Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1854-12-18

thirty-six thousand three hundred and eiph-
ty dollars. To the sum total of the re-
ceipts Of that year is to be added balance
remaining in the Treasury at the COM
mencement thereof, amounting to twenty
one million nine hundred and fort~-two
thousand eight hundred and ninety-two
dollars of the same year, corresponding
balance amounting to twenty million one
hundred and thirty seven dollars ofreceipts
above expenditures, also remained in the
Treasury. Although, in the opinion of the
Secretary of the Treasury, the receipts of
the current fiscal year are not likely to e.
quail in amount those of the last year, vet
they will undoubtedly exceed the amount
of expenditures by at least fifteen millions
of dollars. shall, therefore, continue to
direct that the surplus revenue be applied
SO far as it can be judiciously and economi-
cally done, to the reduction of the public
debt, the amount Of which, at the COM
nencement Of the FIRST fiscal year, was six
ty-seyen million three hundred and forty
thousand six hundred and twenty-eieht
dollars; Of which there had been paid on
the twentieth day of November 1854, the
sum of twenty two millions three hundred
and sixty-fve thousand one hundred and
seventy two dollars; leaving balance of
outstanding public debt Of only -forty-four
million nine hundred and seventy-fve
thousand four hundred and fifty-six dollars
redeemable at different periods. within
fourteen years. There are also remnants
of other government stocks, most of which
are 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 one hum
dred and seventy-nine dollars. This state
ment exhibits the fact, that the annual in
come of the government greatly exceeds
the amount Of its public debt, which latter
remains unpaid, only because the time of
payment has not yet maturcd, and it cam
not be discharged at once, except at the
option of public creditors, who prefer to re-
tain the securities of the United States;
and the other fact, not less striking, that
the annual revenue from ali sources exceed DIS
by many millions of dollars, the amount
needed for prudent and economical adj
ministration Of the Government.
The estimate presented to Congress from
the different Executive Departments, at
the last session, amounted to thirty-eight
million four hundred and sixty thousand
five hun dredand eighty one dollars; and
the appropriations made, to the sum of fl
ty-eight million one hundred and sixteen
thousand nine hundred and fffty-eight dol
lars.
Of this excess Of appropriation oser esti-
mates, however, more than twenty millions
vas. applicable to extraordinary objects,
i5eenig no reference TO the usual annual ex-
braced ten millions to meet the third art,-
Gle of the treaty between the United States
and Mexico; SO that, in fact, for objects Of
ordinary expenditure, the appropriations
were limited to considerably less than forty
millions of dollars | therefore renew my
recommendation for reduction Of the du-
ties on imports. The reports of the Sec
retery Of the Treasury present series of
tables, showing the operation of the reve-
nue. system for several successive years, and
as the general principal ofreduction Of du-
ties with view to revenue and not to pro-
lection, may now be regarded as the settled
policy Of the country, | trust that little diff
6culty will be encountered in settling the
details of a measure to that effect.
In connection with this subject, I recon-
mend change in the laws, which recent
experience has shown to be essential to the
protection of the government. There is no
express provision Of the law, requiring the
records and papers of a public character, to
be left in their offices for the use of their
successors, nor any provision declaring it
felony on their part to make false entries in
the books, or return false accounts. In the
absence of such express provision by law,
the outgoing officers in many instances,
have claimed and exercised the right to
take in to their own possession, important
books and papers, on the ground that these
were their private property; and have
placed them beyond the reach Of the gov
eminent Conduct of this character,
brought in several instances to the notice
of the present Secretary of the Treasury,
naturally awakened his suspicion, and result
ted in the disclosure that at four portss
namely, Oswego, Toledo, Sandusky, and
Milwaukee, the treasury had, by false en-
tries, been defrauded, within the four years
next preceding March, 1853, of the sum
of one hundred and ninety eight thousand
dollars. The great difficulty with which
the detection Of these frauds has been atten-
ded, in consequence of abstraction Of books
and papers by the retiring officers, and the
facility with which similar frauds in the
public service may be perpetrated, render
the necessity of new legal enactments, in
the respects above referred to, quite obvious.
For other material notifications of the rev.
enue 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 foundation on which the finan.
cial security Of the country rests, and Of the
sanitary influence of the independent treas
ury system upon commerce and all none.
tary operations. :,
The experience Of last year furnishes ad
ditional reasons, / regret to say, OF pain
full character for the recommendations here.
tofore made, to provide for Increasing the
military force employed in the territory in
habited by the Indians The settlers OF
/ H. e.ont;a-s have sufsered T1uch from the