The Portsmouth inquirer. [volume] (Portsmouth, O. [Ohio]) 1849-1855, 1854-12-15


extending branch vf the public service shows
that the expenditufe OF thu year ending June
3Oth, 1854, ileluding one hundred and lthirty>
three Thousand four hundred and eighty three
dollars of balance dae TO foreign offices, amoun>
ted to eight nIillion seven hundred aud ten
thousand nine hundred aud seven dollafs---
The gross receipts during the same period
amounted to six million nine hundred and fifty>
five Thousand five hundred and 'cighty.six
dollars: exhibiting an expenditure over income
Of one million seven hundred and ffty.fve
thousand three hundred and twenty .ons dol
lars, and n diminution OF deficiency, rs cons
pared.with the last year, of three hlndred and
sixty.one thousand seven hundred and ffty.six
dollars. The increase of the revenue Of the
deparrmedt, for the year ending June 30, 1854,
over the preceding year, was hine hundred aud
seventy thousand three hundred and nnety>
nine dollars No proportiuiate increase, how
lever can be anticipated for the current wear, in
consequence of the act OF Congress OF jure %,
1884, providing for increased compensation to
| all postmasters. From these statements il is
apparent that the Post Office Department. in
stead Of defrayIng its expenses, according to
the design at the time of its creation, is now,
and under existing laws must Continue to be,
to no small extent, a. charge upon the general
treasury. The cost Of mail transportation, dur.
Ing the year ending June 80, 1854, exceeds the
cost Of the preceding year by four hundred and
ninety five thousand and seventy four dollars
again call your attention to the subject Of
mail transportation by ocean steamers, and
commend the suggestions of the Postmaster
General to your early attention. ~
During the fiscal year eleyen. million seventy
thousand nine hundred and thirty five acres of
the public lands have been surveyed, and eight
million one hundred and ninety thousand aud
| COT Int, m -
number Of acres sold is seven million thirty
five thousand seven hundred and thirty FIVE,
and the amount received therefor nine million
two hundred and eighty five thousand Eve
hundred and thirty three dollars, The aggre-
gate amount of lands sold, locate under militia
ry scrip and land warrants, selected as swamp
lands by States, and by locating under grants
forroads, is upward of twenty three millions of
acres. The increase of lands sod, over the
previous year, Is about six millions of acres :;
and the sales during the two first quarters of
the current year present the extraordinary re-
suit Of five and half millions sold, exceeding
by nearly four millions of acres the sales of the
corresponding quarters OF the last year, thus
increasing to an extent unparalleled during any
like period in our past history the amount of
revenue provided from this source for the Fed
eral Treasury
The CT mmenddble policy oflhe governm, nj
in relation to setting apart public domain
Tor those who have served their country in
time ofwar, is illustrated by The fact that since
I1790 no less tn thirty millions OF acres have
been applied to this object.
The suggestions, which /, submitted ia nv
annual message of last year, in reference to
grants of land in aid Of the construction of rail.
ways, were less f Il and explicit than the
magnitude Of the sub lect and Subsequent doye,
opments would seem to render proper and de> |
sirable. OF The soundneSs of the principal then
asserted with regard 10 the limitation o the
power Of Congress | eG,ertlin no doubt, but
in lis application it is not enough that the val |
ne of lands in particular locality may be en-
hanoej; that, in fact, larger amount Of money
may probably o' :ecived, in give time, for
alternite sect ons, than could have been
rea ized from all the SEC ions, without the i'm
puise and Influence ol Il c prop sei improve
mentS. A prudent proprietor looLs beyond |
limited sections oil his domain, be, ond present
reSu Is, to The ultimate effect which psrticu,
lar line of policy is likely TO produce upon all |
rs POSSESSIONS and interests The government,
which Is trustee, ia this matter, for tile people
Of the States, is bound to take The same wise
and comprehensive view. Prior 10, and during
the last session OF Congress, upwards Of thrt |
millions of acres of land were Withdrawn from
public sale with view TO applications for
graniso this character pending before Co .gress
A careful view of the whoe subi.ct lod me no |
direct that all such orders be abrogated, an / |
the lands restored to market and instructions |
were Immediately giVentO to that effect, The |
applications at tie last session contemplated
the constr uction oil more thin FIVE thousand
m res oil road, and grants to The amount oil near
~ twenty mill ions OF acres OF The puolic domain
lUfn Inn linn In hi e
to he unquest enable, is it quite cl,ar that the
proposed grant would be productive OF good,
and not evil.
The different projects are confined for the present
TO eleven States of this Union and one Territory
The reasons assigned for the grants, show that
1t ls proposed to put the works speedily in pro.
cess of construction. When we reflect that
since the commencement of the construction of
railways in the United States, stimulated as
they have been, by the large dividends realized
iroh the earlier works over the great thorough.
fares, and between the most important points Of
commerce and population, encouraged by State
legislation, and pressed forward by the amaz,
ing energy of private enterprise, only seven,
teen thousand miles have been completed in all
the States, III quarter of century; when
We see the crippled condion of many works
commenced and prosecuted upon what We're
Nee"Su W oe eouHu lEllCIpies anu salS cdlCu..
lations when we contemplate the enormous
absorption of capital withdrawn from the or
dinary channels OF business the exlrayagant
rates Of interest at this moment paid TO contin
,ue operations the bankruptcies, not merely In
money, but in character, aud .he inevitable
effect upon finances generally-can it be doubt
ed that the tendency is to run to excess in this
matterf Is 1t wise TO augment this excess bd |
encouraging hopes OF sudden wealth expected
to how from magnificent schemes delendent
upon the action OF Congress Does the spirit,
which has produced such results, need to be
stimulated, or checked Is it not the better
rule to leave all these works 10 private enter.
prise, regulated, and, when expedient, aided by
the co operation of States2 If constructed by
private capital, the stimulant and the check
go together, and furnish salutary restraint
against speculative schemes and extravaganza
But it is manifested that, with the moet effec-
tive guards, there is danger of going too fast
and too far. We may well pause before pro-
position contemplating Simultaneous move
ment for the construction Of railroads, which, in
extent, will equal, exclusive Of the great Pacific
road and all its branches, nearly one third Of
the entire length Of such works. now compile
ted, in the United States, aud which cannot
cost, with equipments, less than one hundred
and nifty millions Of dollars The dangers
likely to result from combinations Of interests
OF this character, can hardly be over estimated.
But, independently of these considerations,
where is the accurate knowledge, the conipre-
densve intelligence which shall discriminate
the relative claims of these twenty eight pro-
posed roads, in eleven States and one Terrific
| ry2 Where will you begin, and where end p
If to enable these companies to execute their
proposed works it is necegsnrv that the AID nj