The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1856-12-10

from all 80 urces, seVenty-tnree mllliOD
nine hundred and eighteen thousand one
hundred aud forty.cne dollars; which
with the balance on hand up to list of
July, made the total resources Of the
year to amount TO nincty-two million
eight hundred and fifty thousand one
hundred and seventeen dollars. The ex.
penditures. including three million dol
lars in execution Of the treaty with Mex
leo, and excluding sums paid on account
Of tho public debt, amounted to sixty
million one hundred and seventy.two
thousand four hundred and one dollars,
and, including the latter, to seventy.two
million nino hundred and forty-oight
thousand seven hundred and ninety-two
dollars, the payment on this account
having amounted to twelve million sew.
en- hundred and seventy six thousand
three hundred and ninety dollars.
On tho 4th of March, 1853, tue a..
mount Of tho public debt was sixty nine
million one hundred and twcDty-nine
thousand nine hundred and thirty-seven
dollars. There was q subsequent in.
crease of two million seven hnGdred aud
fifty thousand dollars for the debt Of
Texas making a total of seventy.one
million eight hundred and seventy nine
thousand nine hundred and thirty.seven
dollars. Of this the sum Of forty five
million five hundred and twenty-five
thousand three hundred and nineteen
dollars, including premium, has been dis
charged, reducing the debt to thirty mil
lion seven hundred and thirty.sevcn
thousand one hundred aud twenty nine
dollars, all which might be paid within
a year without embarrassing tho public
service, but being not yet due, only re.
deemabls at the option of the holder,
cannot be pressed to payment by the
Government
On examining tho expenditures oftle
last five years, it will be seen that the
average. deducting payments on account
If The public debt, and ten millions paid
by treaty to Mexico, has been about for.
ty-cight million dollars. 1t is believed
that under an economical administration
of the government, the average expendi
ture for tho ensuing five years viii not
exceed that sum, unless extraordinary
occasion for it's increase should occur
The acts granting bounty lands will soon
have been executed. while the extension
Of our frontier settlements will cause q
continued demand for lands and angmen-
ted receipts, probably from that source,
These considerations will Justify a re-
duction Of the revenue from customs, SO
as not to exceed forty-eight or fifty mil.
lion dollars. think the exigenoy for such
reduction is imperative, and again urge
it upon the consideration of Congress
The amount of reduction, as we'll as
the manner of efecting it arc questions
of great and general interest it being
essential to industrial enterprise snd the
public prosperity, as we'll us the dictate
of OBJ 7lous justice, the burden of taxa
ton be made to rest as equally as posi-.
bio upon all classes, and all sections and
interests of the country.
I have heretofore recommended to
your consideration the revision of the
revenue laws, prepared under tho direc.
ton of the Secretary of the Treasury.
and also legislation upon some special
questions affecting the business of that
department, more especially the enact
ment of a law to punish the abstraction
of official books or papers from the files
of the government, and requiring all
such books and papers and all other pub
lie property to be turned over by the
outgoing officer to his successor ; of a
law requiring discussing officers to de-
positc all public money in the vaults OF
tho treasury or in other legal deposito'
ries, where tho same are conveniently
accessible, and a law to extend existing
penal provisions to oil persons who may
become possessed of public money by
deposite or otherwise, and who shall re.
fuse or neglect, on due Gemaud, to ray
the same into the treasury | Invite
Your attention anew to each Of these sub.
jets.
The army during the past year has
been so constantly employed against hos
tile Indians in various quarters, that it
can scarcely be said, with propricty of
language, to have been a peace establish.
ment. Its duties have been satisf4cto-
rily performed, and we have reason to
expect, as a result. of the years opera
lions, greater security to the frontier in
habitants than has been hitherto enj oy-
cd. Extensive combinations among the
hostile Indians of the Territory of
Washington and Oregon at one time
threatened tho devastation of the newly.
formed settlements Of that remote por-
ton Of the country. From recent in
Termination, we are permitted to hope
that the energetic aud successful opera
lions conducted there will prevent such
combinations in future, and secure to
those Territories an opportunity to mako
steady progress in the development of
their agricultural and mineral
Legislation has been recommended BY
me On previous occasions to cure defocts
in the existing organization, and to in
crease efficiency of the army, and fur
Their observation has but served to con-
firm me in tho views then expressed, and
to enforce on my mind the conviction
that such measures are not only proper
bat necessity.
l have, in addition, to invite the at
%tention of Congress to a change of poll
ey in the distribution Of troops, and tC
the necessity of providing a more rapid
increase of the military armament. Fol