Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1865-02-21

~ 9Th, 1865 on The bH 10 amnd on ad untitled
".An nct 10 BrOp,de rtDenhe D. support The Gov
rRmtnt 10 ply interest on III ppbnc debt nnt
for other ! urpOses, O proped June 30, 1864.
Mr. Lhairm IN, at an eari period of he session
it was my purpose on some proper occasion to sub
NIT some remarks upon the fn4Dcil question
which now so largely concern the p g enl and iu
tute CONDITION Of our oountr, but al the pressu
time | shall nor detiiu the committee ioDg, hu
C Niue myself min y 10 I've duty Of expalLih4
such features Of tie bill 90 may be considered nov
OF not heretofore enibIaced 10 cur Internal ieyt
nue laws. The lea Ing Object Of the legislation
now proposed is TO make considerable increas,
0f revenue, and thereby reenloroe tbs Treasury
at the sans lime We are adding to our iofee il
the field
1t is not TO be disguised that our requirement
have been on SO vas scie, and m7st continue
10 be for yet time lorger, that il requires the
coolest ssgaoity and greatest skil 70 successfully
conduct our 6aanoai afiirs. Il is not Necessary
70 moot the QUESTION wnether the adoption Of tht
ega-tender paper currency vas wise er not
though my own opinion sl. ncHnes to The neg
atiYe, as on ali sides il will nw bs generally CON
csded that the time bas arrived when The further
Z
ties and evidences OF b. must be promptly ar
rested. The only mode Of certainly accomplish
ihg this object is BY Increasing the revenues oi
the country, even il We should have to 70 so far
az to equslize revenues and expenditures. do
not think this will be Necessary but fit were
Necessary, feel certain we night pay as 70. 20.
Yet il might be unWiss to push tsxaurn 70 that
extent We ore engaged 10 war for which pos
terlty can pre- emnsnlly afford to bear its i,ir
share Of the cos. Mr. Gladstone, the financial
minister Of England, made a futile attemp. to
place the whole burden Of the Crimean war al
once upon the British people. Commencing
comparatively out Of debt, win unstraln.d resour-
ces, snd backed up by an allpervading patriotism
OF the people, we might do better but il is not
now proposed to try tbs experiment. The FIVE
per cent. war income tax will have PROD lc.d
about thirty.fvs million dollars, which shows the
income Of the whole country on incomes exceed
ing 5000 to have been 100000 900 and il TO
this we add the probable nmodnt which escaped
this tax, the whole annual income OF The country
could not be computed Of less than 1 5000 O.,
900, and this is much more than our annual rate
Of expenditure has been thus fat duriag lhs re.
bellIon. Beysn1 this, hold that for every do.-
ar W raise now We shall lessen more than pro-
rata amount Of future Indebtedness. We lessen
II first by the actual payment Of dollar for dollar,
and next by the tslsmanc power eTerted upon
values, whereby the cost Of all the immense war
ou,-fts of the Government will be greatly reduced,
and ils magnitude rendered ess unweldy and
placed within safer limits. II will also Tend TO
rass the value Of that currency paid out TO the
officers and men belonging to the military, naval,
ahd civil establishnfenti Of tho Government, and
relieve US from the pressure for an increase OF
pay and salaries. Who will maintain that this is
not more excellent way than II would be 10 take
steps in the opposite dlrec,ioS, BY increasing the
aominal amount Of pay ami salaries twenty per
cent, only to find, when We return to the next
sessiOn of Congress-, that we had imposed upon
TIE Treasury Department the inexorable uecessi.
y ofa gresnbacS expansion instead Of a curlsIl-
menI, aud that officers and men were as much
s,rsitsned to live upon their twenty per cent. sd-
vance as they were the year beioIe without Ii
Our great lakes oi paper currency viii become a
shsfeess ami bo' tomless sea unless We eau csnhne
II here and nov villain fixed bounds, never TO be
changed, eGcep; b. gradual IMPRESSION within
narrower limits.
Those who assume that great expansion of
chrreucy is great fertilizer and pubuc benefit,
and cling to that idea as part Of the permanent
pol cy OF the country, must eoncsde that The re-
Del Ststss have reached an acme # prosperity to
sheh We have not vet arrived. Win US gold
dsllar purchases two dol ars OF United states cur
lency Among the rebel, tSO dJilirs aud a halt
IN gIld viii ou! Que hundred 20 lars Of tnelr pa
per. Tnl1 u me appetts tJ Be he rJad ~ iulo
4nd not to pfosper"y
NJ one dOuo.s our ultimate success 10 subdu
ns, III rolsns aud oreye., NE breat reoeiHOn.
lntt our people Viii hsut Uu tns idea there is no
question ods The last querj l., wall tntj pay z
II tnls is uOt 50, sny Is IL lnat E4Iope Is anoSeu
so-day / oOJaia uuf bJIIs AZ ual tntlr tom .nAi
value We ali kuOs tad ,nsl " Il Orpdd " Tue
utgermOs. i,r,a.Is, anI tnsr ,n.r ase value Is uo
less lhaa The nJ,Hiua,i out having piUyl1ed a
means by when our owu people eau pa! lor tneu
IN currency deprecated, Is lu yVss,Ule ~ PIE.
vent Foreigners hon ayalung themselves Uf tne
same pu, ,ege. b, further la,eIIon We shall b.
10 the Al rSet less lrtque0ty, and II We sell our
oonds Tor Wnal Iney wh brlag. The pncs oblaI sd
will gradually more nearly approximate ~ thsh
setLai Value, We shall smooth lne path If an,
iulurs Secretary of the Treasury, aud deal more
Justly by ourselves as well Us poslerlty, whose
taxation hereafter as wsll ~ our own wal b. d..
mlnlshsd.
The owner Of any incumbered estate, With the
title 10 dispute, must pay a higher rate OF in,el-
est than the owner OF an unettersd es tate not 10
dispute. 80 We must pay, possibly, higher rate
Vi Interest than We should have u pay were there
no Tsoel bluodnounds bnklng al our heels but
we Can al least Try to make that rate Of interest
the only barometer which shall indicate the ecu.
dilion ct our puolc ofedr.
The stupsudous improvements ia modern war.
fare, It's costly scientific requirements, will here
after make all wars far more sxpeusvs than in
the pas, history Of the world. Ins was EXHIBIT.
ed very prominently in the late struggle OF tie
English and Frenon with the Russians, and our
own Example points still more strongly ia the
same direction. More than ever money enters
into tn. calculation Of success The Anews Of
men may not iAl, but they must be fed aud clothed
transported, paid, and pensioned, and iron, salt,
and saltpeler must be had in abundance. a shot
or shell that once answered the purpose at cost
OF few cents as nov fashioned, costs as many
dollars cannon hat 10 1870 would have been
dear enough at 800, is now cheap, perhaps at
80 900. The sklll Of whole nations cunnln
workmon is brough, into &C ion, whether in the
small patent fuse OF the most pondtrous engine,
and al the operations, By land or se', arc on a
Tltaric scale.
With these inevitable conditions, any nation
involved in war must now husband us resources
Or it may be forced to conclude an iuglouous
peace aud It must call Iorth It's resources, or i
will be mited 10 the first ditch.
Bu. need not waste the time Of the commit.
lee on this point The soundneG OF the polio, CT
increased reyenu is obvious TO The nerest ,,ro
10 hcance. ! aill not, therefore, allcpi,e apy
objection on this score to the general purpose Of
the bill, but suppose i will arise as 10 its details,
II il shall atise Al ALI