Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1842-03-26

ADMINISTRATOR succeeding an unascertaIned un
lIqnidated debt, inducing a temporary necessity
on that Administration 10 have resort 10 the
same means Of supply.
do not advert 10 these facts with any purpose
Of elimination or recrImInatIon. For We have
reached that state of the public affairs when the
country hes bleeding at every pore, aud when, as
[ earnestly hope md trust, wa shall, by common
consent, dispense with our party preiudices, and
agree to look al any measure proposed for the pub.
lie relief as patriots and statesmen. say, then,
that during the four wears Of the administrators
OF Mr.. Van Buren,, there was an excess OF eXpen~
dI,ure over the income Of the Government
to the amount Of between seven and eight mil
lions Of dollars; aud say that II was the duty
of that Administrator, the moment they found
this deficit to exist IN the revenue, TO have resorted
TO the adequate remedy by laying the requisite
amount of taxes on the free articles to meet and
to supply the deficiency.
! shall say nothing more on the first resolution,
because do hope that, whatever the previous
practice of this Government may have been, there
Is no Senator tere who will hesitate to concur in
the truth Of the general propositions 1T contains.
The next three resolutions all relate 10 the same
general subjects-suhjec,s which consider much
the most inportan, of any here Sc; forth; and |
shall, for that reason, consider them together.
The second resolution asserts-
'That such AN adequate revenue canno, be obtained by
duties or foreign imports without adopting a higher rate
than twenty per cent. as provided for in the compromise
u - WHICH. IL IN lltn6 Oh 10 pdScdSt, was supposed anu
assumed as a rate that would supply a sufficient revenue
for an economical administration Of the Government.o
The third resolution concludes
"That the rate of duties on foreign imports ough, to be
duee a net revenue OF "en'Y-siH millions OF dollars
twenty-five for the ordinary expenses Of ~Gevcmment, two
for the payment Of the existing debt, and TWO millions asa
reserved fund for coat3asen:ius1'
The fourth resolution asserts
"ihat, in the adjustment of n tariff to raise an amount
of t"en'y-six millions OF revenue, the principles of the
compromise act generally should be adhered to; and that
especially a maximum rate Of ad sa!orem duties should be
established, from which there ought to be as littlc departure
as possible
The first question which these resolutions sug-
gest is this: What would be the amour, Of The
annual expenditures Of tins Government? Now,
on this point, | shall 20, attempt, what is iiBpos-
sIble, 10 be exact and precise IN stating what that
may be. We can only make an approximation.
No man, IN his private affairs, can say, or preteuds
10 say, at the beginning Of the year, precisely
What shall b .hc amount of his expenses dnrtr5
the year: that must depend on many unforeseen
contingencies, which canuot with any precision
be calculated betorehand: all that can be done IS
to mako an approximation to what ought 10 be or
what may DO the amount. Before | consider that
question, allow mo to correct, here, m assertion
made first hv The Senator from South Carolina,
(Mr. CALHoUN.) aud subsequently by the Senator
tfcm Missouri near ne. Oar. LINN and believe
bv one or two other gentlenen, VIZ: that the
Wing party, when out OF power, asserted that. ii
trusted with the helm, they would administer this
Goyerumeni At an amount Of expenditure not ex-
ceedInC Sl3, OO0, 900. | hope, IT such an a>ser-
ton was actually made by either or all Of these
gentIenIen, that 1t will never be repeated again
without resortIng to proof 10 sustain It. | know
of no such position ever taken by the Wing par
ty, or by any prominent member OF the Wing par
ty. Sure | am that the party generally pledged
itself to no such reduction of the public expenses
-nuue.
And | again say that | trust, before such IN as
sertlon Is repea;ed, the proofs Will be added. For
III thus case, as in others. that which Is asserted
and reiterated comes at last to be believed. The
Wing party did promise economy and rotrench-
ment, and trust will perform their promise. ]
deny I'm no offensive sensc) that the Wing party
ever promised to reduce The expenditures Of this
Government to thirteen millions of dollars. No;
but this was what they said: during the four years
of the Administration of Mr.. Adams the average
amount of the public expenditure was but lhlr-
teen millions, and you charged that Administra-
with outrageous extravagance, and came
yourselves into power on promises to reduce the
annual expenditure; bu, having obtained power.
instead of reducing the public expenses. you car
rIed them up 10 the astonishing amount Of near
forty millions. Bot, while the Wings never as
serted tina, they would administer the Govern.
mcnt with thirteen millions. our opponents, our re-
specied opponents. after having been three wears
in power, instead Of bringing the expenses below
the standard Of Mr.. Adams administration, de-
ciared that fifteen millions was the amount at
the expenditures should be fixed. This
tho ground taken by Mr.. McLaue, when he
al the head o. the Treasury. | have his re-
port before NE; bat as the fact. | presume, will
not be denied, | forbeaf to read from it. He sug-
gests, as the tit amount Ia DO raised by the tariff
he had proposed, The sum Of fifteen millions OF dol.
as sufficient TO meet the wants of the Gov
sEnment.
! hope now | have s~hownthat the Wing party,
before they obtained power. never were pledged
to bring down the public expenses either to ihir.
cen or TO fifteen mIlllors. They were pledged,
i admit, to retrench unnecessary expenditures,
and 10 make a reasonable deduction wheneveri il
could properly be made consistently with the pub
hc service; that process. as | understand, is now
going on in both Houses, and trust The fruits