New-York daily tribune., 1859-02-10

ocrstic caucus. The cancus proposed 70 cut down
the government expenses 10 the lowest possible
point TIE result vii probably be the cutting mp
by the rOots OF what little there is left Of the All
Mr. Crawford Of Georgia, mem
her Of the Committee Of Ways and Means, friend
of Mr.. Secretary Cobb, and free trader, seems
tOhaye been the leading spirit in the e1Hcns
in favor Of s reissue OF JreasnTy notes
in preference 20 a revision Of the tJrf. and
and OF diHiai.hing expenditures without also stop
ping innunrrable ciandesti'e leaks (vulg-rly
called jotbipg prcHlati0n and s.eallug), ~ the
TIessury. This geutirm man Was WIDE Of TIE marx
in some Of his financial calculations. For example,
be estimated the iu;Gse revenue, from the present
tariff, at ffty.siX millions annually, and from the
sales OF the public lands stiOur mllllocs NO", the
sin pie facts are, that during the last seven years
Of the tariff Of 1876, the average annual revenue
from custOms was So, ,20j, OC0. We al know t11t
the imJoIt. iu these seven years were very large,
and toward the close Oft1at period excessive Doe.
any bO6y suppose tat the ilpDrts 11ll be larger ID
the first seven years under the tariff Of l-J1
Now. il 20 happens, that taking the amount anf
bird Of iupois of the last seven years Of tae tarn
Of l-46 as a basis and applying 70 them the ra'e
ofduies provided by the tar1 Of i751, and the re-
sult would be- an annual revenue Of si4'J54,UOO'
That is fully eleven millions less per annum than
the estimate of Mr Crawford. HIS calculations
ia respect to the income from toe public hHds, sTe
al.o delysive For the lsst few years II has not
averaged fOur millions per aDnum. VIII the sales
be greater during toe coming 1ye or six years
in these [ so items, then, about twelve miil"nS
slide from the foundation on which Mr. Crawford
and his ee.ira5e friends erect their tnancial su-
peTstruciuTe.
Msoy. perhaps most, Oftbe spec.G. retrenchments
talked sbOut IN the caucus, are 3ise. Some are
jn,ucriously demanded. But, reform should not
stop with looping Of patent abuses-merc eXtraya-
gaDees. The public ce reeks WITH rasctlIiy.
it is rotten With corruption. Democratic leaders,
and officials, and jObbers and fayor'es, and con-
tractors are pletroric with pecuatiOn, dropsical
with yeIshty I 10 peIperate the series Of crae es in
Kansas duIing PIerces Administration - elect
Buchanan, 70 cOncpt Lecompton ard force It upon
Congress, and 10 carry through the English bnbe,
have cost and viii cOst the Government, ere oil the
Jobs sre complet, all the contracts fulfilled, all
tie pledges redeemed, unfold sums.
After the exhibitions we have recently seen
on the floor Of C0ngess we can baye but feeble
faith il the proposed retrenchment OF open extray
8eances-much less in the exposure and cure of
latent abuses. A body OF gentlemen with huge
bill before them spprOpfiating milons OF dollars,
who vii spend all their Indignation through long
sitting, upon excessive horse bre for messengers
Of The two Houses tO ride to the PVstOfice on, and
two hundred and thirty fle extra boxes for MEM
bers to pack documents in, not exactly the men
that one would select to carry through Sir. Craw
foTds cfucus plan Of cutting down the expenses OF
the curIeut year eleven millions.
But, al is conjecture as t. the future Of the
financial cOmpli ,alions of the pending hour. If
there was ever bevy Of men that, in the Ian
guage of the street, did not know whether they
were on foot or on horseback, the Democracy in
CoDer, IS and the White House are those beWil-
deIed individuals.