Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1842-04-11
VOL. SO, NO. 3O.-WHOLE NO. 1851.

fact of not referring the subject to the Committee
OF Ways and Means was proof Of it, They
had referred 20 this Committee a subject which
made it necessary for the Committee to make in
quiries to obtain informaon--if they undertook
TO discriminate, to depart from the plain horizontal
line of q tariff, that they should be able to justify
themselves before this House. There had been
no delay. First the House took one whole month
to consider to which Committee they would refer
H. They bad asked this House to give them tho
means OF obtaining information, and after delay
OF Two or three weeks this request was refused.
What were they then to do |? Communications
came pouring in persons who supposed their
whole living was at stake were coming TO this city
tor the purpose Of giving this Information and il
was hardly necessary to remark that no informa.
ton could be valuable except 1t were details. IL
that resolution had been passed, the COMMITTEES
would have been able to have reported bill
month ago. They would Immediately have sum-
moned in some fifteen twenty persons repre-
seDting the great commercial and manu- featuring
interests of the country. On every important in-
terest all the necessary information could have
been Obtained, and the Committee might have
ported II bill to this House long before this There
were vast interests on which no communication
had been received; one of which, as an example,
was on The manufacture of leather and of leather
into shoes.
| But this was not all. The Committee had again
asked this House whether they would render any
facility TO them. This Committee asked for a clerk
TO do the drudgery-to digest the information re-
celved, SC. That was voted down. Some days
ago, in consequence Of the saie of the Treasury,
they again asked for the services of clerk, not
to exceed one month 1t was laid on the table,
and had so long laid there, he would not thank
The House TO take it up. They must go through
as they might.
The Committee had been ndustriously engage
ed. They had made great progress in their inves-
legations, and in all probability they would report
lin ali h.,
how long, but he should be disappointed if "a bill
was not reported in The course Of next week. Il
was hardly necessary Tor him to say that he was
not disposed 10 mlngle in party Debates but
he could not sit patiently in this Committee and
hear honorable members make bold assertions,
which he deemed to be groundess, without en-
tering his protest agains, them. The gentleman
from South Carolina had said he should not sup
press the scorn he felt for the mbecy of those
who had the management of our public affairs;
aud he followed it by this question: "Who was
responsible for the present prostratlon OF the pub
lie credit" The present majority, he would tell
the gentleman, was not responsible for it at ALL
That gentleman and his political friends were res
ponsible for the present situation of the country
as to its credit He did not use language so strong
as had been used, when he said 1t was owing to
their mprovident prohigate administration We
all knew that, when they came into power, Sl7,-
900 were laid up OH hand, besides other funds;
and il only necessary refer to the report OF
the late Secretary of the Treasury, which had
never been controversial TO show that during the
four years Of the late Administration it expended,
beyond the ordinary revenue $3l 100000 and over
nearly $S,000,000 per annum.
The gentleman from South Carolina had said
the great difficulty is, are living beyond our
J means. Did he know that the late administration
lived beyond their means at SS,000,000 per annum
for four years? And did they not know, while
they were increasing the expenditures constantly,
n tn InHro
SANITY? Here then, the cause of the em-
barrassnents of this country. Every one knew
that by the operation of The Compromise Act, the
revenue of this Government diminishing at
least more than one million per year; and that,
during the administration of Van Buren,, it had
decreased ten millions from what would have been
! received il the tariff net of 1882 had been conn-
? ued Was there ever such financial Administra-
lion in the world? They made no provision at all
for The revenue OF Government, except from day
10 day, living fl ON hand to mouth beginning at
the extra session of 1897 with Treasury notes, and
! running The Government in debt from that day 10
| this. Aud now, because they were endeavoring
! TO save the Government from the disgrace of not
! paying its debts by loan, they were accused OF
running the Government into debt. Was II not
5 perfectly known that this reduction was going on
under the Compromise Act? Then was the time
to have taken up the subject; but they discovered
10 disposition TO look into these things; and, when
his friend at his side (alr. Winthrop had moved
1 resolution to effect an inquiry OH all these inter-
! esls, who opposed il? Did the gentleman from
South Carolina vote Tor that resolutions? No. IL
was put down. II it had been adopted, they might
have had, at the opening OF the session, iniorma
lion which would have been Invaluable, and which
5 would have relieved the Committee on Manuac-
> lures from great labor.
/ He could not stand here and hear it said over
and over again that the land bill was the cause OF
b, all the difficulties They had $4,000 scattered
over The land offices, which, but for the act OF the
last session, would have come into the Treasury,
and ergo the want of credit and difficulties Tina,
was not the case al all.
He should regret extremely, if the authority pro.
posed by this amendment were given, If 1t should
be found necessary pay more than six per cen l.
But, should it become necessary, he thought the
a mater for reproach would be much less in doing
], lust what an individual would do 10 pay his debts
and for one he should be willing TO take his share
e OF The responsibility, rather than have II proclaim
+ ed TO Europe and TO the world that the Govern
ment OF the United States could not meet It's lla