Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1854-12-20
l., NoRTH-CARoLINA,- WEDNESDAY,, DECEMBER co. 1854
OUR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENCE.

OUR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENCE
The letter Of our Washington Correspondent came
to hand 100 late for our last issue. We make, how
ever, the following interesting extracts from his
letter:
The number and size of the reports from the
Executive Departments have prevented my careful
perusal of the whole. The Treasury report gives q
satisfactory account Of the condition of the national
finances and urges the adoption Of measures to
bring about reduction of the revenue. The plan
proposed is to increase the free list by the addition
of large number of articles now paying low rate
of duty, and making but three rates of duty-100,
40 and 25 per cent. This recommendation is SUBJ
stantialy the that made by the Secretary of
the Treasury in his former report and which did not
meet with the approval of majority of the COM
mittee on Ways and Means. The Secretary, how
ever, sustans his recommendations by showing that
after the addition to the free list of certain articles
nov paying B, 10, ID, saud 30 per cent duty, the
duty the remaining articles of these lists at the
same rates. would not pay the expense of collection.
These he includes in his lowest SCALE paying % per
cent. Mr.. Guthrie is desrous of reducing the ex-
penses Of collecting the revenue and of course, di
minishing the number of officers now necessary in
that branch of the public service-a most praise
worthy object certainly. About one-third of the
pubic debt has been paid during the past year, it
having been reduced from about sixty-seven millions
to little forty-four millions. That is indeed
gr.at achievement and reflects credit upon the pres
en-: Democratic administration.
While upon the Treasury Report must not omit
to notice the paragraph referring to the happy work
ing of the independent treasury system, and the
check it affords to the expansion of credit III
the twenty millions surplus in the Treasury had
been deposited in national Bank or in State Banks,
it would have served for the basis of increased dis
counts and circulation of paper five times the
mount and thus enormously aggravated the evils Of
our financial system-if it can be called q system,
which is composed Cf Is per cent specie and So per
cent. paper. The independent treasury system is
admitted to be great check against ovcr-importa-
! tons and the evils resulting therefrom.
The Navy Report receives all hands unqualified
! commentator. Mr.. Dobbns administration is grad
ualy diifusing vigor and life into the Naval service
his report rejecting truly its improved condition.
1t is well written, and will be read with pleasure by
! all who take interest either in its author or the
| Navy. Let Congress adopt his Recommendation,
cut of the dead parts Of the service and reorganize
the others, and the Navy will more become the
| pride of the country.
! The standing committees Of the House have been
announced and are the same at the last session.
! Mr.. Shaw, of your State, is member of the COM
! mittee Roads and Canals; Ruffin, on Claims
Ashe, OH Navy affairs; Rogers on Revolutionary
Claims; Kerr, OH the Judiciary Puryear, CD Agri.
culture Craige, chairman of the committee on Pub
lie Buildings and Grounds and Clingman, on Foreign
affairs Mr.. Ruffin is also q member Of the Coll
Patent investigating committee which has been con
tinued at the present session.
The Homestead bill has already been revived il
Congress, Mr.. Dawson, of Penn, having given no
tive Of substitute for the bill it stands. Th,
bill isatogcthera different affair." however, from tina
introduced at the last session. the homestead prnci
pie having been abandoned, well as that donatn.
the land. The bill now merely gives the right O
presumption for five years, at the end of which tn
settler pays fourteen and half cents per acre 70
his land. hardly think anything will be done witt
the bill at the present session, and hope that the dis
cusson will lead to return to the old land system
selling it at uniform price of 81 % per acre.
You will remember that just at the close of tn
last session the President vetoed the bill making ap
propria.ions for rivers and harbors. The close G
the session prevented the further consideration Q
the matter. On Wednesday the bill was taken u
and on the question whether the bill should pas
Notwithstanding the objections of the President,
was lost-95 to s0-two-thirds not voting for il
The President will send in to Congress early mex
week special message on this subject, which hay
reason to believe will rciterate the views of Stat
rights this question, and be entirely consis
tent with the political life of the President