The Portland daily press., 1870-11-18

ants for leadership, and too fnuch opportunity
for the display OF personal ealousies. I, for
one. am satisfied with the result there will
be no rings now to imuede legislation. Gen.
Schenck's defeat we have reason 10 regret.
He is an able, and trustworthy man, and was
a capable leader. His loss is the greatest OF
the campaign and the administration WIN
miss him in the House. We shall defeat tne
enemy next time.
We must keen onr finances firmly in hand,
continue to reduce our public debt which is
the most effective way to maintain the national
credit. and at the same time relieve our peo-
nle as much as possible from taxation. 10 do
alI this we are required to maintain sufii-
cient tariff for revenue; but we m lSt take
from the tariff list such articles as sugar, cof-
fee. and tea, and rely on luxuries alone for
our income. We must also relieve our people
from internal taxation, because it is the most
odious form OF collecting revenue. The law
which says to man, we assess YOU so much,
and if you do not pay it we will seize and sell
your property, is simply oppressive. For that
reason, II not for the protection of our home
industries, we must keep up at least a revenue
tariff When the people see and underst and
these facts, they will appreciate the MISSION OF
the administration.
OF Gen. Buffers late utterances, as report
ed in the Tribune, Mr.. Creswell said:
Ipresume the General means to put little
more backbone into the administration on
the Alabama claims and the fishery question.
But war we cannot afford. We are a contest
ing people, and addicted to it, but it is the du-
ty of rulers to avoid war. Gen. Butler is
mistaken in his premises. His scheme would
result rather to our disadvantage than other
wise, because settlement on his basis would
result in charge against our government,
and dO think hi,
England in debt to us, the people of Canada
are ready for annexation. No doubt they
would Le great advantage to us as COM
munity, as would the people of any of the
northern Provinces, and we would take them
to our fold gladly ii they would come of their
own accord. The truth is that the smugglers
as class, including numberless commercial
ramifications, the bankers, capitalists of all
grades, and the official people generally, are
earnestly opposed to annexation, while on
the other hand, a comparatively small ntlm-
ber Of the most substantial classes, the me-
| chaDics, and some of the agriculturists are
possibly in favor of uniting with us. From
this plain statement of the facts you will per-
ceive that Gen. Buffers scheme is without a
very firm foundation. OF course England
would prefer war to the loss of any one OF her
Provinces, and they are not sufficiently i'm
poTtant to us to warrant us IN provoking
contest. even if the Alabama difficulties could
be settled thereby, which doubt. 1t is the
work of this administration to foster peace
and eradicate, as far as possible, the lingering
bitterness of our great struggle.
AS 10 civil reform, if we paid better salaries
TO our Bureau heads we might have better Of
fcers. The difference between the man who
seeks such an Office and the one you seek for
it is simply infnity. think that such offices
for Instance, as Gen. Giles A. Smith, Assistant
Postmaster-General, who disburses from
twelve to fifteen millions of dollars every year
ought to be much better paid than they are.
l do not think the Government ought TO
make men rich while they are here, but it
ought to pay them enough 10 enable them to
live well, educate their children, and in short,
give them respectable competence. Eight
thousand dollars salary is not. sufficient for
Cabinet Minister to live on. Secretary Fish
pays $4,000 year rent for his house, and the
remaining $4,000, after taking the tax off, will
barely cover iuel and light; which brings me
back to the cons 'deratiOn of our National f.
nances.
We must have money with which 10 pay
the expenses of the Government, as well as to
pay its debts, and the easiest and most accept
able way to get it is in the manner I have al
ready indicated. Closely connected with this
subject is this sOcalled revenue refJrm move
ment. l cannot understand what these re-
formers mean. They must either intend
merely to deceive the people or repudiate our
debt, because we must have money, as have
said, not only to pay the debt, but tc run the
Government, and the only way we can get it
is by taxation in some form or another The
revenue reformerS ought to remember this
simple alternative, and be more. explicit in
their explanations.