The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-01-15

limitation, but was willing to extend as II seemed
| 10 be required He would extend the time Tor Its
commencement TO the beginning of the next fiscal
year.
Mr.. HUNTER had in committee agreed that the
joint resolution should be reported and had felt inn
pelled by the urgent suggestions of the Secretary OF
the Treasury to vote for the suspension OF the pro-
| vso of the act of March, l649. Since then he had
examined the estimates of the Secretary and other
statistics in relation to the expenses OF collecting
revenue, and thought that the whole system was
30 wrong that there was an earnest demand Tor
reform, and of large reduction OF useless ex Penses
He blamed one for all this. He charged nothing
upon the present any other Secretary of the Trea
sury, but there such striking abuses III the sys-
tenn that he felt called upon to do every thing IN his
| power TO bring about reform He had examined
the expenses of collecting the revenue from GUS
toms for several years back and found that IN lo2o
the expense Of collecting the customs was between
four and hive per cent. Now 1t was between SIX ana
seven per cent, and he believed from the estimates
presented, the expenses for the next year would be
between eight and nine per cent. The present ex-
penses OF collecting the revenue were estimated at
i S2,70O0O0; last year 81 900. He thought from
this examination there must be great abuses
somewhere He charged them upon no one. They
had grown up with the system
! From looking at estimates he found that the ex-
| penses of maintaining the revenue cutters we're
enormous The expenses of the revenue cutter SER
vice during last year amounted to $33 600, and
one year they reached the sum Of 5000 The
| Secretary of the Treasury has informed them that
there we're officers enough in that service to supply
twenty four revenue cutters. They had been re-
! duced to sixteen. These revenue cutters were an
altogether useless expense TO the government, and
he saw no reason why they should not be abolished.
| So far as he was informed there never had been
case of smuggling discovered by them The only
advantage they were to the collectors OF the reve
nue. was, that they small armed force, ready
when called upon by the collectors, 10 stop vessels
leaving the ports improperly. He had found that
the revenue cutters with sails were OF very little
use even for this; and the cutters propelled by
steam had all turned out to be complete failures
These latter ones were they which had caused the
great expense. lift that these cutters business
was to coast, and offer aid TO vessels wrecked,
disabled or to supply them with provisions, then
the whole number of twenty four entirely too
small, and of very little benefit. He thought,
in this one matter alone, large sum might safely
be economical.
| The Secretary of the Treasury, in his estimates,
says that over and above the sum received on ac-
count of the warehousing SYSTEM there is the sum
of 1874, 900 required to meet the expenses of that
system. There two classes of warehouses: one
is that where private individuals take goods store,
and which are ofn expense to the government. But
the public warehouses, rented by government for
the storage Of goods, and whereby the government
enters into competition with private indivdualsit
is by these that this large sum is lost to the govern
ment. Importers decline storing their goods in the
government warehouses, because they can obtain
no insurance ON them, and because they are too
large, and because goods liable to be lost in
them. The amount paid annually for these ware
houses, in the way OF rent Is 10000. He advised
that the government abandon this mode OF competi-
ton with private individuals, that the leases be
sold, and that the whole business be given up to
private individuals.
Another enormous expense attending the collec-
ton of the revenue, and one which had grown into
an abuse, was the great number of persons en-
poycd in the custom houses. In the city of New
York alone there were employed III the collection
of the revenue seven hundred and twenty three
persons, while he found that, including the other
ports of the Union, there were over fourteen hum
bred persons employed in the service. By a refer
ence TO the Blue Book, he discovered that, in all the
| Of WI all
the accounts Of the nation, and where all the BUSH
ness of the Government was transacted, there was
but six hundred and forty persons employed.
There was certainly great room for economy in the
number of persons employed in the custom houses,
. and why not cut them down? He thought the
Secretary of the Treasury right in what he had
done; he approved OF his course in cutting down
the revenue service. Let the Secretary go on, and
cut down other abuses in the system. He was not
DESTROYS to cramp the Secretary; he willing to
extend the limit by increasing it, say two hundred
thousand dollars. In the city Of New York there
were eighteen bargemen employed at six hundred
dollars year each-a sum more than twice the
amount paid TO a seaman. II any one would look
| over the expenses of collecting the revenue, and
examine the items, they would be astonished TO
how much is paid away that could be saved. He
thought it the duty of Congress act and not leave
the matter to the Secretary That officer, when
called upon to- reduce the number of'persons in the
public employ, would be constantly importuned
by those whom he was about to remove; but let
Congress act and he refer TO our Legislature
|
looking the estimates, he found that but a
small increase Of the revenue was estimated, while
a large increase in the expenses declared.
This required that Congress should act, and that
money limitation to these expenses should be fixed,
and then the Secretary of the Treasury be relieved
from all embarrassment in deciding between those
points in which he would be compelled 70 act in
reducing the sources OF expenditure.
| MIR. PEARCE said the Senator argued us IL he
was opposed TO a reduction of the expenses of col
Letting the revenue: On the contrary, he was re-
joiccd that the other side there existed awak-
ened vigilance on this subject. There was, as the
Senators have said, room for reduction. The Sec
rotary Of the Treasury already had reduced the ex-
penses Of the revenue cutters TO 5000, thereby
reducing that alone by nearly one half He had
also proposed to curtai the expenses Of the ware
housing SYSTEM and, perhaps, IL would not be very
wrong to curtail il altogether. But this reduction
should not be left TO the Secretary TO perform; il
was the duty of Congress 10 do IL. IL was for
Legislative action, and should have been attended to
long ago. By refusing TO suspend this proviso, the
Secretary Of the Treasury is forced TO do that which
Congress should have done. He is called upon to
discriminate between several acts of Congress au-
thorizing certain expenditures, and this which
limits them 10 n certain amount.
The Secretary of the Treasury estimates the ex-
penses Of collecting the revenue at $50 900; in
this is included 500 900 for the collection dis
tricts in California and Oregon, leaving 900
the expenses for the current year at the old ports
of the Union; leaving over one million TO be econo-
mixed by the Secretary. Now, is IL proper that the
Secretary should be required TO discriminate be-
tween the different branches of the service? II was
proper duty for Congress, and Congress only
The bill containing this limitation introduced
the session Of l54s, but acted upon till at the
heel of the last session. He did not design charg
ing that il was then passed with any view TO
barrass the incoming administration; but still II
was not 30 carefully considered as IL should have
been. II the bill had been passed when first intro
duced, there would have been time at the last SEES
sion TO have weighed the whole matter, and Con-
gross would have been prepared TO establish the
scale on which to base specific appropriation for
these expenses. He had no objection 70 limit the
suspension 10 the end Of the fiscal year, by that
time there would be plenty Of time 10 consider the
subject
Mr.. DICKINSON offered as a substitute for the
joint resolution the following:
Resolved by he Senate and House If Reprssenta-
tires Of The United States Of Amoica IN Congvess
senntied That until specific appropriations are
made by law, the proviso TO the fourth section Of
the act Of 81 March, ls49, be suspended; provided,
nevertheless, that in the time the expenses Of
| collecting the revenue from customs shall not ex-
coed such sum per annum as was expended for said
purpose during the fiscal year ending the 30th
June, ls4S, together with such sums in addition
be paid into the treasury for drayaRc, cart