Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1859-01-14

vidual. and will therefore leave the peo-
pie in the enjoyment Of all their means
not required for an unostentatlous ad-
ministration of the government.
The expenditures of the State have
been constantly augmenting of late years,
not only keeping pace with increasing
population. but many new items of dis
bursement have been added by way of
our charitable, reformatory, ed ucational
and agricultural institutions, and old
ones increased, until the ordinary re-
ceipts are far behind the annual demands
upon the treasury; presenting at once
the stern alternative of constantly ad-
vancing annual tax, or retrencament and
&c nomy. This view will be shown by
contrasting the ordinary expenditures of
the years ls47 to lS49, inclusive, with
those of later period.
1916. S259.0Oo 1856. Sl23 0oo
1917, 272.0OO 1857, 4OI. 900
1913, 100000 1853, $4,000
Showing an annual average exnendi-
ture during the first period Of 1882 900
and of 1896. 900 for the latter period
an average annual excess of the latter
over the former Of Sl64.000, and an ag-
gregate excess of si9l 900 for the three
years.
This increase in the annual expendi-
lures is mainly attributable to the adop-
tion of more liberal policy for the pro-
motion Of general education. the advance
ment of agriculture, and for the estab-
lishment and support Of charitable and
retormatory institutions. The wisdom
and humanity of this policy by the State,
is unquestionable; and yet it greatly in
creases the sphere ofits duties and the
demands upon its bounty, while it intro
duces into the public service new ele-
ment ofpublic solicitude, requiring the
utmost vigilance and watchfulness, un-
der the humanitarian impulses Of the
age, to keep in check the constant ten
dency to press up n the verge beyond
which public charity becomes excessive
libe. a!ity with the money Of the people,
and oppressive.
There is another class Of items which
90 to swell the annual expenditures,
regret to say, not in thcmsel, es merito-
rious, and VIII ch exist only as abuses, of
minor import Individually. but large in
the aggregate and which need to be cor
rected. appropriations for which, deem
it my duty to state should receive the
careful scrutiny Of each department Of the
90 ernment.
The liabilities of the State are Pub
lie Debt, 5000. 800; Trust Fund. SPA
57T 60; making Sll,24,O77 81. The
former is payable in unequal sums of not
less than $50, 900, nor more than $50
600 annually. and all at the close Of the
year 1876, while annual interest is paya-
bic upon the later for the support Of
common schools, Indian annuities, &c.
&c.
The resources Of the State are its pub
lie lands and securities in the Land Of
fee. These securities are nominallv
SIPS, 900, moiety of which, at least, |
fear will be lost to the Treasury, and
the legislation of 1856 will need be ap-
piled to the balance to render them avail
able.
There are at the present time about
two million acres of public lands. OF
these 500, 900 acres are valuable chief
" as settling lands. OF these $780,
900 acres are valuable chiefly as settling
lands, and under our present policy, or
any that it would be though. wise to
adopt, will yield no revenue to the Trea-
sury. The residue, under judicious
system of annual permits aid occasional
sales, might be made to yield. it is be-
lieved,- a sum sufficient to extinguish
the public debt.
The Approximate estimate OF receipts
and expenditures for the current year,
furnished me by the Treasury, are; re-
ceipts $36S, 900; expenditures S43l,-
600. This estimate includes an item Of
$50, 900 of the public debt payable the
present year, and which l recommend
should be paid, and not renewed, and
thus begin, what should be the settled
policy, to pay and cancel the public debt
of the State as 1t natures This estl-
mate also embraces an item of receipts
of So, 900 from the Land Office, the re-
alization of which will depend upon the
action of the Legislature. 1t does not
embrace our claim upon the general gov
eminent or interest upon expenses incur
in the protection of the disputed terrific
ry, from which source Sli GOO were re-
ceived the last year through the efforts
of our agent at Washington, and there
is reason to hope that some $40 900 may
be realized from that quarter the pres
ent year.
1t will become your duty to provide
for the deficiency of receipts to meet the
ordinary expenditures, as we'll as for any
dlmand upon the Treasury arising from
appropriations for purposes not embrac-
ed in this list. 1t should be observed
that no merely temporary expedient
would be what is plainly demanded
by the financial circumstances Of the
State, II is obvious, from a glance at
our expenditures and resources, that the
former, in .he future, must he greatly
retrenched or the State tax largely in
creased. Nothing is clearer than our
duty as legislators to keep our current
expenditures within our ordinary annual
income, and as statesmen to provide for
the future, so that the expenditures shall
be annually met by the accruing re-
celpts. Whatever exists as mere abuses
of our system, whether in the toleration
of unnecessary offices, or questionable
practices. are comparatively easy to be
reformed, and would naturally fall under
an ordinary effort at retrenchment,