every demand on the Go
vcrnment has been promptly met and all its purposes
accomplished, how will the world he astonishcd to
learn that all this has been done a time "when the
ordinary revenues OF the Government generally
decrcasingl' "A pretty plain intimation read il
that the Administration has had nothing bf ordinary
revenues with which TO accomplish much. The
Secretary is explicit this point. 1T follows there
fure, he concludes that the current revenue not
withsan,inn all reductions has been adequate to de-
/ hnth the ordinary and pNraordInary demands,
4 &c How very just and true il is that the Admins
raton has met all demands the Treasury, and has
accomplished all the purposes for which the Govern
ment was Instituted, we have seen already; and just
about the fact is the assumption that for all the
expenditures il has relied altogether current
nue. II is true within just about 81 600 900 as nearly
as can ascertain. The Secretary conesses, indeed
| 10 eight millions received from the Bank OF the United
States but this he says went to pay of old funded
debta debt we were ofcn assured was paid of in
General Jacksons time. And he remembers too, that
there Treasury notes outstanding but these are
hardly worth considering because they are sure tn be
paid Oh IN 1911 ont OF current We shall
| about that directly.
No sir the simple truth is that in four years, this
Administration in supporting itself and carrying on
two warx--one n handful OF Indians IN Florida,
and another on the currency credit and business of
the country--witb very little done TO build up and
sustain the public deenccs any of our great nation
nj intcrests-has expended thirty three millions Of
dollars and about all current revenues. Here rs
/ the brief but significant account
The report of the Secretary Of the Treasury To Con-
gress al the September session of 1887 shows that
there was Of available means in the Treasury (in-
GLIDING sums then ON depose with the States) on
the Isl January, 1887 4i2, ,S59
/ There had been received subsequently
toihat date, fiom banks, Ne, ami found
available l,G70,l37
|
i "A, 1896
Deposted with the States 2s00O000
Leaving in the Treasury, say l6,0oo,ooo
| The re has been received from the Bank