Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-02-10

/. os957
Based upon tn sc figures, the gentleman estimates
[ that the expenses Of government for the present
fiscal year will, ''n all human probability, be from
ninety one hundred million dollars Ser, 20 DE-
icieIcy bill kas yet been introduced Or has any
beef called :or by the Secretary Of The Treasury,
except Tor the Post Office Department. l can also
stae from infOGmI.ion derived from The proper
source that much lers han one million will cover
all the deficiencies 10 appropriations fur th5 pres
fiscal year, excerpt in Of the department
b,ttre referred 20 Here 8gaia, then the gentleman
is equally unfIrtuntte as in mis- hcst clcuiatiOn
he makes = mis- axe Of Sl4 800 900 in deficiencies
in appropriations for 4 single cal year These
statements have gone 10 the country and il is
proper that their fsllacy should 20 to he cluu~
Try. l here dismiss the gen / mSu from OHIO, wi n
the remark thai he had better study more thoroughly
tbe rule Of position" before he again attempts TO
figure up expenditures for d I'm Jcrauc adminislra
lion.
The embarrassed condition Of the treasury is no
fault of the present or past a1minisfratiOn Il has
been before, aud the causes which produced IT
then have produced ike results nov Ia 1856,
when the cOuntry was prosperous. AMI business,
trade, and specul tim had reached their cumua-
ting point, the imports from foreign countries, from
which we derive most Of our revenue, IN value
Slo9 $50, 035. This furnished an ample amount Of
revenue TO defIay he expenses of the government,
and lesve surplus IN the treasury. In 1887 the
country visited BY monetary crisis which
caused the impOrtations to fall eff $40 000, 600 in
thai year; aud in 1913 the imports we're SO 23G G3I
less than in 1896. As the Imports decreased so did
the revenue. The treasury was dep eted and the
government was compelled TO borrow money 10 carry
on it's operations. similar state Of things row ex~
lists. When the present administration came isto
power there surplus in the treasury, 10 reduce
which Congress, few days before, had reduced the
tariff Trade and speculation had again reached
their highest point Another financial revulsiOn
in fha t,sr.S 10,
great extent suspend d. large number Of the
banks broke, aud The balance stopped payment.
Uuder these circumstances the imports from foreign
countries e eff tor single year SOS, III 69l I c
surplus in the treasury soon disappeared uOder the
doub eff c. of reduced tariff and largely reduced
mLottalioDs, and again the government uEd
the necessity Of Borrowing mon-y 10 3e'ray is le-
innate expsnse4. What statesman say this
was The fault Of the administration? The tariff Was
reduced before il had existence, and no human
power could have prevented the reduction Of i'm
por into the country.
Economy IL she public expenditures has, Of late
days, become a favcrite hobby with cer'aia class
Of politicians in this country; snl in a majority
Of cases these who talk economy most practice it
least. lnvidiOus comparisons have b. el insntIted
between and cur fathers this subject, and be-
tween the expenditures Of the government now and
in lheearly days of the republic. Sir, while am
in faycr of srr'Ct economy and ace uniabi'i y in
every department. YET | would rike down no arm
of the public service, that might 20 home aud tell
my constituents that l bad, by my vote, saved 50
much Of the peoples money. There is no branch
of the pubic service that can be dispensed with;
neither do l expect to support a grown up nan as
eheaply a newborn i. fat. l intend 70 show,
not in he spirit of egotsm but in vnlcation Of
the truth Of history, that, 2 people. we
WISE as ST. and as economical as we're our IA
Tiers Sit, We have lived to bat little purpose If
we have degeuerated either as a people or a pa
toe. There are no DOUBT plenty OF corrupt men
but hope the time may never come when l III al
be made 10 believe that this government is corrupt
either in The legislative, executive, or judicial de-
Partment
Add here, M Chairman, l must take occasion to
observe that an not Of those who believe that
all that is in the pas is good, and all in The present
is evil-that as we 90 forward decay progresses,
and as we turn back we are then, ard then only,
refreshed with vide spread examples Of purity. in
tegrity, and patriotism, and The whole boiy-Foiiiic
leavened with spirit Of both public and private
economy. From the early days Of Greece a1d Rome
down TO the times II which row live II has been
the practice f croakers in private aud demsgogu
in public TO reve and belittle eolemporaue Us men
and things By insulting comparisons with he ex~
sggerlreI past. We are told by Eoglshmen Of The
good old days of Queen Bess-those good old dogs
when men and women ware burned at The sake Tor
using their tongues too freely; Of the palmg DAYS
OF Eng and under the Georg. s-thOse palmy days
when Prime Ministers stood at the doors Of the
House OF Commons, with money in hani, openly
and unbushingy purchasing the votes Of members
! Tie truth IS, human nature is the as Il
was a. the commencement of the World--0nly to be
re strained influenced aud improved by Nise teach
/ ings, good examples. and the light Of Gospel
revelations. We had Judas Isear0t in the time OF
Saviour, and Benedict Arnold in the TINA OF cur
own glorious revolution; but neither the betrayal
Vi the one nor the psrhdy OF the other interrupted