The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-02-07

CoRREcTIoN.-Our reporter yesterday
enormously gave the name of Mr.. NOR
TON, instead of that of Mr.. RAYMOND, as
announcing the death of the late ALExAN-
DER NEWMAN, a member elect of the
House of Representatives
The People Robbed-,nd tn cir Government
Dishonored.
We understand from the most reliable
authority that the reduction ofthe force in
the custom-houses, below that adequate
to the collection Of the revenue, will
cause the loss of millions to the treasu-
ry. The merchant will not wait to have
his importations weighed and measured,
and marked and inspected, when there
are no officers to do the duty, and no officers
to enforce obedience to the laws. The
merchant will land his goods and compel
the custom-house 10 rely upon his in
voice; and public opinion will sustain him
in SO doing His importations are weighed
and measured, for the security of the Gov
eminent, not that of the merchant. If,
in the city Of New York, the weighers
and measures are reduced below the
number competent to perform in reasona-
bic time the duties imposed upon these of
fcers-if they are obliged to slight their
work, to hurry it, or leave it undone--who
suffers' The public, ofcourse, suffers The
burdens of the people are augmented
The people have not servants enough to
do their work; the people lose millions
that belong to them and ought to go into
the treasury; and the pretence for doing
this is to save few thousand dollars a
year by reducing the number of officers,
or cutting down salaries.
OF all the false pretences by which the
nation has been cheated in the last quar-
ter Of century, we think the most impu
dent is this operation of Locofocoism to
embarrass the Secretary Of the Treasury
in the collection of the revenue. What
should we think of a merchant who should
dismiss dozen clerks from his establish
ment who were absolutely required to keep
the accounts He saves few hundred
dollars in salaries, but his affairs get into
confusion, and he is bankrupt before he
suspects it.
Or, what should we think of farmer
who should dismiss one-half of the labor
ers necessary to get in his crop at the very
harvest time' He saves the wages of the
laborers, and loses half his crop.
And yet this is precisely the course of
the Locofocos, who withhold from the
Secretary of the Treasury the money ne
cessary to pay the officers engaged in the
collection and the protection of the reve-
nues. They in reality cause enormous
losses to the treasury, under the pretence
of seeking retrenchment. They know
that they cause these losses, they know
that the treasury suffers, the merchants
suffer, and the displaced officers suffer;
and yet the Bitter-Enders are Indifferent
TO public loss or private distress, provided
only that they can embarrass President
TAYLOR, or raise an outcry for any cause,
good or bad, against his administration.
For the first tin.e in our history the Gov
eminent has been disgraced by the failure
to pay IFS employees in the custcm-house,
when their wages fell due This has hap
pened, we learn from the papers, in our
principal custom-houses. The reason is
the want Of funds. The Locofoco majority
IN Congress neglects and refuses 10 make
the appropriations necessary TO pay the
wages Of their hired servants. The Gov
eminent receives $4,000, 900 a year
through the New York custom-house, and
suffers the humble officer and workman en-
ploycd there TO go home Of Saturday night
without the means TO buy bread for their
families; and for this state of things the
Locofoco majority in Congress-wbo with
hold from the Secretary Of the Treasury
the necessary means for defraying these
exPenses-are alone and altogether re-
sponsiblc.
President TAYLOR has called the attcn-
lion OF Congress to this important subject
by special message. And yet the fac
tious opposition in that body, who, we
venture TO say, take good care to pocket
their own per-diems, conspire to deprive
the custom.house officers Of their wages,
or TO compel the reduction Of their wages,
in the hope that they may thereby obstruct
President TAYLoR's administration Of the
Government.
We believe that the prudent, substan-
tial, honest and generous people Of the
United States, are not prepared to sustain
this factious combination to put down the
Executive Government which they them
selves have formed. II this state OF
things continues-if this policy is carried