The Greenville enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873, 1870-12-14

many other valuable records and
papers left with that Department
when it was the principal depoei.
tory OF tho governmt ntal archives.
i recommend an appropriation for
the construction of a building for
the Department of State. I recon-.
mend to your consideration the
propriety of transferring to the
Department of the Interior, to
which they seem more appror, late.
ly to belong, all powers and duties
in relation to the Territories, with
which the Department of State is
now charged by law or usage; and
from the Interior Department, to
the War Department of the Pen
sion Bureau, so far as it regulates
the payment Of soldiers pensions.
l would further recommend that
the payment of naval pensions be
transferred to one of the Bureaus
OF the Navy Department.
The estimates for the expenses
OF tho Government for the next
fiscal year are $1S, ,346.O1 less
than for the current one, but ex-
ceed the appropriations for the
present year for the same items
SS,972,127.56. In this estimate,
however, is included S22, ,33S ,27s..
81 for public works heretofore be.
gun under Congressional provision,
and of which only SO much is ask
ed as Congress may choose to give.
The appropriation for the same
works tor the present fiscal year
was 11,9S4,51S.OS. The average
value of gold as compared with
national currency for the whole
year OF 1859 was about 1874, and
for eleven months of 1870 the same
relative value has been about 115.
The approach to a specie basis
is very gratifying, but the fact can
not he denied that the instability
OF the value of our currency is pref
judicial to our prosperity. and tends
to keep IN prices, to the detriment
of trade. The evils of deprecia
ted and fuctuating currency are
so great that now, when the pre-
MUM on gold has fallen 80 mncr,
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
currency at par with gold, at no
distant day.
The tax collected from the peo-
ple has been reduced more than
SSO,o00,000 per annum. By stead
incss i'll our present course, there
is no reason why, in few short
years, the national tax gathcrers
may not disappear from the door
OF the citizen almost entirely. With
the revenue stamps dispensed by
postmasters in every community,
a tax upon liquors of all sorts, and
tobacco in all it's forms, and by d
wise adjustment of the tariff, which
will put a duty only upon those ar
ticles which we cannot dispense
with, known as luxnries, and on
those which we use more Of than
we produce, revenue enough may
be raised, after q few years of peace,
and a consequent reduction of our
Indebtedness, to fulfill all orr OBJ.
legations. A further reduction ofex-
penses In addition to a reduction of
the interest account may be relied
on to make this practicable rev.
enue reform. If it means this, it
has my hearty support. If it i'm
plies a collection of all the revenue
for the support of government, for
the payment of principal and in
terest OF the public debt, pensions,
DC, by directly taxing the people,
then 4 aan against revenue reform,
and confidently believe the people
are with me. Ii it means O failure
to provide tile necessary means to
defray all the expenses of the gov.
ernment, and thereby reputation
OF the public debt and pensions,
then | am still more opposed to
such kind OF revenue reform Rev.
enue reform has not been defined
by any of it's advocates, to my
knowledge, but seems to be accept
ed as something which is to supply
every mans wants, without any
cost or effort on his part. A true
revenue reform cannot he made in
II day, but must be the work of ma
tional 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 col
lect revenue from our imports. An
army of assessors and collectors is
not q pleasant sight to the citizen,
but that or a tariff for revenue is
necessary. Sncli tariff, so far as
it acts as an encouragement to
honp nrnduntion ofnr1o m, ,>lnx,