The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1854-12-20

l. her commander; and no extreme act wou]
o have been requisite had not the people then
n selves by their extraordinary conduct in the a
h fair, frustrated all the possible mild measure
i for obtaining satisfaction. A withdrawal frol
), the place, the object of his visit was entirel
:, defeated, would, under the circumstances
e which the commander of the Cyane found hin
e self, have been absolute abandonment of a
: claim of our citizens for ndemnifcation, an
: submissive acquiescence in national indignlty
: It would have encouraged in these lawless me
Y spirit ofinsoence and rapine most dangerou
to the lives and property of our citizens at Pun
ia Arenas, and probably emboldened them
e grasp at the treasures and valuable merchan
t disc continually passing over the Ncaragu
route. It certainly would have been most sat
isfactory to me, if the object the Cyane's mis-
sion could have been consummated without an
act of public force; but the arrogant contuma
: cy of the offenders, rendered it impossible t
: avoid the alternative, either to break up thei
| establishment, or to leave them impressed witt
the idea that they might perseyere with impu
nifty in career of insolence and plumber. Thi
transaction has been the subject of complaint Oh
the part of some foreign powers, and has beer
characterised with more of harshness than 0
Justice, if comparisons were to be instituted, /
would not be difficult to present repeated in
stances in the history of the States, standing il
the very front of modern civilization, where
communities, far less offending and more de
fenceless than Greytown, have been chastisee
with much greater severity, and where not ci
! ties only have been laid in ruins but human
life has been recklessly sacrificed, and the blood
Of the innocent made profusely to mingle with
that of the guilty. Passing from foreign to do
mestic affairs, your attention is naturally direc-
ted to the financial condition Of the country, al
ways subject of general interest. For COM
plete and exact information regarding the fnan-
ces and various branches of the public service
connected Herewith, refer you to the report
of the secretary Of the treasury; from which it
the last fiscal year from all sources was 73, $40,
705 dollars; and that the public expenditures
for the same PERIOD exclusive of payments on
account of the public debt, amounted to 81 ,O18,-
249 dollars. During the same period, the pay
ment made in redemption of the public debt
including interest and premium, amounting to
1874 1880, $50. To the sum total of the receipts
of that year is to added balance remaining
in the treasury at the commencement thereof,
amounting to $21 ,942, 892; and at the close of
the same year, corresponding balance amour
ting to 500, 1877, 967 of receipts above expendi-
lures, also remaining in the treasury.
Although, in the opinion of the secretary of
the treasury, the receipts of the current fiscal
year are not likely to equal the amount of those
Of last year, yet 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 economically
done to the reduction of the public debt, the
amount of which at the commencement of the
last fiscal year, was S67 ,34O,628; of which
there had been paid on the Goth day of Nov
ember, 1854 the sum of 1922, 1866, 172; leaving
a balance of outstanding public debt of only
$44, 975, 456, redeemable at different periods
within IA years. There are also remnants of
other government stocks, most of which are al
ready due, on which the interest has ceased but
which have not yet been presented for payment
to $233,179. This statement ex-
hlblts the fact that the annual income of the |
government greatly exceeds the amount of its
public debt, which latter remains unpaid only
because the time Of payment has not yet ma
tured, and 1t cannot be discharged at once, eX-
cept at the option of public creditors, who pre-
Ter to retain the securities of the United States
and the other fact, not less striking, that the
annual revenue from all sources exceed. by
many millions of dollars the amount needed for
prudent and economical administration of the
government.
The estimates presented to congress from the
Inherent executive departments, at the last ses-
ion amounted to 1888, AGO, 581; and the appro-
'rlations made to the sum of S58,116,9 58 Of
his excess of appropriations over estimates,
however, more than 800, 100000 was applica-
lie to extraordinary objects, having no refer
nee to the usual annual expenditures. Among
hese objects was embraced $4,000, 900 to
meet the third article of the treaty between the
United States and Mexico so that in fact for
bJects of ordinary expenditure, the appropri-
tons were limited to considerably less than J
'4O, 100000. | therefore renew my recon-
lendaton for reduction Of the duties on i'm
orts. The report Of the secretary of the trea- I
ury presents a series of tables, showing the t
peratlon of the revenue system for several /
uccesslve years, and as the general principle I
reduction of duties with view to revenue f
nd not protection may be regarded as the set t
VI WIZ 0ohh'i L VI llItlC I'LL
Guilty will be encountered in settling the de- t
Ills OF measure to that effect n
In connexion with this subject, recommend d
change in the laws which recent experience il
as shown to be essential to the protection of n
re government. There is no express provision o
law, requiring the records and papers of I
1bc character of the several officers of the te
overnment to be left in their offices for the use ST
their successors, nor any provision declaring -,
felony on their part to make false entries in o.
e books, or return false accounts In the alb Il
nee OF such express provision by law the out tr
'lng officers, in many instances, have claimed Ia
ID exercised the right to take into their own Ct
'ssesson important books and papers, on the ar
ound that these were their private property, pr
I'd have them placed beyond the reach of the IN
vernment. Conduct of this character, brought CT
several instances to the notice of the present al
cretary OF the treasury, naturally awakened ed
suspicion, and resulted in the disclosure thai DC
If ports, viz: Oswego, Toledo, Sandusky and in
lwauk, the treasury had, by false entries, Pr
en- detrauded, within the four years next pro- eli
ading March, 1853, of the sum of $1e8, 600. ma
he great difficulty with which the detection -