The Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1870-1875, 1870-12-07

secures a greater return for their Ia
Dor; to the inhabitants of the seaboard
it offers cheaper food; and to the ma
ton, an increase in the annual sur
plus of wealth. 1t is hoped that the
of Great Britain will see
the justice Of abandoning the narrow
and Inconsistent claims, to which her
Canadian provinces have urged her
AMERICAN COMMERCE.
Our depressed commerce is a sub
ject to which | called special atten-
ton at the last session. and suggested
that we will, in the future, have to
look more to the countries south of
US, and to China.and japan, for its re-
vival. Our representatives to all
these governments have exerted their
influence to encourage trade between
the United States and the countries
to which they are accredited; but the
fact exists that the carrying is done
almost entirely in foreign bottoms,
and while this state of affairs exists
we cannot control our due share OF
the commerce Of the world. That be-
tween the Pacific States and China and
japan is about all the carrying trade
now conducted In American vessels.
l would recommend liberal policy
toward that line of American steam.
ers-one that will insure its success,
and even increase its usefulness. The
cost Of building iron vessels, the only
ones that compete with foreign ships
in the carrying trade, is so much
greater In the United States than in
foreign countries than 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 a remedy
for this evil. Evea if it should be at
some cost to the National treasury, 1
hope such encouragement will be Civ
en- as will secure American shipping
on the high seas, and American ship
building at home.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
The condition of the archives of
the Department of State calls for the
early action Of Congress. The build
ing now rented by that Department
is frall structure, at an inconVenlent
distance from the Executive Mansion.
and from the other Departments. 1t
is i'll adapted to the purpose for which
it is ased; has not capacity to accom-
modate the archives, and is not fire.
proof. Its remote situation. its slen-
den construction, and the absence of
a supply of water in the neighborhood
leaves but little hope of safety for
either the building or its contents in
case of FIRE. Its destruction would in
volVe the loss of the rolls containing
the original acts and resolutions of
Congress, the historic records of the
Revolution and of the Confederation,
of the whole series of diplomatic and
consular archives since the adoption
of the Constitution, and of many
other valuable records and Papers
left with that Department when it
was the principal depository of gov
eminent archives. [ recommend an
appropriation for the construction of
a building for the Department of
State.
/ recommend to your rcconsidera-
ton the prOpriety of transferring to
the Department of the Interior, to
which they seem more appropriately
to belong, all powers and other 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, the Pension Bureau, so
far as it regulates the payment of SOL
diers pensions. | would further re-
commend that the payment of naval
pensions be transferred to one of
the bureaus Of the Navy Department.
ESTIMATE OF THE CURRENT EXPENSES.
The estimates for the expenses of
the Government for the fiscal year
are SIS, PA, 346 less than for the cur
rent one, but exceed the appropria
tions for the present year for the same
items S., 972. 127 Sc. In this estimate,
however, is included 500, 338, 278 81
for public works heretofore begun
under Congressional provision, and of
which only so much is asked as Con-
gress may choose to give. The appro
priation for the same work for the
present fiscal year was $11 1884, 518 08.
AN APPROACH TO SPECIE.
The average value of gold as COM
pared with the national currency for
the whole of the year 1869, was about
one thirty-four, and for eleven months
of 1870, the same relative value has
been about one fifteen. The approach
to a specie basis is very gratifying.
but the fact can not be denied that
the instability of the value of our
currency is prejudicial to our pros
perity, and tends to keep up prices to
the detriment of trade, and the evils
of deprecated and fuctuating cur
rency are so great that now, when the
premium on gold has fallen so much,
il would seem that the time has ar
rived when by wise and prudent leg
islation Congress should look to pol
10y which would place our currency
at par with gold az no distant day.
REVENUE AND TARIFF.
The tax collected from the people
has been reduced more than fifty mil
lion dollars per annum by progressing
in our present course. There is no
reason why, in few short years, the
national tax gatherer N ay not disap-
pear from the door of the citizens
almost entirely; with the revenue
stamps dispensed by the postmasters
in every community, a tax upon
liquors of all sorts, and tobacco in all
its forms, and by a wise adjustment
of the tariff which will put a duty
only upon those articles which one
could dispense with, known as luxu-
ries. and those which We use more of
than we produce, revenue enough may
be raised, after a few years of peace
and consequent reduction of indebt-
edness, to fulfill all our obligations; a
further reduction Of expense, in addi-
ton to a reduction of interest and
per cent, may be relied on to make
this practical. Revenue reform, if it
means this. has my hearty support.
IF it implies a collection of all the
revenue for the support of the Gov
eminent, for the payment Of the prin-
cipal and interest of the public debt,
pensions, &C., by directly taxing the
people, then am against it and reve-
nue. reform, and l confidently believe
the people are with me. If it means
a failure to provide the necessary
means to defray all expenses of the
Government, and thereby reputation
of the public debt and pensions, then
am still more opposed to such kind
of revenue reform. It has not been
defined by any of its advocates, to my
knowledge, and seems to be accepted
as something which is to supply every
mans wants, without any cost or eft
fort on mis- part. A true revenue re-
form cannot be made in a day. but