The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1870-12-09

|
with her conduct with respect to the
navigation of the Mississippi. On the
ground that she possessed small do
main in which the Mississippi took its
rise, she insisted on the right to navi-
gate the entire volume of its waters.
On the ground that she possessed both
banks Of the st. Lawrence where 1t dis
embargoes into the sea, she denies to
the United States the right of naviga-
tion, though about one'half of the wa
ters of Lakes Ontario, Erie, Hudson
and Superior and the whole Of Lake
Michigan, through which the river
flows, are the property of the United
States, The natien Is interested in Sc
curing cheap transportation from the
agricultural States of the west to the
Atlantic seaboard. To the citizens Of
the States 1t seems greater return for
their labor. To the inhabitants of the
.seaboard, it affords cheaper food, and to
the nation an increase in the annual
surplus of wealth. 1t Is to be hoped
that the government of Great Britain
will see the justice of abandoning the
narrow and inconsistent claim to which
her Canadian provinces have urged her
adherents.
Our depressed commerce Is a subject
to which / called your special attention
at the last session and suggested that
we will in the future have to look moro
to the countries south of us and to China
and Japan for its revival. Our repre-
sentatives to all those governments
have exerted their influence to encour-
aye trade between the United States
and the countries to which they are ac-
credited but the fact exists that the
carrying is done almost entirely in for
eign bottoms, and while this state of
affairs exists, we cannot control our due
share of the commerce of the world.
That between the Pacific States and
|, China and Japan is about all the carry
ing trade now conducted in American
vessels. l would recommend liberal
, policy towards that line of American
steamers, one that will insure its sue
, cess, and even increased usefulness
, The cost OF building iron vessels, the
only ones that can compete with foreign
ships in the carrying of trade, Is 80
much greater in the United States than
, in foreign countries, that without some
assistance from the government, they
, cannot be successfully built here. There
will be several propositions laid before
Congress in the course of the present
session looking to remedy for this evil,
even if it should be at some cost to the
national treasury. hope such encour-
) agement will be given as Will secure
American shipping on the high seas
and American ship building at home.
: The condition of the archives at the
) Department of State call for the early
action of Congress. The building now
structure, at an incOnvenient distance
from the executive mansion and from
the other departments. 1t i, i'll adapt
ed to the purposes for which it Is used,
and has not capacity to accommodate
} the archives, and Is not fre-proof. Its
: remote situation, its slender cOnstruc-
, tion, and its absence of a supply of
water in the neighbOrhoOd, leaves but
little hope of safety for either the build
, ing or its contents in case of the accident
of fire. Its destruction would involve
t the loss Of the rolls containing the ori-
r ginal acts and resolutions of Congress,
of the historic records of the Revolu'
: tion, and of the confederation, of the
t whole series of diplomatic and consular
f archives since the adoption of the Con
| stitution, and of the many other valua'
) BILE records and papers left with the
l department when it was the principal
} depository Of the governmental arch
) ives. / recommend an appropriation
f for the construction of a building for
: the Department of State.
recommend to your consideration
: the propriety of transferring to the De-
= partment Of the Interior, to which they
Q seem more appropriately TO belong, all
/ powers and duties in relation to the ter
: ritories with which the Department OF
r State is now charged by law or usage,
: and from the Interior Department tr
1 the War Department the Pension Bn
5 reau, so far as it regulates the payment
$ recommend that the payment of nava
p. pensions be transferred to one of the
5 bureaus OF the Navy Department.
: The estimates of the expenses of the
: government for the next fiscal year are
j. SIS, ,A4, ,346 OF less than for the current
e one; but exceed the appropriations fol
\ the present year for the same items SS,
s 971, ,l27 Sc. In this estimate, however
/ is included s22,34S,27S 81 for publi
: works heretofore begun under Congress
: sional provisions, and OF which only 81
e much is asked as Congress may choose
!, to give. The appropriation for the
same works for the present fiscal yeal
e was sl1 ,9S4,5 0S.
s The average value of gold, as com
= pared with national currency for thu
e whole year of 1869, was about 81 81, ant
t for eleven months of 1870 the same re
i lative value has been 81 Is. The ap
y proach to specie basis is very crafty
5 ing, but the fact cannot be denied tina
: the Instability of the value of our cur
/, rency is prejudicial to our prosperit.
J. an d ten DIS to keep up prices to the de
t triment of trade. The evils of depre
f ciated and fluctuating currency are 81
y great, that now, when the premium OF
0 gold has fallen so much, 1t would seen
= that the time has arrived when by wis,
S and prudent legislation Congress shOulC
e look to a policy which must place ou
: currency at par with gold at no distan
= day. The tax collected from the peo
= pie has been reduced more than $50,
&. 100000 per annum. By steadiness il
= our present course, there is no reasoI
5 why, in few short years, the natiOna
l taxgatherer may not disappear from
9 the door of the citizen almost entirely
/. With the revenue stamps disbursed by
= pOstmasters in every community, tal
Y upon liquors of all sorts, and tobacco il
4 all forms, and by wise adjustment o
) the tariff which will put duty only
: upon those articles which we could dis
! pense with, known as luxuries, and or
| those which we use more OF than pro
4 duce, further reduction Of expense, il
j addition to a reduction of interest ac
g count, may be relied on to make thi
$ practicable. If revenue reform mean
5 this, it has my hearty support. If i
5 implies collection Of all the income
t for the support OF the government, fo
t the payment Of the principal and inter
4 est of the public debt, pensions, etc., by
directly taxing the people, then l an
q against revenue reform, and confident
/ | ly believe the people are with me. L
0 it means a failure to provide the neces
e sary means to defray all the expenses
n of the government and thereby repudi
y alton OF the public debt and pensions
n then l am still more opposed to sucf
I kind of revenue reform. Revenue re
g form has not been defined by any of 1T
=, advocates, to my knowledge, but seemi
4 to be accepted as something which is t.
y supply every mans wants without any
0 cost or effort on his part. A true reven
: ue reform cannot be made i'm "A day. bu