The Somerset herald and farmers' and mechanics' register. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 183?-1852, 1846-08-11

/ ITlC0QS Ol an exclusive iueldliC CuTTeHCy /,
and passing bill which forbade any 9TH
er currency TO be received or paid by the
Government. They had, in the face OF
their own measures and their own prin-
ciples, authorized the issue of paper
currency. They had erected Treasury
bank in the face of their own Subtreasury
bill, the consequence of which was that
the Treasury would not get dollar in
bullion, but would only get back IFS own
Treasury notes.
But, worse than that, gentlemen would
not get sufficient revenue TO meet the or
binary expenses of Government. What
were those ordinary expenses, and what
were their amount!
Mr.. S, called the attention of the chair
man of the Committee of WAYS and
Means TO the fact, and he should like TO
hear his explanation of it. The esti-
mates made by the Secretary of the Trea-
sury, before there was word said about
war or the prospect of war-estimates
rendered in time Of profound peace to
meet the ordinary expenses of the Gov
ernment-had been more by six millions
and half than the expenditures of the
preceding year. Ii gentlemen doubted it,
he would refer them the Secretary's re-
port. He wished the chairman to ex-
I plain how it was that the peace estimates
for this year exceeded by more than six
millions the peace expenditures of the last
I year; and besides this, we had a bill ap-
propriating a million and half to make
good deficient appropriations. Add this
million and half 10 the six millions and
half he had just mentioned and would
make eight millions, by which amount
our peace expenditure, for the present
year surpassed those of the last. There
stood the fact in the Secretary's own re-
port, and Mr.. S. challenged the chairman
ofthe Committee of Ways and Means, or
any friend of the Secretary or Of the Ad-
ministration, to deny it. Was this war
brought about to conceal these enormous
and unprecedented expenditures in a
time of peace, exceeding by six or seven
millions the expenditures of the preceding
years! The war would smother up all
this extravaganza, and conceal it from the
public view. All wasteful expenditures
would now be attributed to the war; The
war would be blanket wide enough to
cover all up.
But Mr.. S. would leave this point. and
refer to suggestion made this morning
by the gentleman from Missouri, Mr.
Bowlin, who had introduced an amend
ment for deducting the pay of Members
for GbSeHfeeism. Mr.. S. concurred in
the justice and propriety of that amend
ment, and he believed that this word ob-
sen 'eeiSm was new word in the debates
Of Congress.
Mr.. S. had seen it this morning en-
ployed for the first time, in the columns
of the Union, and he thanked the editor
for the word. The government organ
said that 0bsenteeism was the root of all
evil. The government editor had given
out that there would be no reply made by
| the Wing friends of the tariff of 1912,
| but that, as the new free trade tariff SEN
ators were not going to make any reply,
he, the learned editor, would do it for
them He had accordingly commenced,
and the very first word he employed was
/ this word of G5senteeism; and a most
powerful argument he had made upon it,
An able Senator from Massachusetts Mr..
! Davis had attributed the destitute condi-
ton of the British colonies to the fact of
having free trade with England; but the
sapient editor corrected that the low con-
diuon ofthe colonies was owing, not to
| free trade, but to ''abSenteeism' "a most
excellent word-"thank, thee jew" FOR
that; that they employed others to manu-
facture every thing for them; and that was
the true reason why they were so greatly
depressed. Now, Mr. S. would ask,
what was the policy of this Adminstra-
ton! Was it any thing else but "absen-
teeism,' from beginning to endl Was it
not regular system Of absenteeism?--
Let that policy be carried out, and all the
tradesInen and mechanics who worked
for the people Of this country would be
absentees; they would not reside in this
country; they would reside all abroad;
dllNs hitdt w dc ifOb OlliN OuI Ulc-
chanics and tradesmen, but our farmers
too were 10 be absentees. The agricultu-
raj products we consumed were to be rails
ed in England. We were to have absen-
tee mechanics, absentee farmers, absentee
laborers. He thanked Mr.. Richie for
this excellent word, it was one Of the
most admirable exponents of the policy
of this Administration which he could
have hit upon. The worst of the matter
was, that the poor man knew nothing of
the subject he was writing about, and the
natural consequence was that he display
ed his ignorance. At this step, while en-
deavoring to avoid one difficulty, he only
fell into another; and, like the prosecuted
fish, jumped out of the frying pan into the
fire.
I n.,f ,i, 1oo~roI II. Ii