The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1857-12-10

Ihss worked we'll in practice. aud it will
doubtless prove 10 be less expensive than th
, present system. -
The whole bumber Of f1ndians within GU
territorial limits is believed 10 be from th
best data In the Interior Department, abOu
325 900.
! The tribes Of CLerokees, Choctaws
Chickasaws and Creeks, settled In the ter.
ritory set apart for them west Of the Arkan-
: sas are rapidly advancing in education an
IN all the arts f'self-goVernment; and W,
may indulge the agreeable anticipation tha
at no very distsnt DAY they will be incor-
porated into the Uniou as one Of the soyer.
4 eign States.
1t will be seen by the report of the Post
master General that the Post Office Depart
ment still continues to send on the treas
fury, ds lt'has been compelled to do for sew
! erai years past, for an important portion o
the means o.. sustaining and extending il.
operations, Their rapid growth and expan.
sion are shown by a deceInial statenfen
of the number of post offices, and the
length of post roads commencing with III,
year 1927. In that year there were 7, OO(
post offices; in 1887, lI,l77; in 1887, l5,-
| l46; and in 1857 they number 26, 5S6. In
this year l726 post Offices have been es-
tabIished and 7O4 discontinued, leaving ne
increase of l,U2I. The postm ls:ers Of s6s
offices are appointed by the President.
The length Of post roads in 1877 wa
l05.336 miles; in 1887, l4l.242 miles; in
I847, l53,8lS miles; and in the year 1857
there are 24a,6OI miles of post road, inc Iud-
Ging-22 $50 miles OF rail road, on which the
mails are transported.
The expenditures of the Department for
the ffscalyear ending on tn. 80 June, 1857,
as adjusted y'tae Auditor, am united t, SIl ;.
507. 670. To defray these expenditures
there waste the credit of'the Department on
the lst July, 1855, tho SUN of $789, 500; the
gross revenue OF the year, including the an
nual allowance for the transport .tion OF free
mail matter, produced $8,055 ,95l; and the
remainder was supplied by the appropriation
from the treasury of $2,25O, ,0e0, granted
by the act Of Congress approved August lS,
1855, and by the appropriation of 1855, ,s83,
made by the act of March g, 1857, leaving
S252,T6S to be carried to the credit of the
Department in the accounts of the present
year. commend to yonr consideration the
report of the Department in re lation to the
establishment Of the overland mail route from
the Mississippi river to San Francisco, Cali
forna. The route was selected with nv
full concurrence Ns the one, in my judgm mt,
best calcullted to attain the important OBJ
ject contemplated by Congress.
Ihs lat1 disastrous monetary revulSon may have
one good elect should 1t cause both tho government
and Tho people to return to the practice OF wise anu
udlcious economy both In public aud private expen
diturcs.
N -nnw wnOt tPao II .loI
diEalty ana extravaganza in our legislation. II has
induced Congress to make larger approximations to
objects for which they never would hive provided
hdu ~ Oeen necessary to raise the amount of rev ehue
required to meet them by an Increased taxation or
oy loans We are now compelled to p;1tsc in our
career AMI IT, scrutnize our expenditures with the
utmost vigilance; and in performing this duty, !
pledge my corporation to the extent of my consiitu-
tional competency.
II ought to be observed at tho same imo that true
public economy does not consist in Withholding the
means necessary to accomplish important national
objects iRtrustel to US by the constitution, aud es
peciAlly such us may be necessary for the common
defence In the present crisis OF the country ii is
our duty to conhne our appropriations to objects of
this character, unloss in cases where justice to ind
yiduas may dema nd different course In all cases
care ought to be tuken that the money graz ted by
Congress shall be faithfully and ccono miculiy APP
piled.
Under the Federal Constitution, tevcrv bill which
shall have'passed the House of Representatives and
the Senate, snail before it becomes u law, )" be Sp.
proved and sghed 5y the President, and If not ap.
proved "he snail return 1t with his objections toht
house in which 1t origin ted" In orderto pc rforn
this high and responsible duty, sufficient time mus
be allowed the President to read and examine every
bill presented to him for approval. Unless this be
afforded the Constitution becomes deal letter in this
Particular; and even worse, it becomes means of
deception. Our con stuents, seeing the Presidents
approval and sgniture attached to each act Of Con
gress, ara induced to believe that he has actually
perf'rmed this duty, when, in truth, nothing lie, in
many cases more unfounted.
From this practice OF Congress, such an cxamina- !
tion OF each bill as the constitution requires, has
been rendered impossible. The most important
business of each session IL generally crow led no
Inst hours, and the alternative presented to thu Pro-
silent is cither to violate the constitutional duty
which he gives TO- the people, and approve bills
which, for want oftme, 1t is impossible hs should
have examined. or, by hfe refusal to do this sub.
iect the country and individuals to great loss and in
convenience.
Besides, practice has grown up bf late years to
essate In approptiat bills the last hours Of the
session, on now and important subjects. This prac-
ticc constrans the President either to suffer m cas-
ures to becomes laws which he does not approve or
or TO incuf tho risk OF stopping the wheels Of gov
rrnhent by vetoing an appropriation bill. Former
ly, such bills were confined to special app ropriaons
for carrying into effect existing laws and tho well
established policy of the country and little time was
then required BY the President for their examina.
tim.
For my own part, have deliberately determined |
that shall approve no bill which havo not exam.
med, and it will be case of extreme and most ur.
gent necessity which shall ever induce to depart
from this rule. therefore earnestly, but RESPECT. |
fully recommend that the two Houses would alloG |
the President at least two days previous to the ad
josrnment of each session within which no new bill |
shall be presented to him for approval. Under the
existing joint rule one day is allowed; but this rule
has hitherto been so constantly suspended in practice
that important bills continue to be presented to him
up till the very last moments Of the session. In a
large majority Of cases greet public
ca arise from the want Of time to examine their pro-
visions, because the Constitution has declared that II
bill fs presented to the President within at least ton
days the Session he is not required to return It,
either with an approval with u veto, SIN which
case 1t shall not be law" 1t mayth lie over,
be taken up and passed at tho next session. Great
Inconvenience would only be experienced in regared
to appropriation bills; but fortunately, uudcr the late
excellent law allowing salary instead of per diem
to members of Congress, the expense and inconveh-
ence of called session Will be greatly reduced.
cannot conclude without commenting TO your
favorable consideration the interests of the people of
this District. Without representative on :he floor
of Congress- they have, for this very reason, peculiar
claims upon our just regard. To this, 7 know from
my long acquaintance with them, they are eminently
entitled.
JAMES BUCHANAN.
WASHINGTON, December 8, 1857.