Eaton Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1843-1856, 1854-12-14

w. four million three bundled and thir,y-six
thousand three hundred and eighty dollars
To The sum total Of the receipts Of that year
lis 10 be added a balance remaining in the
Treasury at the commencement thereof,
amounting TO twenty-one million nine hum
dted and lorty-two thousand eight hundred
sand nineiy-tvo dollars; aud at the close OF the
same wear, a corresponding balance, amount.
ing TO twenty million one hundred and thirty
seven thousand nine hundred and sixty seven
dollars OF receipts above expenditures, also
remained in the Treasury. Although, in the
opinion Of the Secretary Of the Treasury, the
receipts OF the current fiscal year are mol like
" 10 equal in amount those Of the last, yet
they will undoubtedly exceed the amout Of
expenditures by at least fifteen millions of
dollars. shall, therefore; continue TO d.
rect that The surplus revenue be applied, so
far as it can be judiciousIy and economically
done, to the reduction OF the public debt, the
amount OF which, at the commencen ent OF
the last fiscal year, was sixly-seven million
three hundred aud forty thousand and twen-
= ty-eight dollars; Of which there had been
{ paid on The twentieth day OF November, 1854
. the sum OF twenty-five million three hundred
and sixty-fve thousand and one hundred and
.seveuty.two dollars; leaving a balance of
, outstanding public debt Of only forty four mil
lion nine hundred and seventy-ive thousand
four hundred and fity-six dollars, redeemable
at different periods within fourteen years There
are also remnants Of other government stocks,
most of which are already due, and on which
the interest has ceased, but which have not
yet been presented for payment, amounting to
two hundred aud thrty-lhree thousand one
hundred and thirty nine dollars. This state
ment exhibits the fact, that The annual in.
come of the government greatly exceeds the
amount OF its public debt, which latter re-
mains unpaid, only because The time OF pay
sment has not yet matured, and il cannot be
discharged at OGoe, except al the option OF
public creditors, who prefer 10 retain the Sc
c~uritieS Of the United States; and the other
fact, net less striking, that the annual
revenue from ell sources exceeds, by many
millions OF dollars, the amount needed for a
, prudent and economical administration Of The
Government.
The estimates presented 10 Congress from
The different Executive Departments, at the
last session, amounted TO thirty-eight million
four hundred and six thousand FIVE hundred
and eighty. one dollars; and the appropriations
made 10 the sum Of fifty eight million one
hundred AMI sixteen thousand nine hundred
and 6fty-eight dollars. OF this excess of ap-
propriations over estimates, however, more
than twenty millions was applicable to extra
,ordinory objects, having no reference 10 the
usual annual expenditures. Among these OBJ
iects, was embraced ten million 10 meet the
third article Of the treaty between the United
States and Mexico; so that, ini fact, for OBJ
jects OF ord inary expenditure, the appropria-
lions were limited TO considerably less than
r--.. -:It:on ,f 1oIlare tharabu ranavu ~
recommendation for q reduction OF the duties
on imports. The report of The Secretary Of
the Treasury presents a series of tables, show
ing the operation Of the revenue system for
several successive years, and as the general
principle of reduction Of duties with a view
TO revenues and not protection may now be
regarded as the settled p~olicy::of the country, |
trust that little difficulty will be encountered
in setting the details of measure to that ef-
feet.
In connection with this subject, I recon-
, mend a change in the laws, which recent ex-
perienee has shown TO be essential to tn pro-
lection of the government. There is no ex-
.pressl provision Of law, requiring the records
and papers OF public character, Of the seve--
al officers of the government, 10 be left in
their offices for the use of their successor S, nor
a n provision declaring it felony on their part
to make false entries in their books, or return
false accounts. In The absence OF such ex-
press previs on by law, the outgoing officers, in
many instances, have claimed and exercised
the right to take into their own possession, i'm
.~,portant books and papers, on the ground that
these were their private property; and have
placed them beyond the reach Of the govern
atnent. Conduct of this character, brought IN
several instances 10 the notice Of the present
Secretary of the treasury, natur lily awakened
his suspicion, aad resulted i'll the disclosur re
that at four ports, namely at OSwego, Toledo,
.Sandusky, and Milwaukee, The treasury had,
by false entr ,es, been defrauded, within the
four years next preceding March, 1853, of the
sum Of one hundred and ninety eight thous-
..and.dollars. The great difficulty with which
the detection Of these fra nds has been at
tended, in consequence Of the abstraction of
books and papers by the r~etireing officers, and
the facility with which similar frauds in
the public service may be perPetrated renders
the necessity of new legal e%nactments, in the
respects above referred 10, quite obvious
For other material notifications OF the rev.
enre laws which seem TO me desirable, | refer
you 10 the reports of The Secretary OF the
Treasury. That report, and the tables which
accompany it, furnish ample proofs on the
solid foundation on which the financial secur-
ity OF the country rests, and OF the ~Salutary
influence of the Independent treasury system
upon and all monetary operations.
The experience Of the last year furnishes
additional reasons, l regret to say, of a pain.
full character; for the recommendation hereto
fore made, to provide for increasing the mill
tary force employed in the territory inhabited
by the Indians. The settlers on the frontier
have suffered much from the incursions Of pre-
,datory bands, and large parties OF ernigrants 10
our Pacific possessions have been masSacred
with IMMUNITY. The recurrence of such
scenes can only be prevented by teaching
these wild tribes the power OF, and their res
possibility TO the United States. From the
garriSons ofeur frontier posts, it is only posi-
BILE 10 detach troops in smell bodies; and
though these have on all occasions displayed
a gallantry, and a stern devotion TO duty,
which on a larger field would have command
ed universal admiration, they have usually
suffered severely in these conflicts with SUI
,perior numbers, and have sometimes been en-
tirely sacrificed. All the disposable force OF
the army is already employed on this service,
and is known to be wholly inadequate TO the
protection which should be afforded. The
= public mind of the country has been recently
shocked by savage Atrocities committed upon
d acknowledgements and border settlements,
and hardly less by the unnecessary destruction
of valuable lives, where inadequate detacl-