The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-12-01

1Hk EVIL INFLUENCES OF TOO MUCH TBOSP ERR
rY.-If redundancy Of wealth has tendency In
the case of individuals to render them slothful
and negligent II their interests, It has still
more perniOious effec. upon communities and
governments. Too muoh prosperity tends In
both cases to neutraliEe the CHER qualities Of
mems natures, evoked by the necessities Of ex-
ertion and Of prudence. II, for instance in the
case Of corporation, the community is only
taxed in the ratio Of just and legitimate cx-
pendituJe, we usually ind its affairs a1minis-
tered with due regard to the exigencies Of
the public service, and to the means placed at
its disposal. IT. on the contrary, through i'm
proper influences and carelessness Of their into
rests on the part Of the public themselves, the
revenues of Q corporation are allowed to exceed
the necessities which they are intended to pro-
vide for, we find the fact of the existence OF
such surplus an irresistible temptation to the
cupidity OF corporation officials, who cannot
always be expected to display the incorrupti.
bility of an Aristides or Regulus. In corpo-
rate officers generally, where party Influences
have less opportunity of intervening TO take
the supervision Of the public money out of the
hards Of the constituency than in the case Of
the general government, it follows that a closer
regard is paid to the dictates Of economy and
prudence That there are occasional exceptions
10 this remark II cannot be denied, but they
arise less from Indifference to the pubic int
rests than from ignorance and a proper under
standing Of their duties On the part Of the men
elected to FIJI corporate Offices.
All laws having reference to the revenue and
expenditure of the country should be founded
on the principle Of this nice adjustment be-
tween its necessities and Its capabilities. If
in the case Of corporation it is considered
oolisb and demoralzing In its tendencies to
raise larger amount Of taxation than is sufi-
cient to provide for the wants Of its admins
tration, a foyt,oyi the same rule is still more
applicable to the general government. We
cannot see any difference Of circumstances
which renders in the case Of the latter the sc-
cumulation Of $50, 100000 in the eub-treasl-
ries less inexpedient and less prcjudic,Al ~ re-
CARDS its influence upon the public interests.
Such system, opening as 1t does fruitful
sonrces Of corruption to trading politicians
and sectional interests, would not be tolerated
in almost any other country in the world. To
the surplus thus created may be traced half
the corruption and half the villsny which dis
grace the conduct Of men in power, and impair
The efficiency of the public service. To the
same cause is also attributable many Of the evils
which periodically visit the commercial commu-
nifty. We should hear less Of financial revul-
sionf, fraudulent bankruptcies and hard times
generally, if the great truths of political eco
pomy were better understood and appreciated
amongst us. Uptil, therefore, our tariff system
is 90 adjusted to cur expenditure as to prevent
such an accumulation Of the public revenues IS
has existed for the last three years, We must ex-
pect to find the temptations which il offers to
the venality Of corrupt statesmen stronger than
their sense Of their public duties, and its inau-
en- more injurious than advantageous TO the
interests OF The country generally.