Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1870-12-08

secure American shipping on the
high seas and American shipbuild-
ing at home.
CARE OF NATIONAL ARCHIVES.
The condition of the arc hives at
the Department of State calls for the
early action Of Congress. The build
ing now rented by the Department is
frail structure, at an inconvenient
distance from the Executive man
sion and from theother Departments
1t is ill-adapted to the purpose for
which it is used, has not capacity to
accommodate the archives, and is
not fire-proof. Its remote situation,
its slender construction, and the alb
sence of supply of water in the
neighborhood, leaves but little hope
of safety for either the building or
its contents in case of the accident
of fire. Its destruction would in
volve the loss of the rolls containing
the original acts and resolutions of
Congress, of the historic records of
the Revolution, and of the confeder-
alton of the whole series of diplo-
matte and consular archive since the
adoption of the constitution and of
the many other valuable records and
papers left with that department
when it was the principal deposito-
ry of the government archives. 1
recommend an appropriation for the
construction of a building for the
Department of State.
TRANSFERS FROM DEPARTMENTS.
l recommend to you the reconsid-
Grafton of the propriety of transfer
ring to the Department of the Inter
ior, to which they seem more appro-
priately to belong, all powers and
other duties in relation to the terri
tories with which the Department
Of State is now charged by law or
usuage, and from the Interior De-
partment to the War Department the
Pension Bureaus so far as it regulates
the payment of soldiers pensions.
l would further recommend that the
payment Of naval pensions be trans
ferred to one Of naval bureaus of the
Navy Department. a..
THE ESTIMATES.
The estimates for the expenses of
the Government for the fiscal year
are SIS, 244, 346 Oh less than for the
current one, but exceed the appro-
priations for the present year for the
same items $S,972,127 Sc. In this
estimate, however, is included $22,-
1885, ,27S 81 for public works hereto
fore begun under Congressional pro-
vision. and of which only so much
is asked as Congress may choose to
give. The appropriation for the
same works for the present fiscal
year was $11, ,9S4,51S OS.
RELATIVE VALUE OF GOLD AND CUR
RENCY.
The average value of gold as
compared with national currency
for the whole of the year 1859, was
about 134, and for the eleven months
of 1870 the same relative value has
been about 115. The approach to
a specie basis is very gratifying, but
the fact cannot be denied that the
Instability of the value of our cur
rency is prejudicial to our prosperity
and tends to keep up prices to the
detriment of trade. The evils of a
DEPRECATED and fluctuating currency
are so great, that now when the
premium on gold has fallen so much,
it would seem that the time has ar
rived when, by wise and prudent
legislation, Congress should look to
a policy which would place our cur
rency at par with gold at no distant
day.
REDUCTION OF TAXATION.
The tax collected from the people
has been reduced more than $50, ,OO0,-
cooper annum. By steadiness in
our present course there is no rea-
son why in a few short years the
national tax gatherer may not dis
appear from the door of the citizen
almost entirely, With the revenue
stamps dispensed by the postmasters
in every community, a tax upon
liquors of all sorts, and tobacco in
its forms, and by wise adjustment
of the tariff which will put a duty
only upon those articles which we
could dispense with as luxuries, and
on those of which we use more than
we produce, revenue enough may be
raised after few years of peace,
and consequent reduction of in
debtedness. To fulfill all our obi
cations, further reduction of ex-
pense, in addition to a reduction of
interest account, may be relied on
to make this practicable.
Revenue reform, if it means this,
has my hearty support. If it i'm
plies collection of all the revenue
for the support of the Government,
for the payment of the principal and
interest of the public debt, pensions,
etc., by directly taxing the people,
then l am against revenue reform,
and confidently believe the people
are with me. If it means failure to
provide the necessary means to de-
fray all expenses of Government,
and thereby reputation of the pub
lie debt and pensions, then am
still more opposed to such kind of
revenue reform. Revenue reform
has not been defined by any of its
advocates to my knowledge, but
seems to be something which is to
supply every mans wants without
any cost or effort on his part. A i
true revenue reform cannot be made
in day, but must be the work of
rational legislation and of time. AS
soon as the revenue can be dis
pensed with all duty should be re-
moved from coffee, tea, and other
articles of universal use not pro-
duced by ourselves. The necessi- |
ties of the country compel us to
collect revenue from our imports. |
An army of collectors and assessors
is not pleasant sight to the citi-
zens, but that OF a tariff for revenue
is necessary. Such tariff, so far as
it acts in encouragement to home
products, affords employment to la
Dor at living wages in contrast to
the pauper labor of the old world,
and also in the development of home