Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1858-08-27

how much was collected, &c, and here is the
official report from every collection district in
the United States
/ have singled out a part Of them as ex-
amples. ("When can we have the report - !
You can have this published. it is a public
document. ("Ilas Douglos got it, pre-
sumo he has, for he sustains the Administra-
ton on every point save one. | will now give
you some account Of the total expense Of col
Letting the revenue for several years past In
1850 Congress passed law appropriating
$4,000 annually to defray the expenses
OF collecting the revenue east Of the Rocky
Mountains. During Taylor's and Fillmore s
/ Administration, the whole revenue east of the
Rocky Mountains was collected for about two
million dollars per annum, leaving surplus
of more than Sl600,00 at the end of the
four years. During the four years Of the
Administration Of General Pierce he used up
/ the 81. $50. 600 per annum and every dollar
Of the Sl.600.O00 remaining over from the
Fillmore Administration besides. After Mr..
| Buchanan came into power. Mr.. Secretary
Cobb, in his first report, asked Congress to
appropriate S3,7O0.O 900 annually to collect
the revenue in the same district Of country
where only about ? 1000 900 had been required
five years before. What was the reason for
this vast increase of expense: None was
given Congress did not appropriate the
S3,700,000 asked for but it did appropriate
$4,000 600 for collecting the revenue east of
the Rocky Mountains The amount Of the
revenue collected is less than during Fill
more's administration, when it was collected
for s2,000,0O0. The reason Of this increase
is partly because supernumerary officers have
been employed Gen. Pierce 1dded more than
three haadred clerks 10 the Custom House in
Ne,c Iork, and ! suppose they mere paid oUer
$1,000 aDiccc-hat alone ,couid make $500 600:
and so il was that the average annual ex-
pense Of collecting the revenue this side Of
California. during the Pierce administration.
was nearly million more than during Fill
mores; and during the first year of Buchan-
ans administration they want 81 800. 900
more to collect the revenue for a single wear
than it took four years before. Fellow cit-
zens, are you for continuing this state of
things: Does it meet your appreciation
mo, no, no" Do you not think it would
be better to take some of this money, thus
sqnandered upon party favorites. to protect
your imm' commerce, to improve your
harbors, and save the lives Of your citizens
on these great lakes; Cries Of Eyes. yes. 90
! suppose that would be unconstitutional in
the opinion of the ruling dynasty. laughter
but it is not unconstitutional to pay man
five hundred dollars to collect one Laugh
ter.
could dotain you, fellow citizens. for hours
in pointing out the extravagances of the past
and present Administrations. with all their
professions Of economy. But | have said
enough, trust, to call your attention to the
matter have stated the gross amount
which the government is using per annum,
and you will find that for the last five years
more money was expended than for the first
thirty-fve years of the government The in
crease of expenditures is many times as great
as the increase Of population, or the extent
of country, and there is no reason for this
But there is not only extravaganza in the col
lection of the revenue, but in all branches Of
the public service. They are in the habit at
Washington of multiplying offices. Judicial
districts are divided when there is no cause
for it, and when the public service does not
require it; and then judges, and marshas
and attorneys are appointed, and the expense
of courts is incurred. Ports of entry arc
established when there is no occasion for
them, and immense sums of money are Law
ished upon favorite places in the construction
of palaces. | verify believe that this govern
ment can be carried on, aud properly carried
on, for less than one-half the money now
used by this Administration protesting econ
omy cheers and loud applause, and | ask
you now if have not made good the charge
that the professions of this party are all false
with regard to economy as to freedom -
! Cries of eyes yes Then ! ask you, is
it to be sustaineds | am satisfied that the
people of this country cannot approve of these
things You cannot believe in the profess
sions of men who practice directly the reverse
| of what they profess. You cannot believe
that men arc sincerely for economy, when
they are plundering the public treasury and
| if you don't hurl from power such party the
! first opportunity you have, it must be because
| you fear that those who are to succeed them
will do no better Now, is that so +? Cries
Of "Nol mo-"
| Having given the views of the Republican
| party, as | understand them, in regard tn
slavery, ! designed to have said something
upon the unwarrantable assumption of power
/ by the federal executive. but am already Sc
much exhausted as to be unable to do So
intended tohave pointed out to you the nature
of the assumptions Of power on the part Of
the federal government tending to consolidate
and to break down the sovereignty of the
/ states 10 nave SHOWN, as II can be shown
and demonstrated, that this party, now calling
itself democratic, is the old federal party in
disguise. Mr.. Trumbull was an old Demo.
crat, and this point was received with cries o
$50 on, Good, good" $50 on" and APP
plauso. IL is true and can be demonstrated
to be true. The powers which have been
usurped by Pierce and Buchanan would have
led to the impeachment, believe, of Wash
ngton himself. Applause. Why, the
President of the United States now assumes
to raise armies without calling upon Congress
He has enlisted volunteers without the leas
authority from Congress. He has marche,
an army away to the Rocky Mountains, ant
encamped it there during the winter at an ex
pense of millions and millions of dollars, with
out the least authority of law.
But all that a Democratic Congress does /,
to raise the money to pay for the expedition
| say nothing here of the impolcy of that ex
petition; | speak Of the want of power il
the President to send it there 1t is done,
know. under tho pretended name of a poss
eomtatus to accompany the Governor. 1t i
the same sort Of subterfuge under which troop
we're employed in Kansas to compel submis
sion TO its invaders. You know what poss
com'tdtts is. II is the power of the countr
called ont by civil officer to assist in tn
expcution Of a nroppss ,vhnn rasietnd aa1 III