The Democratic pioneer. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1845-1853, 1848-07-21

service. The number of general officers ma
be reduced, as vacancies occur by the casual
ties of the service, to what it was before th
war.
Willie tie people Of other countries
who live under forms of government les
free than Of our own, have been for age
oppressed by taxation TO support larg
standing armies in periods of peace, on
experience has shown that such establish
ments are unp necessary 10 republic. On
standing army is to be found in the bo
som Of society. II 10 composed Of fre,
citizens, who are ever ready to take NJ
arms in the service Of their country, wher
an emergency requires it. Our expert
ence in the war just closed, fully confirm
the opinion, that such an army may be
raised upon few weeks notice, and thai
our citizen soldiers are equal to any troop
in the world, No reason, therefore, i,
perceived, why we should enlarge our land
forces, and thereby subject the treasury
TO an annual increased demand
Sound policy requires that we should
avoid the creation Of large standing ar
my in period ofpeace. No public ex'g
ency requires it, Such armies are no.
only expensive and unn necessary, but ma,
become dangerous to liberty.
Besides making the necessary legisla
tive provisions for the execution of The
treaty, and The establishment of terrific
rial governments in the ceded country
We have, upon the restoration of peace
other important duties to perform. Among
these, regard none as more importsu
than the adoption of proper measures f,r
the speedy extinguishment of the nation
al debt. II is against sound policy am
the genius Of our institutions, that a pub
lie debt should be permitted to exist dal
longer than the means of the treasury will
enable the government to pay il off.
We should adhere to the wise polio,
laid down by President Washington,
avoiding the accumulation Of debt, MT
only by stunning occasions of expense
but by vigorous exertions in time of peao,
TO discharge the debts which unavod abl, |
wars have occassioned, not ungenerousl |
upon poslerity the burdens W,
ought TO bear
At the commencement ofthe prPsen
nd the public ebt amounted
to Sl7,78S,799 62. In consequt nee of the
war with Mexico, il has been Decessarll
and now amounts to $65,77S
450 Al, including the stock and treasury
notes which may yet be issued under III,
act ofJanuary 2S, lSl7, and the slxteeI
million loan recently negotiated unde
The act OF March 81, l649.
In addition TO the amount of the deb,
the treaty s,ipulates that twenty million
Df dollars shall be paid TO Mexico in -four
equal annual installments of Ave mi.
lions each; the first Of which will fall due
On the 3Oth of May, lS49. The treaty a..
o stipulates that the United States, shal
assume and pay TO our own citizens rLe
claims already liquidated and decide
gainst the Mexican republic,' and 'aIl
laims not heretofore decided against The
leXican government, to an amount no
xceeding three and one quarter millions
dollars The 'lIquidated' claims o
tizens ofthe United States against Mex a,
20, as decided by the joint board of com.
issloners under the convention betwe eel
e United States aud Mexico. of the l1ll
April, 1889 amounted to So 026, 1872 6s
his sum was payable in twenty equa
installments. Three Of then
we been paid to the claimants by th,
exican government, and tive by th, ~
nited States; leaving to be paid of tb,
noipal of the liquidated amoant assum
by the United States the sum Of Sl
9,904, 76, together with the interes
ereon. These several amounts Of lilo v
dated and unliqudated claims assumed
the United States, it is believed, ma,
paid as they fall due out of the accru.
: revenue, without the issue ofstock OF !,
0 creation Of any additional public d debt. !.
| cannot too strongly recommend to
'ngress the importance of Outstanding
our national resources, Of limiting The
blic expenditures to necessary objects "
ofapply ing all the surplus al any time
the treasury to the redemption Of the
,t. recommend that authority be pa
ted in the Executive by law to antici mi
Q the period of endorsement of sucl tnl
tion ofthe debt as may not be now re TIN
'mable, and to purchase il at par, or al IN
premium which ii may command in moi
market, in all cases in which that au da'
rity has not already been granted. A poi
'mium has been obtained by the gov
'ment on much the larger portion OF Oh
loans, and il, when the government tin
.omes a purchaser Of its own stock, ii cit
II command premium in the market, tul
viii be sound policy to pay it, rather he