Des Arc weekly citizen., 1868-12-22

To the genuine princlpieS Ot NcpuOt
 can government. Under the inhuent \ of1parfv passion ana ke9tionalI lfeJr
 dice. other acts have been passed nc
 warranted a5v sthd CsafNftdtiOns Con gpess has already been made faniiia with my views r9specting the Tenure -of-eflce bill,j ,jand experience has prov | es, that Iits repeal is demanded by th best interests of the country, and tha
 whilesh remains in force the sPresideu
 cannot enjoin that rigid accountabiiit | of public officers eo essential 10 jus
 aud efficient execution of the laws. an'
 its revocation would enable the Exec
 utive Department to exercise the pow
 CT of appointment and removal in ac
 cordance with, the. original design 0
 the Federal Constitution. The act
 March, 1867, making an appropriation
 for the support of the army for th
 year ending June 3Oth, 1867, and fo
 other purposes, cOntainining provis ions which interfere with the Prcsi dent's constitutional functions as Com
 mander-i,i-C Chief of the army and navy
 and the rights to protect themselves b!
 means of their own militia.
 These provisions should be at once annulled. for while the first might. iI a tsme of great emergency. seriousl.
 cmbarrass the Executive in his efforts to employ and direct the common strength ofthe nation for it's protection and power, the other is contrary to tho express declarations of the Constitu' tion; that well regulated militia be. iNg necessary to the security ofa free State, the right of the people to keet and bear arms shall not be infringetl
 is believed that tlie repeal of ail sucl laws would be accepted by the Anleri. can people as at last partial return |, the fundamental principles of tho Government, and Hn indication that hereafter the Constitution is to be made the unerring national safeguard They can be productive ofno perma. nent benefit to the country, and should not be permitted to stand .as 90 many monuments of the deficient wisdom which has characterized our recent legislation.
 The condition of our finances de- mauds the ready and earnest consiaera- ton of Congress. Compared with the growth of our population, the expendi- lures have reached ,a, amount unprece- ucnteu IT Out nstotv. 1uS PVput"tivh Of the United States in l790 was nearly 100000 and, increasing each decade about thixty per cent, 1t reached in lSC0 3l, ,O0O,OO -an increase Q. 7i5 per cent. on the population in l79O. In 1869 it is estimated that it will reach 3S, ,OO0, ,000--an increase oi S6S per cent. in seventy mine years. The annual ex- penditures otthe Federal Government in l79l were S4,200,00o; ; ;ir 1920. Sl0, 200 900; in 1850, S4l 100000; in 1860. S63,- 000.OOO; in 1865. nearly Sl.3)0,000.000. In 1869 it Is estimated by the Secretary of the Treasury, in his last annual re- port, that there will be S372.000.G00. By comparison, the public disburse- ments of lSG9, as estimated with those of l79l. it will be seen that the increase of expenditures since the beginning of the Government has been S,6lS per celitum. whileithc increase of popum- tion for the same period was only SbS per cemtum. Aglin, the expenses in 1860. the year immediately preceding the war, were only st3.OJO.O0O while in 1869, the year of fpeace, three years after the war, it is estimated at S372.0O0.0O0 an increase ot 4o9 per cehtum, while the increase of l.ubiic expenditures was only twenty-one per centum For the same period.
 The statistics further show that in l79l the annual national expenses com pared with inc population were little more than Sl % per capita, while in iSG6 they will reach the extraordinary sum ot' S9s 7S per capita. 1t will be that all of these statements referred to arc to exhibit the disburse- ments in time of, peace. Ii may, there fore, ba of interest 10 compare the ex- penditures of the three war periods, viz: the war with Great Britain, the Mexican war, and the war ot the Re heIlion. Tho annual expenses incident to the war of 1872, reached, at their highest amount to about S3l ,UO0.UO0, while our population exceeded S,0JO,- GOO. showing an expenditure of only $3 80 per capita.
 In lS47, the expenditures growing out of the war with Mexico reached x54,V0O. 900, and the population was about 2l.O0O,OOO, giving only S2 6O per capita for tine war expenses of that year. In 1865. the expenditures called for by the rebellion reached the vast amount of Sl, ,29O, ,OO9. 900, which, compared with n popuiaiion ot 34.00O000, gives S3S 20 per capita. From the 4th of March, l7o9, to the 30ih June, 1861, the entire expenditures of the Government were Sl, 700,0OO,000, and during that period we were engaged in war with Great Britain and Mexico, aud also involved in troubles with powerful Indian tribes. Louisiana Was purchased rom France at Il cost of $l5,000,0O0; Florida was ceded to us by Spain for S5,000.0>Do: :: California was acquired from Mexico for $l5,000000, and the Territory oI New Mexico was obtained from Texas tor the sun of Sl0,0oO,OO0. Early in 1881 the war of the rebellion com menced, and from the lst Of July uf that year to the Both Of June, 1865. the public expenditures reached the enor- nous aggregate of S3, ,30o,000,O00. Three years 0f peace have since intervened, and during that time the disbursements $ of the Government have successiveis been $5zO, 600. QUO, ,$3a6, ,O0O. 600 an d $373.- 000000. Adding to these amounts the S372.0)0. 900 estimated as necessary for the fiscal year ending the 30th of June, IS69 We chta!n < total expenditure Of $l ,o00. .000.O00 during the four years immediately succeeding the war--near- " as much as was expended during the twelve years that preceded the rebei- lion and embraced the extraordinary circumstances already named Fhcse facts clearly illustrate the necessity of retrenchmcnt In all branches of the public service. Abuses which were tolerated during the war for the prescr- vation of the nation will not he endured by the people, now that profound peace prevails.
 The receipts from internal revenue and customs have, during the past three years. gradually diminished, and the continuance of useless and exfravagant expenditures will involve us in nation al bankruptcy, or else make inevitable an4increaee of taxes already too enor-