Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-01-19

i Mr. DICKINSON win the Senator permit me to Offer
an amendment.
! Mr.. DAVIS. Certainly ....
Mr. DICKINSON desire to move to strike the whole
of the resolution and to insert the following in lieu thereof
Resoped By the Senate and House of Representatives Of the
United States Of 3ner4ca Congress assembled That until
18th section of the OF Sd March, lsl9 be suspended Pro-
ded nevertheless that in the time the expenses Of col
per expended for said purpose during the ocal
ending the 3oh june lss together with such sumo in
addition be paid ao the Treasury for drayage, cart
age, labor and storage
Mr.. DAVIS. The amendment to great extent would
remove the objections felt the resolution when intro
duced supendag and therefore probably oyerhrowng the
policy OF limiting and making specific the appropriation for the
expense OF collecting the II is anomaly in our
Government that the expenditures for the collection of
have been heretofore unchecked by any appropa
lion of Congress, while all the other expenditures of Govern
ment have been specially limited 1t is also that
has been impossible, from the reports estimates and state
Of the Treasury Department. understand what amount
OF the money originally paid by importers into the custom
had been detained by the orders Of the Secretary OF the
Treasury without appropriation law therefor and d
verted the payment Of employees 1t is somewhat strange
that this practice should have been allowed continue long
unchecked and unchanged by any Administrations and il
anly greatly the credit Of the last Secretary of the
Treasury, that he the first head of that Department who
asked Congress to take from him the expend
money without law. .'".. "....
BY the constitution is declared that money shall be
drawn from the Treasury without specific appropriations by
law therefor and yet here annually large amounts from
mel into the Treasury, and applied the payment of the
officers under his immediate CONTROL This great evil was
not first suggested in March, ls4s; and nay friend from
Maryland (Mr PEARcE) to suggest, only carried out
in March, S49 to operate incoming Admnlstra
1t suggested in the first report of the last Secreta
ry of the Treasury, (Mr. Walker,) and followed up from
year year in his reports until that of the year which clos
sd his SERVICE and then for the first time reference to it
omitted The Senator, he will recolect the political
pexlon OF the last Congress- will perceive that this measure
could not have been introduced embaass the incoming Ad
minsraton that It was not for political purposes.
would prefer, instead Of suspending thu provision for
specific allowance increase the appropriation whatever
limit fair estimate might find necessary; although in this
connexion it proper for say do consider that
has yet been made showing any such increase
be necessary The Of 81, $50, 900 not adopted
hastily, the limit of the appropriation, my friend from
Maryland (Mr. PEARaE) seems to suppose. In ls46 an
estimate called for from the Department of the total
expended in the collection Of the revenue Accord
ing TO the report in reply appears that for the fiscal year
ending 30h june lS46 the total expenses Of collecting the
from customs amounted to zoos, ,0439l. The
year Mr. Secretary Walker, in two letters to the Com
mtee of Ways and Means Of the House of Representatives
recommended the adoption of just such law as this The
first letter written the 18th March, si6, in which
he says: "...., ..." .<.
In my letter of the esd of February last you the state
made that the expense of collecting the could
be reduced below the expenditure of the last fiscal
year. To ensure this result respectfully recommend that
clause be inserted the tariff limiting the expenses of
collecting the under that bill to not exceeding
Sl,52ooOO
"The expended in collecting the almost
exclusively within the discretion the Secretary OF the Treas
ury The payments frequently made merely upon his
ORDER without the intervention OF those checks apper
tanning the liquidation of other accounts and the payments
regulated by specific by law
other In opinion the incident the col
lection Of the should be regulated by specific appro
% @ e. oer to the
This great reform only be introduced by the ega-
on Congress but II you think proper to require the
operation OF this Department il will be cheerully granted
The other letter was written by Mr. Walker the 25th
of May, s46 and TO it appended section for bill
into which might be introduced, limiting the dis
burd in payment of the of collecting the revenue
tor the ending 3Oth OF june lS47 and any other hsca
year succeeding the of ST. $4,000 The section is
as follows:
s'Tha the be disbursed in payment of the
incidental to the collection of the shall not
ceed the whole for the fiscal ending the 5oh OF June
ls+ or for fiscal year succeeding the of
and that the Secretary OF the Treasury shall have full
to diminish branch of said expenditures as to
bring the aggregate within the Limitation above men
toned and that hereafter the whole amount OF the pub
lie by whomsoever received collected shall be paid
into the Treasury and all incident to the collection
oe exceeding the amount above stated shall be
paid out of the Treasury not otherwise appro
prated thereof shall be rendered the
proper accounting officers OF the Treasury Tor adjustment by
them"
In his report Mr. Walker forth that various reduc
had been made in the expenses ofcoecng the revenue
which caused saving to the Treasury to the amount of some
$500 0O0 and upon that estimate and statement OF the
OF the previous year this Of 100000 was fixed
upon the appropriation. But this not the whole
amount appropriated for the collection OF the the
ceips for storage, drayage &C. amounting s25ooo0,
became by the law OF March, s49 part OF the specific fund
for the collection of the revenue, making total Of
1910 000 And this is about equal to the originally
ported expended s46, for then the charges of storage,
dayage and labor paid of the fund.- and repaid
the balancing the other Therefore, that is 20 be
deducted from the amount expended that year, nus bringing
yr TO about the sum r-ovided BY the net Of March, ls4a
doubt renchment then the policy, and the Secretary
had every to dese that further reductions should,
possible be aided those which then made bu do
expect that any Secretary will be ready dismiss his own
employees unless required do by law making specific
appropriations 1t is hardly be expected that any man, on
coming into office, and finding employees in bis depart
ment, portion of his household, will commence
by the practice Of that rigid economy which must throw many
of them out OF Office and shear him Of large part OF his in
fuence and power.
This system of specific appropriations however, will come
aid of any proper desire the Secretary entertain to d
minh the expenses of collecting the 1t proper
support by Congress to such laudabe effort.
The Senator from Maryland (Mr PEARcE) to sup
pose that certain charges heretofore paid out of the Treasury
part of the expense of collecting the
be thrown the importers. | think this is not the
Heretofore understand the law, the Government employ
ed stoehouses aymen and aborers for oil of which service
the Government originally paid but the amount refunded
when the goods taken out of the warehouse Now by
the proviso Of the of s49 the Government still pays out
of the general fund for this dayage labor and storage but
when the goods taken of the warehouse the
which the Government has originally paid repaid by the
importer together with the duties and the )un OF charges
thus repaid goes specific fund to support the collection of
the This believe has always beer the with
the exception that now goes the specific fund.-
whereas formerly it went to the general fund Ihls un
derstand to be the whole difference ...
CHI he To the