Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-12-01
POLITICAL.
E,rea Dir Glni,c.l

/
Mr. b.. C!A LAY, STEPS AT TIE EXTRA SESSION, TO UP
SET Si TIE GoMPEoMIsE ACT, AND RE ESTABLISH THE
| In our last notice OF Mr. Clays at.mpt. 10 revive
his American stem, a, the Extra Session. we pointed
10 the creation of National Debt as the pivot of his
whole movement. Mr. Ewing was n most willing IN
stument ms Secretary of the Treasury, in he hands
OF Mr. Clay, as Chairman of the Committee on F..
nance, for this purpose. Mr. Ewing attempted TO make
large Debt IN his report, as legacy from the previous
admin STATION, by charging the fourth instrument OF
nine N lions, proposed /, be deposited by Congress
with the States, us part of the surplus in the Net ora
lFeaaury But the Banks failed, and there
Plus and o! course, fourth deposte with the st les
TO increase their iad.JednesS 10 the General Govern
ment nine millions in addition 10 the twentyeghl
III lions they now owe; and because this ne III lions
more II the States debt 10 the National Governme nj
was not added, Mr.. Ewing set it down, in his report
rs nine million dett, due from the General Govern
ment TO the States. So also, about nine millions col
ect@d from the Bank of the United States due to the
Government as 4 Stakeholder, charged n debt
due by The Treaiury-a debt due to the nation as a
otockh"lder we suppose About seven millions more,
etrenched and saved in the shape of unexpecttd ap
preparations, included BY Mr.. Ewing in his state
ment MS part OF a debt due from the Government
MI Woodbury. and MIR. Wrigh. shifted III pretend
ed national debt made up OF such ridiculous pretences;
and al last the Treasury was peed, upon spec-
nc CALI 10 report The whole outstanding debt the
ira SESSION, incurred during Mr. Van Buren's admins
ira'''n to be Sc C07,3Gl 81. This report proved the
gross error OF Mr. Ewngs statement the extra ses
SION. But MIR. Wright, in commenting on it, showed
that THIS last report itself defective He showed
That hs reported debt of So ,36l 81 "should be
diminished by The amount Of treasury notes which
received in payment of public dues from the Ist of ia
nuary TO The I'd of March, lS4l5oth days inclusive
being period of sixty-two days. Mr. w could not
withhold the expression Of his surprise and rcc,e tst
the amount of this deduction had not been ascerained
and made in the document Itself
AS however, that had not been done, Mr. w had
sought information upon this point from The highest
source next TO The record evidence the possession of
the department upon which the call had been made;
ana lie iet authorised to say from the evidence thus
obtained, that the amour; of Treasury notes issued nm
der MIR. Wan Burens administration, and so, in fact
redeemed, between the lst Of January and Sd of March
1871, was not less than million; thus reducing the
debt contracted under that administration and unpoid
at lis close, from the above gwen of So COZ 36l
%, to So607, 36l o4." (See App. Cong Globe, 2nd
Sess 9th Cong p. 1919
The debt incurred and left unpaid, then, by Mr. "
Enens administration after exact scrutiny and call
made on the Treasury at the regular session succeed
ing the extra one, found to be- in round numbers
rec mpi"nS and half-and this remnant of debt had
oeen created against It by distributing (under preteuce
OF deposing) !centy-eigM miions among the Statcs!i
This little balance, which, after years research by
The present administration, discovered 10 exist
against hir Van Buren, administrations would ha We
been exiingnshed by reductions in the mex, year,
winch alr Woodbury. presented in detail 10 the Sc
nate. We copy that portion Of his reply to Mr. Claws
exhIb OF the addt debt which he Mr. Claw pro.
posed 10 provide for, inevitably be incurred in the
first year Of the new administration MIR. Woodbury. |
said
"But as the general data showing the proper amount
d our current expenses next year. may need ust.a-
on, and as the chairman has invited specifications of
tens IN which reductions be made from the pre-
ent twenty-eght or thirty millions contemplated un
lis m y dr,;r, 49,
myself on the lndugcn of The Senat, few nome nts
II Ic,o, ,ury "n'y -~S-- --'r~.--,
$40 only twenty three and half; and, in lell
should have been, and would have been, but for this
extraordinary session, not over twenty millions They
we're intended to be reduced in lo42, to only eighteen
Millions in progress steadily TO that result and
he items for reduction can now be readily designated
Thus in public bindings the appropriations may be
less than the expenditures in 1910 and ISL, by at
least S250,00O
sThe Treasury building and the Patent or
fee the new Custom-h house al New York,
the branch minis, and the lighthouses,
are virtually all finished.
tNext, the Cherokee treaty, at first over
FIVE millions, and then increased one to
two millinus more will be all fulfilled;
and the Treasury relieved yea:ly by that
aud other treaties complied with, at
least 100000
s1'he Florida war, if not closed, will require
less expenditure by quite lOO0,O00
THE pensions, by death, inevitable and
more rapid among the aged, as more &C
vanced in life, will fall Oft 5OO,0o0
'The contingent expenses Of Congress, in
Guiding public printing, can be properly
reduced, from 1910, and former years 100000
'We ourselves and should fearess!y
march up this imperative duty.
'The drawbacks Of various kinds need cor
reciion, so to draw from the revenues
less by at least 2oo,ooo
The re mission of The duty on railroad iron
has taken over half million yearly
from the treasury, and if stopped, as is
proposed, would stop drain hereafter of
quite 29V,ooo
fMr Buchanan here observed, that the
dra back only the last year exceeded half
million
"Well, sir we may then safely calculate,
even under some ndul ,ence TO the unhn-
ished railroads in the South, that the gain will
be quarter of million, much, If not
more than have computed
"Nexi; the reduced sales of the public lands
will lesson the ) per cent. to some, as we'll
as the 3 per cent. to other Suites, to be
paid over, by at least o"o"o
"The aggregate of only these reductions is S33oOooo