The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1842-04-07
I NUMBER rs.

the free articles, according 10 the provisions
Of the compromise act, What was The resor.
Of the Administration? To Treasury notes.
And the same expedient of Treasury notes
was ever since adopted. from year to year,
to supply The deficiency accruing. And, Of
necessity, this policy cast upon the Admin.
isiration succeeding an unascertaiDed uni.
quida,ed debt, inducing O temporary neces.
sliy On that Administration TO have resort
to the same means Of supply.
do not advert TO these facts with any:
purpose Of elimination or recrimiuation.---
Far from il For we have reached that
state Of the public affairs when the country
lies bleeding a, every pore, and Hhen, as
earnestly hope and trust, we shall, by com.
mon consent, dispense with our purity pre-.
JUDGES, and agree TO look OF any meascro
proposed for the public relief as patriots and
statesmen. | say, then, that during the
four years Of the administration Of Mr.. Van
Buren,, there was az excess Of expenditure
over the income of the G0vernmen, 10 the
amount Of between seven aud eight millions
Of dollars; and say lha. it was the duty
of that Administration, the moment they
/ found this deficit TO exist iu the revenue, 10
have resorted to the adequate remedy by
laying the requisite amount OF taxes on the
/ free articles TO meet and 10 supply the de.
! fciency.
/ | shall say nothing more on the first re.
solution, because | do hope that, whatever
the previous practice of this government
may have been, there is no Senator here
who will hesitate TO concur in the truth OF
the general propositions i, contains.
The next three resolutions all relate 10
the same general subjecis-suhjects which
| consider much the most important Of any
here set forth; and / shall, for that reason,
consider them together.
! The second resolution asserts
"That such an adequate revenue canno.
be obtained by duties on foreign imports
without adopting higher rate than twenty
per cent, as provided for in the camprom.
Use act, which, at the time of its passage,
was supposed and assumed as rate that
would supply sufficient revenue for an
economical administration of the Govern.
ment."
Tho third resolution concludes
"That the rate of duties Oh foreign i'm.
ports ought TO be augmented beyond the
rate Of twenty per cent. SO as to produce
nett revenue Of twenly.six millions Of dol.
lars--iwenty.two for the ordinary expenses
Of government, two for the payment Of the
existing debt, aud two millions as reserved
fund for contingencies.
The fourth resolution asserts
"Tha,, in the adjustment of a tariff TO
raise the amount of twenty six millions of
revenue, the principles of the compromise
oct generally should be adhered TO and that
especially minimum rate of ad valorem
duties should be esis bllsbed, from which
there ought TO be as little departure as pcs.
sible."
4 The first question which these resolutions
suggest is this: What would be the amount
of the annual expenditures of this govern.
meni2 Now, on this point, | shall not at.
tempt, what is impossible, to 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 pretend TO
say, ut the beginning of the year, precise.
ly what shall be the amount Of his expenses
curing the year that must depend on ma.
ny unforeseen contingencies, which cannot
with any precision be calculated beforehand:
all that can be done is TO make an approx.
mation TO what ought 10 be or what may be
the amount. Before consider that CUES.
ton, allow me TO correct, here, an assertion
made first BY the Senator from South Caro-.
lima, (Mr. Calhoun,) and subsequently by
the Senator from Missouri near me (Mr.
Linn and believe BY one or two other
gentlemen, viz: that the Wing party, when
out OF power, asserted that, if trusted with
the helm, they would administer this gov.
ernment at an amount of expenditure not
exceeding $l3,O0O,000. | hope, if such
an assertion was actually made by either or
all these gentlemen, tina. il will never be re.
peaied again without resorting to proof TO
sustain it. know Of no such position ever
taken by the Wing party, or by any prom.
inent member OF the Wing party. Sure
am that the party generally pledged itself
to no such reduction Of the public expenses
-pone.
And again say that trust, before such
al assertion is repeated, the proofs will be
adduced. For in this case, as in others,
that which is asserted and reiterated comes
a, las, to be believed. The Wing party
did promise economy and re,renchment,
and trust will perform their promise.
deny lin no offensive sense) that the Wing
party ever promised to reduce the expendi.
lures Of thus Government to thirteen mil.
lions Of dollars. No; hut this was what
they said during the four years OF the Adj
miutstration of AIR, Adams the average a.
mount of the public expenditure was but
thirteen millions, and you charged that Ad.
ministraiion with outrageous extravaganza,
and came yourselves into power on promis.
es to reduce the annual expenditure but,
having obtained power, instead of reducing
the public expenses, you carried them up
to the astonishing amount of near forty mil.
Enns put while the w hios meyer assert.