Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1848-05-12


huie remarkable thai the Secretary assumes
that his pledge has interposed an insuperable
har agalnSt distribution. while. at the same time,
be uucrly disregards il 10 all Other respects
Tad u mol been for this notice Of il by the Se-
crciary, he should have presumed that both he
end the President had inadvertently recon.
mended a policy subyersiye Of the express in.
functions Of the law. No matter if al the re-
suits could be realized which the President and
Secretary seem to imagine would follow from
reduction Of the price Of the public lands, sill
net dollar of their proceeds could Be lawfully
used 10 aid Of the loan now under consideration
nor in aid Of the other expenses Of the Govern.
ment. any further than SO much Of the moneys
from the sales Of lands as viii pay the accruing
interest on the twenty three million loan would.
10 THAI extent, diminish the current expenses Of
the Government. The interest on the part of
that loan now drawing aud on the
whole Of il for next wear, will amount TO Two
and haIfmiIlions for this year and next. In
addition to that, eighteen hundred thousand dol
lars have been received prior to the first Of Jan
ury, which is under pledge; making, together.
four millions three hundred thousand dollars as
the whole amount that can be used this year
aud next from the sales Of the lands in aid Of the
general charges On The Treasury, let the sales
amount to what they may; while the estimated
receipts for the Two years are six and half mil
lions, making, therefore un oyer-eslimate, in
any event, Of more than Two millions from this
branch Of The public revenue. But. if he had
time TO do IL, he thought he could demonstrate.
10 The satisfaction ufthe House, that il was hard.
Iy possible 10 prevem the Mexican bounty land
warrants from absorbing, for several years to
come, nearly all the proceeds of the sales, as
little else vii. be paid for lands while they are
outstanding aud remain al their present reduc-
ed price, being in the market worth but lulo
more Than half the Government price Of the
/ The quantity Of land which they will buy.
Here Mr.. CoIIamer, The Chairman Of the
Committee on the Public Lands, suggested to
Mr., Ninton that he had ascerlained, on inquiry
at the Department, thai Mexican land warrants
had already issued to the amount of one mil.
lion six hundred thousand acres.
Mr., v, in continuation, said he was aware of
The fact suggested to him by the intelligent
/ chairman Of The Committee on Public Lands:
and, also, that other warrants are being issued
as fast as they could be made. They would,
public land, and thus oycrslock the market bey-
ord any legitimate and wholesome demand for
land for actual use and cultivation. If this
unfortunate result should be realized, then near.
ly the whole amount of the Secretary's esti.
mate for the lands would have to be deducted
from the means Of the Treasury, and the in
tercst Of even The twcnly-lhree million loan
provided for otherwise. And here he would
dismiss the subject Of the estimates OF the Sc
cretaly Of the Treasury, and beSow some at
tenllon on those Of the Secretary of War,
which are much wider of the mark.
He had already shown that, in the estimates
presented last year for the expenses of the then
current year, between the oyer-eslimules and
underestimate of The Two Secretaries, the Trea.
sury was worse off at the end of the year than
they had calculated by more than nine millions
oG dollars; and thai, in his estimates for the nov
currocl year, the Secretary Of the Treasury
bad evidently fallen again into the same error;
and shat, in forming an opinion as 70 the ex.
tent OF the wants Of the Government for this
year over the loan now asked for, we must add
to it the amount Of the Secreary's over.es
mate of receipts for the year, amounting, n all
probability, to at least five or more millions of
dollars, which would bring tho loan wanted
from sixteen up to twenly-one millions. ToI
this must be added whatever may be the under
estimates Of the Secretary Of War. AT the last
session of Congress, when the regular estI-
mates were presented for the present fiscal year,
which commenced on the l5t of July, l847,
the whole expenditures for the year, in all
branches Of the public service, were estimated
at $40, ,784.5l. We have gone through
one month over half Of the year, aud the esli-
mates already sent in for the year amount to
%62,783 G60.07, composed Of the following
llcms; Estimated expenditures loF the current
year, as sci down in the report of the Secretary
of The Treasury for the current year, the sum
Of %586l5,6 $50; between The 9Th Of December,
the dag of thai report, and the date Of the act.
ing Secrelary's Ieuer to Congress olthe 18Th off
January, inwhich he inlormnd the House that
the loan could be reduced to twelve millions,
the Secretary had sent into the Committee of
Ways aud Means further estimates 10 the u
mount Of So ,808, 900, and on the Sd instant the
Secretary of War sent INTO the Committee of
Ways and Means a further estimate for u def. |
cheney in the Quurlermastcr's Department of
1890 900; making altogether the beioremen
toned sum hi S62,7G3,66OO1, as The estimated
expenditures Of the year which began on the
frs of July last, instead of the sum Of S45,- |
7BI ,784.5l, as originally estimated at the be-
ginning oIthe last session olCongress. OGths
last sum the Secretary of War estimated for the
army proper, volunteers and ordnance depart
mcnt the sum of $23,978, ,629.25, while the !
estimated deficiencies sent in at the present ses-
sion by tho Secretary of War, for the army pro-
per, volunteers and ordnance, amount to the ad-
diHona sum ofSlq 1893, ,430,74 If we bear in
mind that tie mere excess over the estimates
for this branch Of the public service, for a sin
gle year, is equal to the whole annual expense
Except the payments made on account of The
public debD Of the entire Government under
the administration of the younger Adams, we
may we'll be startled at this disclosure Of what is |
now going on. But it is sad by way of ex
cuso for this, that a larger force has been called
into the service than was anticipated when the