The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-07-07

the government Tor the year ending last m0ntn
shows the amount to be five hundred and fifty
millions of dollars. But in fact 1t is more than
that in legal money. A hundred and seventy
millions was from customs, which are paid In
gold This would make the total amount in
legal money or currency over six hundred and
twenty millions. This immense sum IL all
drawn from the ordinary sources Of taxation
and not from loans; it II not revenue for
war purposes or in war times, but one In
time Of peace and for the peace establish
ment Of government 1t Is unprecedented in
this country, and we think there has been
nothing like 1t In the history Of any other
country. Over six hundred and twenty
millions Of ordinary peace revenuel We
wonder if the people, II our plain, honest
farmers, mechanics, and tradesmen-the
taxpayes-ever thought about this. 1t
is enough to make them open their
eyes with establishment We may feel proud Of
a country with such resources, but upon re-
Election the questions naturally arise, Is this
enormous revenue necessary Is it not an un-
necessary burden upon the peoplei Is it not
source Of vast corruption and of dangerf
We know how 1t is aptto be with individuals
who roll in wealth, especially with those who
have the ready use Of the wealth of others.
We know that this necessarily leads to extrava-
gance and dissipation. How much more is 1t
the case with governments, and particularly
with such government as oursf We have
only to look at the doings Of Congress, which
holds the purse strings, to satisfy ourselves of
<ho oVyslo Or
times when powerful and healthy opposition
in the national Legislature may hold in check
extravaganza and corruption, but never when
a dominant and INSCRIPTIONS party, like that of
tho radical republicans now in power, can
carry everything before II. Constituted as the
present Congress is it would be contrary to ex-
psrlenoe and human nature to expect any
thing else than corruption and waste
of the public money. The overwhelming radi.
cal majority laugh at the feeble opposition Of
a few men, and carry their corrupt schemes
over the veto of an honest President. If
we were to 60 back four or five years, to
the time when the present ruling party COM
menccd to control the legislation of the coun-
try, and examine all that 1t has done, we should
find that the sum Of q thousand millions, fully
one-third of the national debt, has been recl-
lessly wasted. How many Of the friends Of
Chase, Thaddeus Stevens, Sumner, Wade, Will
son and the other radical leaders and mem
bers of Congress have been made rich during
that time out of the treasury
A list of the jobs now before Congress, or
that have been acted upon by one or both
houses, to appropriate public money and pro-
perty for the benefit Of individuals and partisans
would be startling to contemplate. The public
are familiar with the infamous Freedmen's
Bureau BILL which the President vetoed
in its original shape; the Montana BILL
which he also vetoed; the scheme to
establish o costly system of education for
the negroes; the proposition to loan
money to Mexico; an enormous job to build
the Mississippi levees; the national debt con-
solidation scheme, which would put forty mil
lions or so into the pockets Of Jay Cooke and
others; the national bank fraud, by which the
government squanders away twenty to thirty
millions upon vast and sSSs and schemes
These have been brought to light and have
been more or less ventilated; but there are |
number Of others being worked up by the |
lobby and in the committee rooms.
The last and greatest job is the Tariff bill. |
Those who framed AMI are manipulating this |
abominable bill pretend that it will not in |
crease the revenue and that it is to regulate |
duties on more just principle. But this is |
not so. The people are to be cheated by the |
Tariff bill as they have been by the other acts |
and doings Of this Congress- Prices are now
going up in consequence Of the increased du- |
ties proposed The bill will probably add |
fifty millions or more to the revenue, and that |
at time when the revenue is enor- |
mously too great II considerable |
portion Of the debt were liquidated |
be some excuse for it, but this is not done, nor
will be done; such an immense income only |
furnishes fund for a corrupt Congress to squan-
der away. The Tariff bill is bill! to enrich |
few manufacturers and capitalists and those |
who have stocks OF goods on hand II is not |
needed and can be for no other purpose. The \
people, the Industrious classes, the farmers, |
and all who labor, will have 10 pay increased
prices for what they use and wear for the |
benefit of few. Such is tho state Of things
we have been brought to and that we shall |
have to endure, from the acts Of the most cor
rupt Congress that ever assembled How long
will such body-will such doings be toler-
atcd? We shall see whether there be common |
sense and virtue enough in the country to re-
pudiate the men who are doing oil this. The
elections in the fall will lie. us know what we
ma In tba 6tt,i In apt;t
the President should veto the Tariff bill and
all the other nefarous jobs Of tho radicals, and
should enlighten the public on the whole sub
ject of our finances and system Of legislation
with regard to them