Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1854-12-09

of the public debt the amount OF WHICH, al Tue COM,
mencement of the fiscal was sixty seven pii
lion three hundred and forty thousand SIX hundred
and twenty eight dollars; of which there had been
paid on the twentieth day of November, 1904, the
sum of twenty-five million three hundred and sixty
tive thousand one hundred rnd seVenty-eWo aoiars
leaving balance of outstanding pubic debt oil only
forty -four million nine hundred and seventy I'VE
thousand four hundred ane 6fty-six dollars redeem
able at different periods within fourteen years There
also remnants of other Government stocks most
of which already due, and on which the interest
has ceased, but which have not yet been presented
for payment, amounting to two hundred and thirty
three thousand hundred and seventy-nine dol
lars This statement exhibits the fact that the an
nual income Of the Government greatly exceeds the
amount of its public debt, which latter remains un-
paid only because the time of payment has not yet
natured and it cannot be discharged at except
at the option of the public creditors, who prefer TO
retain the securities of the United States; and the
other fact not less striking, that the annual revenue
from all sources exceeds, by many millions OF doilarsl
the amount needed for prudent and economical
admin alton of the Government.
The estimates presented to Congress from the DIFF
ferent Executive Departments at the last session,
amounted TO thirty eight million four hundred and
sixty Thousand five hundred and eighty dollars;
and the appropriation made to the sum Of ftyeight
million one hundred and sixteen thousand nine hun
dred and ftyeght dollars. Of this excess of appro-
priationS estimates, however, more than TWEEN
ty millions applicable to extraordinary objects,
having reference to the annual expenditures
Among these objects, embraced ten millions to
meet the third article of the treaty between the Uni
ted States and Mexico; that in fact, for obj ecS
of ordinary expenditure, the appropriations were
limited to considerably less than forty millions of
dollars. | therefore renew my Recommendation for
the reduction of duties on imports. The report of
the Secretary Of the Treasury presents series OF
tables, showing the operation of the revenue system
for several successive years, and the general prin
cpie of reduction OF duties with view to revenue
and not protection may now be regarded the set
tied policy of the country, trust that little difficulty
will be encountered i'll settling the details of meas
to that effect.
In connection with this subject, recommend a
change in the laws, which recent experience has
shown to be essential to the protection of the gov
eminent. There is no express provision of law
quirng the records and papers of public character,
of the several officers of the government, to be left
in their Offices for the Of their successors. nor
any provision declaring it felony their part to
make false entries i'll the books return false ac
counts. In the absence of such express provision
by law the outgoing officers, in many instances
have claimed and exercised the right to take into
their possession, important books and papers,
the ground that these were their private proper
ty; and have placed them beyond the reach of the
government Conduct of this character, brought i'll
several Finstances to the notice of the Secretary Of
Treasury naturally awakened his SUSPICION and re-
suited i'll the disclosure that at four ports namely,
Oswego Toledo San.lusky, and Milwaukee, the trea-
sury had, by false entries, been dcfrauded, within
the four years next preceding March, 1858, of the
of one hundred and ninety weight thousand dol
lars The great difficulty with which the detection
of these frauds has been attended in consequence
of the abstraction of books and papers by the ret
ing officers and the facility with which similar frauds
in the public service be perpetrated, render the
necessity OF new legal enactmentS, in the respects
above referred to, quite obvious. For other material
notifications of the revenue laws which seem to me
desirable, refer you to the report of the Secretary
of the Treasury That report, and the tables which
accompany it. furnish ample proofs of the solid foun
dation which the financial security of the
try rests and of the salutary influence of the indie
pendent treasury system upon commerce and all
monetary operations
The experience of the last year furnishes addi-
tional reasons, regret to say of painful character
for the recommendation heretofore made to provide
for increasing the military force employed in the
territory inhabited by the Indians The settlers on
the frontier have suffered much from the incursions
of predatory bands and large parties of emgrants
to our Pacific possessions have been massacred with
impunty. The recurrence of such scenes can only
be prevented by teaching these wild tribes the pow
er Of and their responsibility to, the United States.
From the garrisonS Of frontier posts, it is only
possible to deach troops in small bodies and though
these have on all occasions displayed gaantry and
q stern devotion to duty, which a larger field
would have commanded universal admiration, they
have usually suffered severely in these conflicts with
superior numbers, and have sometimes been entire
" sacrificed All the disposabie 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 coun-
try has been recently shocked by savage atrocities
committed upon dciencelcSs cmigrants and border
settlements, and hardly less by the unnecessary de-
struo ton of valuable lives, where inadequate de-
tachments of troops have undertaken to furnish the
needed aid. Without increase of the military force
these scenes will be repeated it is to be feared,
larger scale, and with more disastrous consequent
Congress. am sure, will perceive that the
p!ainest duties and respon siotes of government
involved in this question, and l doubt not that
prompt action may be confidently anticipated when
delay must be attended by such fearful hazards
The bill of the last session, providing for an in
of the pay of the rank and file of the army
had hoo ,,t
enlistmcnts but in obvious improvement in the class
of men who enter the service. regret that CORES
ponding consideration not bestowed on the Of
icers, who in view of their character and services
and the expenses to WHICH they necessarily sub
ject receive at present what is in my Judgment in
adequate compensation.
The valuable services constantly rendered by the
army, and its inestimable Importance as the nucleus
around which the volunteer forces of the nation can
promptly gather in the hour of danger sufficiently
attest the wisdom of maintaining military peace
establishment; but the theory of our system and
the wise practice under it, require that any propos-
ed augmentation in time of peace, be only common
surate with extended limits and frontier rea- |
lions. While scrupuously adherng to this princ-
ple find, existing circumstances, necessity for
increase of military force and it is believed that
four regiments, two of infantry and two of |
mounted men, will be sufficient to meet The present
exigency. If it were necessary carefully to weigh |
the cost in of such urgency, 1t would be |
shown that the additional expense would be
Paratiyely light
With the increase of the numerical force of the
army should l think, be combined certain measures
of eform in its organic arrangement and admins
traton. The present organization is the result of
latio cfed tO