Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1854-12-14


ite." Instructions to that effect were given to
ner commander And no extreme act would
have been requisite had not the public them
selves, by their extraordinary conduct in the
affair, frustrated all the possible mild measures
for obtaining satisfaction. A withdrawal from
the place, the object Of his visit entirely de-
feated; would, under the circumstances in which
the commander Of the Cyane found himself,
have been absolute abandonment of all claim OF
oar citizens fac Naturalization, and submis-
sve acquascence in national indignity. ltwolld
have encouraged in these lawless men spirit
of insolence and repine most dangerous to the
lives and property of our citizens at Punta
Arenas, and probably embsldened them to grasp
at the treasures and valuable merchandise con-
tinually passing over the Nicaragua route. 1t
certainly would have been most satisfactory to
me if the objects of the 'Cyanes laission
could have been contaminated without any act Of
public force; bat the arrogant contumacy Of
the offenders rendered it impossible to avoid the
alternative, either to back up their establishment,
OF to leave them impressed with the idea that
they might perseyero with ilnpunity in career
of insolence AMI plund8r.
This transaction has beea the subject Of COM
plant on the part Of soms foreign powers, and
has been characterized with more Of harshness
than OF Justice II comparisons wero to be
ituted, it would not he difficult to present
repeated instncesin the history Of states, stand
ing in tho very front Of modern civilization,
where communities, far less Grinding and more
defencelsss tAan Graytown, '1Ne been chastised
wAh much greater seysrit5, aid where not
cities only have been laid in ruins, bat human
lio has been rocklessly sacrificed, and the blool
Of the innoc4ntmade prpfusey to mingle with
that of the gqilty. ~ ess
Passing from flaeisn to dome siicaiiaifs, YOU
attention is naturally directed T. the financial
condition. Of The 'conntry, always subject Of
general interest. For complete and exact Ia,
formation regarding the finances aeA lla yaF'a'
I branches Of the pubic service c0stueete3 heie
with refer you the ef'rt q the Secrstar}
Of The Treasury; Ero WI Al VII! sPpear,tha
the amount Of reyau.,4 Vnra% iG2 "a 4 hscal veal
FROM / sources " 3 aaye'.,g ,I,ee million. hv'
hundred aud orty nja4 ,oaistnd seven hundred
ard FIVE dollais; and list the public expenditures
for the same period. exclusive Of payments OF
account of the puoc debt, amounted to htty-on'
million eighteen thousand two hundred and Tor
ty niue dollars Daring the same period, TIL
payments made in redompt on OF the pub &c debt
including interest and premium amounted tt
twenty four million tire hundred and thirty 81
Thousand three haudred and eighty dollars Il
the sum total Of the receipts OF tina, year rs t
b. added 5llau;r remaining III the reasury a
the conn,ancemant thereof, amounting To TWEEN
ty-ona million nine han red and forty-two thou
sand eight hundred and nineiy,wo dol ars an
at the ose OF the same year, Il corresponding
h,In tptI ~, linn l -
and hirty-seyeu thousand nine hundred and SIX
ty-seven dol ars Of receipts above expenditures
also remained in the treasury. Although in III
opinion of the Secretary Of the Treasury, III
receipts Of the current fiscal year are not llkel
TO equal in amount those Of the last, yet the
will undoubtedly exceed the amount Of expend
lures by at least fifteen millions of dollars.
shalt, therefore, continue TO direct that tn
surplus revenue be applied so far as II can
Ijudlcousiy and economically done. 10 the redut
ton of the public debt, the amount of which, Z
the commencement o! the last hsc al year, wa
sxty-seyen million three hundred and forty thou
sand six hundred and twenty-eieht dollas; {
which there had been paid on the twentieth dd
of November, 1854, the sum Of twenty-five mi
II n three hund al and sixty FIVE thousand oii
hundred and seven,y-twn do lars ; leaving bal
ance of outstanding puilic debt OF only forty tou
million nine hundred and scventy-five thousan
four huuded aud fifty SIX dollars, redecmahe a
different periods within fourteen years
Fher1 are also remnants Of other government
stocks, most OF which are already due aud q
which The interest has ceased, bat which hss
not yet been presented for payment, anouaiin
10 TIVE hundred and hirty-ihroe thousand on
hundred AID seventy lime dollars. This state
ment exhibits the fact that the annual income {
The eoxenrpsnt srvu,y exceeds the amount {
Its public debt which later remains unpaid, Nc
only because the time Of payment has not ys
matured and cannut be discharged at once, eS
cept at the Vp ion Of the public cr Git0rs, VIII
prefer to retain The securities Of the Unite
States and the other fact, not less sir king tina
the ahnuai revenue from all sources exceeds b
many mi ions of dollars the amount needed for
prudent and economical administration Of tn
Government.
The estimates presented to Congress from tn
different Executive Departments, at the las, SEES
sion amounted to thirty eight million four hur
dred and sixty thousand, five hundred and eighty
one dollar aud tine appropriate rs made 20 tn
sum OF htly-elght million one hundred and y
teen thousand une hundred aud fifty eight do
lars. Or this excess OF appropriations over es
Inmates, however, more than twenty million
was applicable TO extraordinary objects. havin
no reference to the usual annual expenditures
Amoug these objects were embraced ten million
to meet Me third article Of the treaty betwec
the United States aud M, xco, 50 that, in fac
for objees of ordinary expenditure, the apprc
pIiatlons were limited TO considerably less tina
forty millions Of do lars therefore renew m
recommendation for the reduction of the dute
Imports. The report of the Secretary of tn
treasury presents series Of tables showing til
operations Of the revenue system for several sec
cess!'e years, and as the general principle Of re
duciion OF duties with view TO revenue and nc
proiFctlon, may now be regarded as the settle
polcy OF the country, trust that lit G dtlcult
will be encountered IN settling the details of
measure to that effect.
In connsXlon with this subject, | recommend
change in the laws which recent expo iencp ia
shown to BE- essential TO the croicction If tn
government There is TO eXpress PROV slon
law, requiring the records ard papers Of publ
character OF the officer OF the government,
be left in their siiccs TO- the seof their success
ors nor any provision declaring ii felony on the
part to make false entities in the books or re
tulu ldloG dCCUNutS. III TIE GUStlICS Ol SuCn tA
press provision by law, the out going Officers
IN many instances. have claimed and exercise
the right TO take into their own possession mpol
tant books and papers on the ground that the
were their prlYass prnpefty'; aud have place
them beyond the reach of the government Cor
duct of this character, brought in several ins;an
ces to the notice of the present Secretary of IN
Treasury, ma ural'y awakened his suspicion, an
resulted in the disclosure that at four ports, name
ly, Oswo-o, loedo, Sandusky and Milwaukee
tho treasury had, by false entries been defraud
led within the four years next preceding Mare
1853 of the sum of nine,y.eight thousand do
lars
4 The great difficulty with which the detectio
Of these frauds has been attended, in const
quence Of the distractions Of books and pape
by retiring officers, and the facility with whic
similar frauds in the public service may be pei
petrated, render the necessity of new legal en-
| actments in the rnsnrcra ohova rpfarrsd IN uuit