The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-03-09

HOUSE.

WASHINGTON, Mar. z.
The House engaged in general debate
MIR Beck of KY. made speech coLdemning
the course of the Secretary of Treasury as il
legal, and arraigning the government for put
ting $4,000, 600 of the naval fund with Cooke,
McCulloch & Co., in London. thus risking the
losing of that amount, besides taking govern
ment funds from the substantial firm of the
Earrings and depositing them with political par
tizans such as Henry Clews, because they were
the tools of the government.
Mr. Kelley of Pa, reviewed the financial
condition of the country and entered into an ar
gument to refute certain statements made by
Mr.. Garfield relative to the repeal and modif-
cation of customs duties during the past five
years.
Mr. Kelley illustrated the progress in wealth
and population made by the country since the
government issued the first paper money, and
stated that the receipts of the government dur
ing eleven years, between 1868 and 1878 inclu-
sive; were $3,62S. OO0, 600, being twice as much
as had been received in the preceding ~ years,
and that for the four years Of 1866-7-8-9,t the
aggregate income of the government was not
$27 600 900 less than the total sum that has been
collected under the specie basis system of cur
rency and the operation Of free trade, which
hadlprevailed with brief intervals from the
foundation of the government The account
stood thus from the organization of the govern
ment to 1866, ST. $50, 278, 1856; during 1867
80, 81 .033, 404, 709.O5 He trusted that gen.
tleman would consider and digest these facts
They we're worth all the dogmas of sophists
and doctrinaires that had ever been promulgat
ed, and demonstrate that wicked absurdity of
those who accused the government of MAIN
tanning a forced loan, and characterized the
currency as lying and fraudulent
In conclusion he said the gentlemen who are
ever ready to ignore facts which cannot be re-
conciled with the theories they have inherited,
saw the wealth was unreal, that it was fanciful
that it will melt away when our currency is
brought down to the hard pan of a gold basis.
Mr.. KELLEY. concluded by proposing law in the
borrow temporarily such funds as our people
may be able to lend the government, on the
condition that their money should be refunded
to them on call and in consideration that it was
received on this condition. 1t was simply his
old and oft repeated theory.
ton of notifies. He said that public attention
has recently been called to the subject OF mole
ties, which are perquisits of government ofhclals
employed to protect the Treasury, outside their
regular salaries, as compensation or incentive
to them to perform dut which they take on
oath to perform, to test their ability when re-
ceiving their appointments. There is no other
country that pays its leading custom house
officials anything like so much as we do. Nor
is there any other commercial or maratime ma
ton that affords to those officials the same IA
Critics for accommodating enormous wealth as
the United States.
In Europe the moiety system is abolished al
together. The regular compensation of the
collector, naval officer, and surveyor of New
York not including seizures or other perquis'
ties may be fairly stated at SIC, 900 a year each.
The duties devolved upon the officials are
mostly performed by subordinates A leave Of
absence could be granted them for six months
without any detriment of public service. I'm
til recently we paid the President of the
United States but $25, 900 year, and can see
Inv Gloo II, hI1f
little responsibility and no labor should be paid
nearly as much
They are each allowed one-sixth of all seiz.
ures, tines AID penalties, derived from goods
attempted to be imported in disregard of duties
imposed by law. Whilst it is time that this
feature in the revenue law is not OF recent in
PRODUCTION, yet it is equally true that it has
never before been carried to the extent to
which it has been under this administration.
Before the advent of Gen. Grant to power in
no one year during the history of the govern
ment would the aggregate income of the Col
lector OF New York exceed $780, 900 to $35, 900 9
| year including the salary, and yet the importa.
tons there betrayed more than two-thirds OF
the whole expenses of the government without
any internal revenue whatever out new impel
leu avance or partizans interest. Scarcely an
importer in New York but is subject to espirOn-
| age, surveillance and oppression. Under TIT
sllghtest pretext whole cargoes are sought U
be conhscated and the greed of the informer
and spies OF the government, who act as agents
ohclals appears to have lost grounds 1t !,
true that the complicated machinery created
TOT collection OF revenue and the crude tarif
laws and The many amendments continually
made to them by Congress appear to have in
vlted this course. The errols of hasty legisla
ton and the crude manner in which we create
legal enactments in Congress afford ampl
scope for the ingenuity of those buzzards o
prey who destroy property and reputation
| without conjunction Of conscience. In
events of the last two years in New York ant
| Boston prove one of two things: either tina
the revenue laws and mode of collecting th'
revenue are radically defective and should b
amended or repealed or that the government
has placed men to administer those laws VIII
are disgrace to the country. The evil is ter