Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1853-12-22
s22,425.447 of receipts above expendi

s22,425.447 Of receipts above expendi.
This TACT 6f increasing surplus in The
treasury became the subject Of anxious
consideration at a sery early period of
my atmiuis,rauon, and the path of duty
in regard nit seemed sip me obvious and
clear, VIZ: FIRST. TO apply tie surplus
revenue To- the discharge of The poblic
debt. SD Tar as il could judiciousIy be
done; and secondly. To devise means for
the gradual reduction of the revenue TO
the standard If the public exigenciess
OF these onjrcls. the first has been in
The course of ascompIishmeni.in meas
ure. ansla,6a dagtse highly satisfactory.
The an.auht: of Siltd public deb, OF all
classes siIfhe 4.b. of March. 1853. was
s69. 100, ,37 pa,.pen,s on acc"un, Of
wh,cii aye bern sihce that period 10 the
ameun, of si2,2O3. .329. lea wing unpaid,
and In the coniinuons course af liqui,ia-
tion, the sum of s56.3sG.709. These
pay ments, although made at the marke.
price of the respective class of stocks.
have been perfected readily. and To the
gen. raj advantage Of the treasury. and
have at The same time. proved of signal
uliiiiynln the relief they have incidental.
ly atf"rded To The money market, and to
the industrial and commercial pursuits of
the country. '#
The second Of the above mentioned
objects, that of the reduction Of the iaritf.
- OF great importance. and The plaE sug-
yrstsd by the Secretary of The Treasury,
which is. 10 reduce the duties on certain
articles, aud To add to the free list many
articles now taxed. and especially such
articles as enter into manufactures. and
are not largely or a, all produced iu the
county. is commended to your candid
and careful consideration.
You will find in the report Of the Sec
re,arv of the Treasury, also. abunian,
proof Of the entire adequacy or The pres.
ent fiscal system to meet all the require
mems Of rrublic service and that. lie
administered, noperates tuihe advantage
of The community in ordinary business
rela,i"ns. s
respectfully ask your attention to
sundry suggrslions "f improvement in
the settlement nf accounts. especially as
regards The large sums of outstanding
arrears due To the Government. and 9th.
e. reforms in the administrative action Of
his department, which arc indicated BY
the Secretary; as also to The progress
made in The construction of marine hos
piials, custom houses, the mint in Cali.
farnia. and an assay oihce in The city of
New York, heretofnre provided for by
Congress; and also 10 The eminen,ly sue
c-ssful progress of the coast survey and
of The light house board.
Among the objects demanding your
attention, will be iound impor,an, recon-
mendaiions. from The Secretaries of War
aud Of the Navy. am fully satisfied
that the Navy Of the United States is no,
in condition of strength and efficiency
commensurate with the magnitude tf
our commercial and other interests. aud
commend TO Your special attention the
suggestions on this subject, made by the
Secretary. "
| respectfully submit. iha, the army.
whirh. under our sys'em, must always
be regarded with the hight s, in,srss, AS a
nucleus around which The volunteer
forces 1T the nation gather in The hour
Of danger. requires augmentation. or
modification, ,o adapt il To The present
-xiended limits aud frontier. relations of
The country. aud the condition of the In
dian tribes in The Interior of the continent.
The necessity Of which will appear in The
communications of The Secretaries of
War and The Interior.
In The administration at the Post OF
fee Department, for The fiscal year end
Iag June 30'h. 1853. the g..ss expend
lures were S7.9s2 756. aud the gross
receipts during The same period $4,000,
934. showing ,ha, The current re, enue
filled To NEE, the curren, expenses of the
Dtparime., by the sum nf $2.042.O32.
The causes which. under The present
postal system aud laws, led inevitably to
this rrsul,. are fully explained by The
Iep0r, of the Postmaster General-one
great cause hing the enormous rates
which The Department, has been cnmprll-
I'D To pay for mail service, rendered by
railroad companies.
The txhihi,s in the Report Of the Of
the Posi Master General. Of The income
and expenditures bv mail steamers. will
be found peculiarly interesting. aud IL a
charac,es toden,and the immediate action
of Congress.
Numerous and 1agrant frauds upon
the Pension Bureau have been brought
To lieh, within the las. ear, and in some
instances merin d punishment, indicted:
but. unfortunately, in others guilty par
lies have escaped. mn, through the wan,
of sufficient evidence to warrant cnnvic,
uon, bu, IN consequence Of The provis
ions of Limitation ia ihe existing laws.
From the nature of these claims, aud
The rem1ieness of The tribunal Ia pass up
ON ,ht m, and the mode in which The
pro"fis, uf neressi,y. furnished. ienp,a.
uons 10 crime have bren greatly s,lmu.
lated by the ob,ious difficulties Of de
lec,lUn. The effects of The law upon
the suhjec. are so apparent and so fatal
lo ,he ends of justice, that your early