Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1846-12-18

oshers.
When foreign as wall hs home merle; is
opened 10 ihsm, they must receive, o. lheJ are
no" .rsceiving, increased prices, for their wheat,
-four, rice, Indian corn, beef, pork, lard, butter,
eheese, and oihsr articles which they produce.
The home morket alone IS inodsquaie 70 enable
them 10 dispose of,he immense surplus OF food
and other articles which they are capable Of pro-
ducing, even ai the most reduced prices, for the
manifest reason thar they cannot be consumed in
the country. Tho United States can. from their
immense surplus supply, not only the demand,
but the deficiencies Of food required By tho whole
world.
That the reduced production oc some Of the
chief articles Of food in Great Britain, and other
paris Of Europe, may have contributed to In.
crease the demand for our breadstufj and prov.
sons, is hot dUubied but that the great and eff.
eient cause otlhs increased demand and Of in.
creased prices, consists in the removal Of ariih-
cial restrictions heretofore imposed, is deemed TO
be equally ceusin. That our exports Of food,
already increased and increasing beyond former
example, under the more liberal policy which has
been adopted, will be sill vastly enlarged, un.
less they be checked or prevented by resiora.
lon OF the protective policy, cannot be doubted.
That our commercial and navigating Interests
will be enlarged in corresponding ratio with tho
increase Of our trade is equally certain; while
our manufacturing Interests will still be the ia.
vored interests Of the country, aud receive the
incidental protection afforded Them by revenue
dutles; and more than this they cannot Justly de.
mand.
! In my annual message Of December last, q IA.
riit ofrevenue duties based upon the principles
| oil the existing law was recommended, and
have seen no reason 10 change the opinions then
expressed. In view Of the probable beneficial
effects Of that law, / recommended that the
policy established by it be maintained. It has
just commenced to operate; and 10 abandon or
modify it without giving il fair trial, would be
Iinexpedient and uuwse. Should defects in any
OF its details be ascenained by actual experience
10 exist, these may be hereafter corrected: but
unit such defects shall become manifest, the act
should be fairly tested.
1t submitted for your consideration whether
1t may not be proper, as a war measure, TO i'm.
pose revenue duties on some Of the articles now
embraced in the free list. Should it be deemed
proper 10 impose such duties, with a view 10
raise revenue 10 meet the expenses Of the war
with Mexico, or 10 avoid TO thaLextent the crea.
ton Of public debt, they may be repealed when
the emergency which gave rise 10 them shall
cease to exist, and constitute no part ofthe per.
manent policy flhe country.
The act Of the sixth Of August last. "to pro.
vide for the better organization of the Treasury,
and for the collection, safe-keeping, transfer, and
disbursement of the public revenue" has been
carried into execution as rapidly as the delay
necessarily arising out of the appointment OF
new officers, taking and approving their bonds,
and preparing and securing proper places for the
safe-keePing Of the public money, would permit
1t is not proposed to depart in any respect from
the principles or policy on which this great mea.
sure is founded. There are, however, defects in
the details Of the measure, developed by the
practical operation, which are fully set forth in
the report of the Secretary of the Treasury, to
which the attention ofCongress is invited. These
defects would impair TO some extent the success.
lul operation Of the law at all times, but are es.
pecially embarrassing when the country is en-.
gagged in war; when the expenditures are great.
ly increased, when loans are 10 be effected, and
The disbursements are 10 be made at points MANY
hundred miles distant, in some cases from anv
depository, and large portion of them in a for.
elgn country. The notifications suggested in
the report of the Secretary Of the Treasury are
recommended TO your favorable consideration.
In connection with this subject | invite your
attention to The importance Of establishing a
branch ofthe mint Of the United States at New
York. Two-thirds of the revenue derived from
customs being collected at that point, the de.
mand Of specie to pay the duties will be large;
and branch mint, where foreign coin and bull
lion could be Immediately converted into Ameri.
can coin, would greatly facilitate the transaction
of public business, enlarge the circulation ofgold
and silver, and be, at the same time, safe depo.
STORY oC,he public money.
The importance of graduating and reducing
the price of such ofthe public lands as have been
long offered in the market, at the minimum rate
authorized by existing laws, and remain unsold,
induces me again to remommend the subject 10
your favorable consideration. Many millions of
acres of these lands have been offered in the
market for more than thirty years; and being of
an inferior quality, they must remain unsaleable
for an indefinite period, unless the price at which
they may be purchased shall be reduced. To
place price upon them above their real value
is not only TO prevent their sale, and thereby de.
Prive the Treasury Of any income from that
source, butt unjust to the States in which they
lie, because it tretards their growth and increase
of population, and because they have no power
to levy tax upon them as upon other lands
within their limits, held by other proprietors than
the United States, for the support oftheir local
governments.
The beneficial effects Of the graduation princ-
pie have been realized by some ofthe States own
ing the lands within their limits, in which it has
been adopted. They have been demonstrated
also by the United States acting as the trustees
of the Chckasaw tribe of Indians in the sale Of
their lands lying within the States of Mississippi
and Alabama. The Chckasaw lands, which
would not command in the market the minimum
price established by the laws of the U. States
for the sale of their lands, were, in pursuance to
the treaty of 1884 with that tribe, subsequently of.
fered for sale at graduated and radnced rates for