Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-03-05

RESOLUTIONS aust read he considered OF great import
ance involving interests Of the highest characters ana
the system o! policy proposed IN tneh ay az ''e wv
tom Of all effort restore lie prosperity OF 'he cou
,ry He had not come the SeGa'c to-day 10 Gull e
flowers Of ora,ory fer the purpose Of regaiing The eyes
OF fair ladies' Neither his wish To revive ant
n,os,ies heretofore existing between political par'es.
Ills object was to speak on the SAD condition OF 'e
country, and To suggest some remedies.
Ii any person had come under the expectation OF
ha,-:, iron, INN on this occasion ambitious display
of oraorv or expecting him 10 deal III any other tropes
and frures than those of arithmetic, they would be
sadly disappointed J., .
ploughinan aiming 10 MAKE i su"'s"' iu'io"' "o
direct his attention.
raj not PRACTICAL and thai, II IN eaines Inc measures
nrnnosad u,h 10 have been brought at under dis
rns,on !; s.nnra,e bills But he argued that the practice
~ Tie British parlianent from which this country Dor
royyed ITS parliamentary usage, was 10 marx out inc
General prncipcs first III great leading measures oil
policy and then 10 carry them on, " speciai enact
) menis r
Apn,bor oh;.c,ion was that measure of revenue,
or oreven can originate any where
but in the House of Representatives.. lie however,
maintained tina, the Senate had right 10 CONTROL not
only the amount OF expenditures ana appropriations
SUGGESTED By the other House. but 10 carry out such
alterations or existing and such retrench-
ments as the public service might JUSTIFY.
He co,s;dered that no mode fit for discussing
eaI,as ~ that of taking them in detail and
in The order in which they have been submitted.
The frs, resolution based upon the principle that
is Tho duty of Congress to provide adequate revenue
to meet It's expenditures II has been SAID this is no.
thino new: il is mere trnlsm Certainly 1t IS; ont
has + beep carried OUT During MIR. Van Buren, $ Ad-
mnisraton instead Of resor,ing TO revenue what was
the expedien 10 meet expenditures: Treasury notes.
the effect of which has been TO cast upon succeeding
Administrations debt incurred by his administration.
There was an excess OF expenditures over income OF
-. - ~ Inll n
and it was the duty of that Administration, as soon as
That xcess became apparent 10 supply suhciency Of
revenue nv an increase OF tariff
The cy, three resolutions relate TO one subject, ana
he would therefore consider them together.
The first Qhe second in the seres,) assumes ihat an
odeouoe revenue cannot be obtained by duties on To-
reiyn imports without adopting higher rate than TWEEN
~ per cent provided in the compromise ac,; ana lhe
supposed sufficient tor an economical aah'hslfuo" VI
the Government
The second, (fhird in the seres assumes that the
rate on rIt 10 be augmented beyond twenty per cent
so as produce nett revenue OF twenty-sx millions
The third, Fourth in the series0 assumes 'hai '.e
PRINCIPLES the Compromise ac: should he adhered TO-
and maximum rate of ad valorcm duties should be es
tabshed.
The first question suggested by these resolutions was
what ought be the exact expenditure OF the Govern!
, ment: lie did not pretend 10 give precise answer
| IL depends on circumstances All that can he done
was make an approximation 10 what ought 10 oe The
4 expenditure.
il had been stated that the VIII party, when out o.
power, asserted they would, whan they came init
power reduce the expenditures 10 IN rteen millions nc
, denied that any such assertion had ever been made
and he challenged the proof that such pledge hat
: been given Ivy the Wing PARTY What they did say
was that during Mr. Adauss administration, the eS
. penditure OF his Government waf thirteen millions
and that the party succeeding Inn &-dged themselves
10 lessen the expenditures insleao t which, they car
ried them IN 10 unprecedcntf omount lie al
mi,,cd Mr. Mclean had suggested Fifteen millions os
reasonable expenditure OF the Government ont tht
Wing party never did pledge Themselves 10 come dowI
IN either thirteen or fifteen Millions but they dlc
pledge themselves 10 economic and etrench, ana Una
process gong on, rs would be proved by ihs
abors of the committees now sitting III Congress OF
the subject.
retrenchmcnt Than look back - past expenditures,
and ascertain from examinations in detail, what e,'s'
ipn charges the Government can he reduced
iie enumerated the annual expenditures oi MIR van
Euren's four wears of administration, and struck an
average oil thiry.ivc millions The rate proposed III
those resolutions but twenty Millions showing
a reduction of thirteen millons-eanal to the exPehai-
lures OF Mr. Adams administration. lie lnew that
various reasons ASST gncd for The ex.aodnary ex-
penditures Of Mr. Van Burens administration But nc
maintained that every administration cond make Such
pre,cxts-a administrations had their "extraordinary
occurrences and he denied that such could be any
, excuse But he insisted that, making all reasona-
bic allowances II wonid be found Mr.. Van Buren, ad
!, mintSlraunn eNDtHutu an sGA - - 1855
proposed ~ KS I.tseit resolutions.
Thirteen millions was the average expenditure o.
Mr. Adams administration. Adding hall MS term &c
the time snce It experimenting fifteen years-oi
opposing the end ofthreen years has been ionne
necessary to increase il 10 twenty-five iiohs, was
there anv thing extraordinary thn,: The army has
been doubled: eight ships OF The line have beer
added TO the navy: new States lave been added to the
Uniou-wlen these things, and the necessary progress
of the nation we're taken account II 10 be won
81, CHI m
two millions; Ii increase III proportion 10 ht
annual increase Of population. The increase OF the
population four per cent that Of the expenditure
; would not exceed that ratio.
The addition is about 100000 per year. No young
, Government ike this be charged with rash an'
ex,ravagan; expenditures il ia ratio Of increase III ex
pendi,ures does no, exceed this Postery, in anothe
: century, when population will be hundred mi
, lions, will have no reason TO complain
These resolutions not to preclude inrlher ant
future reductions when Investigations shall point GU
IRE sh sources of reform
In alusion TO the statements made by the Senate
. from South Carolina, IMr. Calhoun with regard t
the difficulties which he encountered when al the hea
of the War Department, in bringing about system o
rcGularty IN which took him four years 10 bring In
expenses al the army man to what ne did ne wou
ask was il kind Of the Senator 10 ,aun the WING part
with not having accomplished N one year, what tool
, him four years 10 accomplish:
:, Mr. CALHOUN corrected the Senator. lie had al
ways said it work Of time. All he asked OF tn
prescn, Administration was to begin-to show an ear
, nesiness in commencing the work OF reform
Mr. CLAY continued. The gentleman will be gra
tilted The reform began, and would he carried Out
He maintained in detail that the Wings had more thar
fulfilled their pledges aud that amidst dlscouragn!
circumstances Of the most unexpected and extfaoroI
nary kind f,be Senator required four years to brn
down the Department which he presided, IT wa
unreasonable To give the present party in power ont
. or two wears carry out their good Intentions
lie did not mean TO preclude further retrenchmen,
no man was more desirous than he 10 see this 90
vernuent administered with economy, and II the ex
pendues could be got down 10 fifteen or even 10 thlr
een Millions without prejudice to the public service
none would unite in that desirable OBJECT more cheer
: fully than he would.
Now, as to the twenty-five millions assumed in those
resolutions To be the necessary he wculd enume
rate the items which would make IN the aggregate.
Here Mr.. Clay stated in detail Tie items OF his es