The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-12-06


May, ls65, numbered l,oee, Jl6- II IS pro-
posed 70 reduce the military establshmenti
40 q peace footing, COMPROMISING my
thousand troops of all arms, organi1ed % As
u sdmit of an enlafgenent by hlng up
he ranks to eighty -tHo thousano AK nun
ared, II the clreamstances Of the country
should require an augmentation OF the army.
The solunteer force has slready been re-
dueed 81 the discharge from service e over
eight hundred thousand troops, and the De-
paItfnent is proceeding rapidly in the work
Of further reduction. The war estimates
are reduced iTom s5l6, 2sg ,l4l u Sc, Sl4 .46l,
which amount, IA tne opinion Of The De
partment, IS adequate f5r a peace establish
Ineut The measures of fetreuchment IN /
each Bureau and branch Of the service exhibit /
4 diliFent economy worthy II conmenda-
tion. Reference is also made in Ihe report |
70 the necessity OF providing for a uniiotm !
mil tia system, and 70 the pTOPriety Of I
making suitable provision for wounded and /
disabled officers and soldiers.
rhs revenue system Of the country Is Q /
subject Of vital iaterest 70 its honor and 4
osperity, aid should command the ear /
nest consideration Of Congress. The secrs- /
tary OF the Treasury viii lay before you /
fnll and detailed report Of the receipts and /
disbui sements Of the last fiscal year, Of the l
first quarter of the present fiscal year, Of the /
probable receipts and exPenduuTes for the .
other three q larters, and the estimates Tor /
the year folio wing the 30th Of June, 1850. 1 |
might conteiIt myself with reference 10 /
that report, a which Won will find ali the |
information required f,r your deliberations
and decision. But Lhe paramount imPor- |
lance OF the subject 90 presses itself on my !
own mind, thst I cannot but lay before You |
my views Of the measures which are re
quired for the good character, and, / might
almost saw, for the existence Of this people. |
The lie OF q republic lies certainly in the
energy, virtue, and Intelligence OF its citi-
zers; but il Is equally true that a god rev
enue system is the life Of an organised gov
ernment / meet you at time when the
nation has voluntarily burdenei itself with
a debt unprecedented in our annals. Vast
as is its amount, il faies away into nothing
when compared with the countless bless
| ings that will be conferred upon our c0un-
try aud upon man by the reservation Of
the nations G6,. NOS, on the first ocea-
sion OF the messing Of Congress since the
return OF peace, il IS OF the utmost import
ancc to iuaugurate just policy, which,
shall at once be put in motion, and which
shall eommend itself 10 those who come al
ter US for its continuance We NUT aim
nothing less than the complete eiiaeement
OF the financial evils that necessarily fol-
| lowed g state OF civil war. We must en-
I
deranged sla:e Of the currency, snd not
/ shrink from devising policy which, with
/ ont being oppressive 10 the people, shall
| Immediately begin 10 effect q reduction OF
Il the debt, and, il persisted in, discharge Il
fully within q definitely liked number Of
/ years.
IL Is our first duty to prepare in earnest
for our recovery from the ever increasing
| evils Of an irredeemabls currency, without
1 \ u IL 4 . hrsn nm
| timely procrastination. For that end We
| must, each in our respective positions,
! prepare the way. ! hold it the duty of the
| Executive TO indst upon frugahtyin the ex-
pendltures; and a spArlng economy is ITSELF
| a great national resource. Oh the banks TO
which euthority has been given 70 issue
notes secured by the bonds of the United
States, we may require the greatest mod
eration and prudence, and abe law must
be rigidly enforced when Its limits are ex-
ceeded. We may, each one Of us, counsel
our active and enterpTising countrynen 10
be constantly on their guard, 70 hquidate
debts contracted in a paper currency, and
By conducting business as nearly as posi-
Bile on a system Of cash payments or short
credits, 10 hold themselves prepared to re-
turn to tho standard OF gold and silver
To aid our fellow-eitizens in the prudent
management Of their monetary Affairs, the
duty devolves upon us 10 diminish By Law
the amount Of paper money now in circGla-
tion. Five ysais ago the bank-nole eireH-
letion Of she country Amounted to not more
than two millions; now the circulation,
bank and national, exceeds seven hundred
millions. The simple statement of the fact
recommends more strongly han any words
Of mine could do, the necessity of our re-
strainIng tins expansion. The gradual 70
duc1ion Of the currency is the only measure
that can save the business OF the scouutry
from disastrous calsmities; GDd this can be
| almSst imperceptibly accomplished by grad
uHliy funding the national circulation in
securities that may be made redeeln8ble NJ
the pleasure OF the Government.
