Washington sentinel., 1854-01-13
From the London Times, December 20, 1853
The Presidents Message.

ted States addresses the vast community which
has elected him their temporary chief he seems
to have the grandest opportunity that can fall
to the lot Of rulef or statesman. So at least
it has been for some years, and under circum
stances that, with small interruption, has last
ed, and seem likely to last, for some time. 1t
is the uniform task Of the President to tell his
felow-citizens-what,i indeed, they all know, for
even their children are taught 1.-THE almost
unlimited capacity of their continent, their po-
pulation, their commerce, their revenue, their
constitution, their national enterprise and skill,
and whatever else may contribute to a great
empire. The facts are so patent, the contrast
with the States Of the Old World so obvious,
and the prospect so inspiring, that the simplest
language becomes grand under so mighty
theme. Mighty, indeed, it is for all those ma
terial purposes that constitute the chief labor
of statesmen in this material sphere. "Ours,"
says the President, lis almost, if not absolute
ly, the solitary power of Christendom having
surplus revenue, drawn Immediately from i'm
posts on commerce." While that is the state
ofAmerican finance, the population Of the Uni
ted States, we are told, is doubling every quar-
ter of a century, and there is little reason to
doubt that it will long continue in that ratio.
As much as ten million acres are every year
enterprise. To crown all, the disputes that
have hitherto threatened the peace and integ-
rity fthe Union, have lately given way to rea-
sonable compromise; and the President as
sures us-though on this point the wish may
be father to the thought-that the people of the
republic have entered into "a new league of
amity and mutual confidence and support"
The States have increased from thirteen to
thirty-one; embryo States are rising in the
newly-acquired Territories; roads and postal
communications are projected no longer from
city to city, but from ocean to ocean; and the
only difficulty is, that of meeting the first and
simplest demands Of so prosperous and so in
creasing people The one admitted draw
back in this picture of almost preternatural
prosperity and growth is the pestilence which
has ravaged the chief southern city of the
Union. The President disposes of this on the
very Threshold of his message, with the suita-
BILE comment that it is well that conscious
ness of rapid advancement and increasing
strength be habtually associated with an abid-
ing sense of dependence upon Him who holds
in His hands the destiny Of men and nations"
Happy, indeed, the ruler who has no other dark
cloud in the sky, no other flaw in the system,
no other devastating sore in the common veal
to point to, and who may congratulate his fel-
low-citizens that, whatever their troubles, they
are in the hand Of the Almighty, and not Of
mani
The finance of the Union is that particular
feature of this prosperity which will be most
appreciated by the deeply indebted and heavily.
burdened States of the Old World. "The reve-
nue. of the country" says the President, "levied
almost insensibly to the taxpayer, goes on from
year to year, increasing beyond either the in
terests or the, prospective wants Of the govern
ment." How incredible this must sound, we
will not say on the shores of the Bosphorus, or
in the e6ete kingdoms Of the Iberian peninsula,
but in any one Of our European empires! Yet
it is fully borne out by the figures of the case.
At midsummer last year there was a balance
of more than fourteen million dollars in the
treasury, and, as the revenue of the ensuing
year was over sixty-one millions, while the ex-
penditure was only between forty-three and
forty-four millions, last midsummer the surplus
exceeded thirty-two millions! What was to be
done with this fabulous abundance? It was
real difficulty.
In Europe the fortunate government that
came in for such windfall would Immediately
have set about new chain Of fortresses, or a
feet of war steamers, or the invasion of
neighboring country. Happily for the United
States, such are not the first thoughts there
suggested by an unusual accumulation of treas
ure. "Ths fact of an increasing surplus in
the treasury" says the President, "became the
subject of anxious consideration at very early
period of my administration, and the path Of
duty in regard to it seems to me obvious and
clear-viz first, to apply the surplus revenue
to the discharge Of the public debt SO far as it
could judiciously be done; and secondly, to
devise means for the gradual reduction of the
revenue to the standard of the public exipen-
cies." AS to the former of these objects, the
President states that the debt of the United
States has been reduced by nearly thirteen
million dollars--thatis, from sixty-nine millions
to fifty-six-since the 4th Of last March. As
to the latter, it is recommended to revise the
tariff by reducing the duties ON certain articles,
and "to add to the free list any other articles
now taxed, and especially such as enter into
manufactures, and are not largely, or at all pro-
duced in the United States" Other and more
common modes Of employing the surplus find
place even in the Presidents message. tits
found necessary to bring the navy more into
proportion with the foreign commerce of the
Union; to increase the regular army as q
nucleus for the volunteers, who are always
reckoned upon in the hours of need; and to
commence or complete some extensive public
WORKS. NeVertneeSS, III is c0nndently expected
that in very few years the Union will have
wiped away its debt and, if it has the forbear
ance to abstain from war on the first provoca-
ton, it may 60 far to solve the problem whether
it is. possible for great State to exist without
taxes.
To judge only by the number of controver-
sizes sustained by the Union with other powers
and stated by the President with patriotic bias
it might be concluded that the above financial
surplus might soon be employed, as surpluses
usually are on this side the Atlantic, in making
up for the deficiencies of argument; but,
whether from the paramount strength of the
Union on its own continent, or from its wise
forbearance, it is seldom driven to the last ap-
peal. There is, therefore, nothing very terri
BILE in the enumeration of pending differences.
With us the question of the fisheries is still
unsettled, and the President insists on the con-
vention of 1918, as practically interpreted, he
says, for quarter Of century. Certain ques-
tons with this country about the States of
Central America are we are told, under ami
cable arrangement; as also are certain claims
Of British subjects against the United States,
.r A. -