The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1843-02-18
THE STATE OF THE COUNTRY

Ii would be Impossible Tor US 10 lake note o
all the misrepresentation which abound IN The
Globe, or 10 hunt il from one falsehood to an
osher. We should as soon think OF passing our
time ia catching Aeas. But when il takes the
same fabrication as a daily text We cannot omit
the opportunity Of showing the kind Of tactics
10 which il is now reduced.
In commenting upon the late message of the
President, il says:
"a message on the 18th day Of February recon-
mending taxes as if the whole session--the whole
OF q three months session-would not have been
quisite far the imposition Of taxes The recOmmen-
daon too late and too vague stand for anything
except for the deplorablc admission that the stop
page of payment by the Government is staring us in
The Presidents message is accompanied by re-
port from the Secretary Of the Treasury, in which
tan upon tea and coffee is recommended Alas
what Can tea and coffee do in such extremity
for tho patient has arrived at point when even
"bwrAt brandy' might fail TO save him! The same
report shows that the expenditure is enormously in
creasing, while the income is alarmngly diminishing.
Tho naval service, IS now seem to be about eight
millions Of dollars the army (ncludng pensions
and lndians) above nine millions tho expenditures
in the civil department must exceed FIVE millions
and shen come interest loans, interest Treasury
notes, and twelve millions of Treasury notes them
selves. Tea and coffee will not do for all this; and
loans and Treasury notes will yet present their ugly
heads fa
The revenue continues to diminish. Mr.. McDuf-
IL road an abstract from the New York custom
house. In which twas shown that the at that
port had gone down from one million and quarter
to quarter Of a million month; and showed that,
al That rate, the customs produce but three or
iour millions during the year l843 Under such cir
cumstances, what can tea and coffee do On the
contrary universal revision Of the tariff is necessary
to render il productive!
And why was not this told to the country and to
Congress in the opening message' So far from this
being done, the head OF the Treasury has continued
up 70 tins moment to deceive the public as TO the
state Of the finances and, according to Mr. Wise, to
build up reports on sandy foundations"
Neither the President nor the Secretary of the
Treasury could have told Congress, at the COM
mencement Of the session, what has happened
since. The proper committee in Congress has al
ways had daily access 10 every information in the
possession Of the Treasury-loa all its actual data;
and las to Interpretations, or suggestions, Meth
er committee nor Congress have she wn much dis
position TO respect any coming from the Admin
istraiion. They have complained of too much
advice and dicla,ion.
The President, in his annual message, ear
nestly invoked the attention of Congress to the
tariff, $50 hastily and hurriedIy passed" No
one supposed that his Recommendations would
havean weight. A Congress which passed
such Tarif-soiely, and even avowedly, for
the purpose OF embarrassing the Admins,ra-
''on-was not likely TO be very prompt in revis
ing II fvs the sake of the country The Presi-
dent however, did his duty in taking the EARL
est opportunity 10 call their attention 10 it.
Nor did the Secretary Of the Treasury, at
the opening of the present session, altogether
neglec, his duty, as will appear by the follow
ing extract from his annual report to Con-
gress.
FtJcrngn fade Of The country has continued 10 de.
et'n, sHd iaYo' taoas hare been comparatively small
nnos the passage Of the act How far this state Of
things may have been Influenced by the existing sys-
ten OF duties il Is impossible to determine The
Amsilncss Of the importatons may be we'll account
ed for by the embarrassed condition of the country
and IT. extremely limited means of purchase. The
amount Of foreign commodities in our markets !.
still found greatly TO exceed the demand and the
fA! in the prices Of merchandise since the LIST Sep
TENDER y supposed 70 be, on an average, not les.
than ten per cent This fact will be found verified in q
letter from the collector at New York amer ed here
to, to which reference Is respectfully made and il
deemed conclusive 10 show that the decline in the
lmPortstoOs snce the LIST September cannot ustl,
be referred 10 system OF duties and that the Ell
fect OF the exnling tariff rem .ins to be determined
by further and more satisfactory experience.
IM importance Of adequate provision or can
mo- too vsn or Too strongly urged upon the attention
Co~Sre" The resources Of the country are abun
dans internal taxation, either direct or Indirect
has not oil late years been found necessary and it i
sulI believed that a system Of custom house duties
may be made sufficiently comprehensive to yield al
income commensurate with all the wants of the coun
try.
There are various articles of import. several O
them OF very large and universal consumption. a
present untaxed, subject TO duties extremely low
and some Of which (without, perhaps, in any consi
dersoie degree, lessening the amount Of their con
sumPt'on) might bear imPoss yielding an aggregat,
addition TO the revenue accruing under the existni
laws, Of not less than $1,000, 600 These offer them
selves Tor selection and it rests with the wisdom O
Congress to make that selection or adopt apy otbc
mode Of securing the receipt Of such an amount o
revenue as shall be sufficient to meet the sxpense
Of an economical administration Of the Government
and ahord the means Of sustaining measures peccssa
ry for the defence Of the country and the mante
nance Of the public credit
The causes which have produced still
greater decrease Of revenue than was anticipat
ed, are such as, in the present unparalele,
state Of the country, il would be impossible I,
assign with eSactness The universal belle
that such Tariff, passed for such purposes
could not be permanent, was one. An,
another is unquesiionably the state of the cur
r.ncy, to which the President called the attep
lion Of Congress as one of the most powerfr
causes Of the embarrassments Of the Treasur,
pointing out at the same time remedy which
while i, relieved the People, would add not onl
indirectly, but directly and largely 10 the rt
sources Of the Government.
The Globe exults, as usual, at the distresse
Of the country and Government, which, it we
knows, that the Admin ,tration of Mr.. Tyle
had no hand in producing. II ridicules the ide