Our debt 10 dOuDiV secure-trst in tho ac
tual wealth and still greater undevslOped
reiouices Of the country and next in the
| character o. our insiitHtions. The most in
telligent observers among political ono
b | mists have not failed 10 remark, that the
public debt of a country is safe in proper
ton as itspeople are free that the debt of
a republic is the safest Of all Our history
confirms and establishes tbs theory, ami is
! firmly believe destined 10 give Il a still
more signal llustrAt on. ghS secret OF this
} superiority springs noI mere y from the fact
that IN a republic the national Obligations
4 are distributed more widely through count
less numhers in ga classes Of society; il has
u, root in the character Of opr lave. Here
. all men contribute TO the public Weliare,
and bear their fair share Of the public bur
dens. During The var, under the impulses
Of patriotism, tha ERn o. the great body Of
/ the people, without regard - their own
comparative want Of wealth, thrcn2sd 10
oar ARMIES and allied our heets Of war, and
held themselyes ready 10 u. their lives
Tor thu pubic good. AOw, IN their turn, the
property and income Of the country should
bear their just proportion Of the harden OF
| taxation, while our import system, through
means OF which increased yitsiity is Incl
dentally impaired - Ell the iBdqstrisl in
tsrests Of The natl, u, the dulles sh0Hid lie 80
adjusted as 10 fall most heavily on artislss
Of Injury. leaving the neeesseries Of lie as
free from taxation - the absolute wants OF
the Government, economically sdminlster-
ed, will justify. No favored class should
II demand freedom from assessment, and the
Z .ages shOuld7be 50 distributed as not to hll
uneuly on TIE POOR, but rather on the aceu-
1hed' wealth Of t. V ,Cetry Weasbould
look at the national DEBT ftist as il is1Anot
as a national blessing, but asa heavy bur
deg ~ The Industry Of the country, to lie
aiseh9rgsd .Eithagt aaBsees 'sry delay.
u is estimated bY lhe ssereIsFy 81 The
Treasury that the expenditures for the fiscal
geaf enaiBg The Sd Of June, 1865, will ex-
aeed the Receipts ll2,aeA ,eii, II is graft.
lying however, to state that il Is also esti-
mated that the revenue for the year ending
the SOth Of June, 1867, will exceed the eye
4 pendi1ures in the sum Of Sill esq., SIS. This
AinS0iii, - 50 much as may be deemed suf
1 69ert 19T tie parp0se, 10y 10 RDplis1 10
the redpct on q III pyrblirdebt, which, on
| lAs SIS day Qf October, 1885. vas Sz,f46.-
sst's9v. Every Fsfaosila MI diminish The
~ slR9sal o iatetesi r b Psid, aRa SO
enlarge los meaRs 81 still further reductions,
until the whole should 10 Inundated; and
this, a. Will be seen from the estimate, of
! the Secretary Of the Treasury, NAV be ac-
eemp'ists8 by snng,l payments even with
IN ifeaee pof exeeea:rf lhifly ysaEs /
have Iaith that We shall 10 a!l his Within q
ieasQnabie tiuieS thHt, as we hFve -art, gaj |
the Wsfi9 by the suppression Of a'cfyiISyar |
wilss5e vas sgsaght 3 % bSyond the con !
/ troi 4 any government, 50 We shall esgsliv |
show the superiority III or Institutions b9 |
the prompt and fsithlal dlschsrge ri our |
national obligations.
The Department Of Agriculture, under ia |
present. direction, IS accomplishing much in /
deystogi3g end utilizing tue vast aqricul n /
rsl capabilities sf tge COUNTRY. ana for in
formation respseiiDs thu Z tail. OF il Ian
agement reference Is made 10 the afIbO6i 4
report Of the Commissioner.
base dwelt thus fully on our domestic
atflrf because OF their transcendept i'm
pcfAnee- pEaeT 2ny circumstances, our
greaeeHtent Of territory Rnd variety OF eli
mate, pretueing almost everything that Is
necessary for the wans AID even tnecom-
t2rts o. nan, makes rs sihghlarly iniepen-
de1t ~ lhs ysfy Inc policy o. fofeipn nov
e. aud pT9ieet % kgsirst every telaDta-
son 70 "eBiangliRg siliences,H while sftAet
pie'snt Womsnt the s-estsblishmeut 81
harmony, aud The strength thet g Syles from
harmony, vial be our best security asaipst
nations who feel power and iorg5t rfgbf .
For myself, it has been, aud it win be- my
constant aim TO promote peace and amitv
Wis ~ foreign nations and povers; and I
have every reEsSG e believe that they an.
Wiiheat exoepll9ai are agilestsd bv the same
disposition. Our rslssiOns with thaaEtara- /
ror 81 Chinas 50 recent instheir osis.il.. are
I'ost friendly Cur commerce with hls d.
ihlniGas = receiving newdsvclopments. and
= y very piss'iGg e find that the Govern
mentor that great Empire msnifests satis-
act on Wish eur polsey,i and reposa- inst i Z
IA fe1ce'in the fairness which euarks .,n7t,
the Hhofekea harmony between the :
United State, aud TIE I,i!tsvsr' 6f RSs.is i I
T,eeeiviog Rev support feota a. siiti -. =