The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-03-20
Congress and The Finances---The Ne
eeSaIty for Retrenchment.

We find our recently expressed views
in regard to the duty of Congress in
connection with the national finances
strongly backed up by the Cincinnati
Commercial. We extract from its arti-
Gle on the subject as follows:
The "fiush times" of the war
have passed away, with the causes
which combined 10 produce them. As
the trade and industry of the country
gradually return TO the natural condi
tions of IA stale of peace, and we ap-
proach specie valuation, the tax-pRying
capacity of the people is necessarily re-
duced, and will henceforth be strained
TO its utmost limit to meet the interest
on our enormous debt, and the fndis-
pensabIe ordinary expenses OF the ma
tion. w that is imperaLively demanded
now IS the most rigid economy in every
branch of the public service, and the
merciless strangulation of every propo-
sition to appropriate money for pur-
poses not Indispensable to the opera
tons of the Government.
1t is to be feared. that Congressman
do not fully appreciate this change. AT
the late session, millions were wasted
on absurd schemes for 'improving"
harbors at places where, under the
laws of God and physical geography"
harbors do not and never can exist, and
#ELGN G44SAEuy lueI "Oulu
never be used. Other millions were
voted, with equal generosity. TO aid
railroads, build railroad bridges,
dredge out unnavigable and useless
creeks, establish arsenaIs, and do every
thing for everybody generally. Some
few schemes of lavish eXtraVagance. it
is true, although not lacking suppor-
last Congress, but they have been re-
vived, and are already thrust pertiua-
ciously in the face of the present. That
huge humbUS-the niagara ship-canal
scheme, is neither dead nor sleep
ing There is an Eastern company very
anxious to tiatter our natural pride by
establishing line of ocean mail steam
ers, and they only ask three or four
millions from the treasury to do it.
Still other patriotic people are bent
upon asserting the supremacy of Ameri-
can enterprise by cutting ditch across
the backbone. of the continent at Pana-
ma. There is Southern Pacific Rail-
road Company which cherishes great
expectations of Government bonds and
lands, and would doubtless be able TO
spare some shares of stock for the sons
and brothers, and aunts and cousins,
and mistresses of members; and there
are, besides, scores of Congressman,
ex-Congressmen, and their friends, who
have each pet good thing" in hand,
designated to bleed the treasury, and
put money in their individual purses.
Now, this sort of thing, to use an ex-
pressiye colloquialism, is very nearly
played out Taxpayers, it will be
found. have neither the ability to pay
for, nor the patience 10 endure, much
more of IT. 1t is close upon two years
sincethe end of the war; yet staggering
beneath the reckless extravaganza and
vicious financial policy of Congress,
the credit of the nation scarcely stands
so well in the gold markets of the
world to-day, as on the day Lee surren-
of Improvement, while any day NAV
develop some new tinkering with the
finances, or more astounding waste of
the cOuntrV's resources