The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1842-04-01

| certalned and estimated ut the
| Treasury Department, were G,3o6 1914 SO
Thus, ,hcn,w have, as nearly as they can be
| vet asccraned, the expenses Of the Government,
properly so called for the first two years of the
present Administration the first at little more
than twenty six and one third millions, and the
second at little more than ihenty-fe aud two
| third millions; while the same expenses of the last
two years of the Administration of Mr. Van Buren,
wcre for 1889 little less than twenty five and
half millions, and for 1910 fraction more than
twenty-five and one-third millions ofdollars' Nor
will it do 10 say that the expenses of lS4l were
graduated by the legislation which had taken place
| before the present Administration came into pow
or, as was the fact with the first year of Mr. Van
Buren, term; because the extra session of Congress
| in tine summer 1.-THE year 1911 must have increas
ed the expenses Of that year, by direct appropria-
tons, to an amount not very different from four
| millions.
| Compare, then, the state of the county, and the
state of the Treasury, at the two periods, and see
how the questions OF economy and extravaganza
VIII stand between the two Administrations. Mr.
Van Buren, came into power upon the food tide of
an excessive retcnue and his whole term was char
acter2ed by reduction and retrenchment, both as
| To appropriations and expenditures as his been
abnndan,ly shown from official documents resting
upon the authority of the highest fiscal officers of
this Administration The present party in power
came in upon the lowest ebb oG that tide. under n
sinking revenue, an impoverished Treasury, rapid
~ diminishing appropriations, greatly depressed
expenses, and a state of impaired public and pri-
vae credit, and what has been the policy In
creased expenses. new and addilinna taxes, and
| forced loans. AT the former PERIOD the greatest
evil upon the country was the redundancy of the
| public revenues, and II was great indeed, so great
| that i, was deranging and uEscttng every thing
connected with the monetary affairs of the coun-
Try; so great that it was the anxiety Mr. w might
almost say the ambition, of all TO get rid Of it in
any way which should rot be positively mschev-
ous, Hence appropriations were cheerfully voted,
! which, under other circumstances, wond have
! lOund little support, and whole classes Of private
claims were recognized and temporarily establish
cd, without very rgld scrutiny into the principles
invOved,or the equities presented, Ask the men,
hers Of the committees Of this body, those who
have had occasion to examine claims Of the vari-
Gus classes, what weight they will give to prece-
dents of allowances to be found upon our statute
book during those years Of surplus revcnue' And
yet, after we had voted all the appropriations we
could find an apology for voting, all the approprin-
| tons we dared TO vote, more than tWGniy-eght
mii'ions of the money in the Treasury was given
! away 10 the States, under the precious name Of
"a dcpose," because Congress could not sum
mon ingenuity enough TO expcnd the revenue MS fast
Us it accrued and the accumulation reused to action
! the appetite for distribution to the States. At the
second period, every circumstance which should
have controlled and limited expenditure, was re-
versed, and, strange to say, the policy adopted has
been reversed also; and while reduction and de-
preston OF expenditure characterized the councils
. =. II. 1. ~ 4 4
| extension Is the passion under the latter
The resolution under consideration declares, in
substance, that governments should be conducted
within their means, in times of peace. The rule
i sound one, and how are these two Admnisra-
tons likely TO compare, in reference TO the obser-
vance of this snuiary limit! How stands the nd
nllnlsralon of MIR Van Buren,, upon trial by this
rule, and how is the present likely TO stand, so
lnr as past and present acts and policy furnish
standard of judgment for the future Upon this
point, again, Mr. W. could speak by the book
An o,lCiul document from the present Secretary Of
the Treasury, transmitted in answer to u call made
by the senate during its present Session, states the
amount of public Indebtedness, at two specific pc
RODS, the Sd o(Narch' 1911, the day on which The
administration OF Nlr Van Buren, terminated and
the 23d Of December last, precisely nine months
and twenty days after the presen! Administration
came into power.
The amount Of the public debt on the third of
March, lS+l, as given in the document referred 10,
was Ss,319,059 81
OF this amount the following items
compose Il part, and, as vii! DO
seen from their character, should
be deducted, 10 ascertain the
amount of debt contracted for tho
support Of the Government du-
ring the administration Of Mr..
Van Burcn, viz:
" Debt Of the corporate cities ofihe
District Of Columbia, assumed BY
the unred States Sl,4IO,O00 90
"rhe funded debt
principal s53,l7i33
interest i3,l06 sc
- 2S6,2so7i
Theunfind-
| ed debt:
! Registered
certificates s25,622i4
DO Treasury
notes issued
during the
lite war i,i75oo
Do Misss-
sippi certih-
Gates 4,32O09
- IS, 4s7 50