Washington telegraph., 1856-01-23

II,
of eighty-six million eight hundred and 6f.
: ty-six thousand seven hundred and ten dol
lars.
: If, to the actual expenditures Of the first
quarter of the current fiscal year be added
, the probable expenditures for the remaining
three quarters, as estimated by the Secreta-
~ of the Treasury, the sum total will be
seventy-one million two hundred and twen-
. ty-six thousa eight hundred and forty-six
! dollars thereby leaving an estimated bal
, ance In the Treasury on July /, 1856, of 6f.
teen million six hundred and twenty-thres
: thousand eight hundred and sixty-three dol
lars and forty-one cents.
In the above estimated expenditures of the
present fiscal year are included three mil.
lions OF dollars to meet the last installment
OF ten millions, provided in the last treatv
with Mexico, and seven millions seven hun
dred and fifty thousand dollars appropriated
on account OF the debt due to Texas, W which
two sums make an aggregate amount of ten
millions seven hundred and fifty thousand
/ dollars, aud reduce the expenditures, actual
or estimated, for ordinary objects of the
year, to the sum Of sixty millions four hun
dred and seventy-six thousand dollars
The amount of the public debt, at the
/ commencement of the present fiscal year,
was forty millions five hundred and eighty
\ three thousand six hundred and thirty-one
dollars, and, deduction being made of sub
/ scquent payments, the whole public debt OF
! the federal government remaining at this
time, is less than forty million dollars
The remnant of certain other government
! stocks, amounting to two hundred and for
/ ty-three thousand dollars, referred to in nv
last message as outstanding, has since been
! paid.
4 am fully persuaded that it would be diff
hcult to devise q system superior to that by
/ which the fiscal business of the government
is now conducted. Notwithstanding the
great number of public agents of collection
and disbursement, it is believed that the
checks and guards provided, including the
| requirement of monthly returns. render it
scarcely possible for any considerable fraud
on the part of those agents, or neglect in
! volving hazard of serious public loss, to ca
! cape detection. | renew, however, the re-
| commendat ton, heretofore made BY me, of
the enactment of a law declaring it felony
on the part of public officers to insert false
entries in their books of record or account,
to make false returns and also requiring
| them on the termination of their service to
deliver to their successors AL books. records,
and other objects Of public nature, IN their
custody.
Derived as our public revenue is, in chief
! Part, from duties on imports. its magnitude
affords gratifying evidence of the prosperity,
not only of our commerce, but of the ether
great interests upon which that depends.
! The principle that all moneys not requir-
ed for the current expenses of the govern
ment remain for active employment in the
hands of the people, and the conspicuous
/ fact that the annual revenue from all sour
/ ces. exceeds, by many millions of dollars.
| the amount needed for prudent and econ
omical administration of public fairs, can
not fail to suggest the propristy of an early
revision and reduction of the tariff of duties
| on imports. 1t is now so generally conce6-
/ cd that the purpose of revenue alone can
Justify the imposition of duties on imports,
| that, in re-adjusting the import tables and
schedules, which unquestionably require es-
| sential modifca tions, departure from the
principles of the present tariff is not antici-
pated.
The army, during the past year, has been
actively engaged in defending the Indian
| frontier, the state of the service permitting
| but few and small garrsons in our perma-
nent fortifcations. The additional reg iments
! authorized at the last session of Congress
have been recruited and organized, and
| large portion of the troops have already been
sent to the field. All the duties. which de-
volye on the military establishment, have
| been satisfactorily performed, aud the dan
gers and privations incident to the charac-
ter of the service required of our troops
have furnished additional evidence of their
courage, zeal and capacity to meet any re-
QUESTION W hich their country may make Of
them For the details of the military oper-
ations. the distribution of the troops, and
additional provisions required for the mill
tary service, | refer to the report of the Sec
retary OF War and the accompanying docu-
ments.
Experience. gathered from events which
have transpired since my last annual mes
sage, has but served to confirm the opinion
then expressed Of the propriety of making
provision, by a retired list, for disabled
officers, and for increased compensation to
the officers retained the list for active
duty. All the reasons which existed when
these measures were recommended on form
} err occasions, continue without modification,
except so far as circumstances have given
to some of them additional force.
The recon N endations heretofore made for
) q partial Reorganization of the army, are
! also renewed. The thorough elementary
education given to those officers who COM
mcnce their service with the grade OF cadet, +,
qualities them, to a considerable extent, to
perform the duties of every arm of the SER
: wee; but to give the highest efficiency to
. artillery, requires the practice and special
study of many years and 1t ls not. there
: fore, believed to be advisable to main tain
2 in time of peace, a larger force of that arm
: than can be usually employed in the duties
: appertaining to the service of field and siege
: artillery The duties of the staff, in all
: its various branches, belong to the move
ments of troops, and the efficiency of an ar
my in the field would materially depend
: upon the ability with which those duties
$ are discharged. 1t is not. as in the case of
x the artillery, speciality, but requires.
;, also. an intimate knowledge of the duties
g of an officer of the line, and it is not doubted
: that, to complete the education of an ofhcer.
n for either the line or the general staff, il ID
l. desirable that he shall have served both.
q tCcneiuGs1 o. T5i-i FsSet