Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-02-13
EVENING STAR.
CoseIu.ieu Yesterday. Prsceea,..


MI. Merrimon withdrew his pending amend
nsht 70 the banking bill, 90 take seventy eve
snd rom the states in excess OF circulation.
,ht nneIto substitute for the entire bill. au-
morning the issue OF forty-six millions sidi-
uonal bank circulation
was the great question OF the dsv. ana IA 80.
Itcattu ne being complicated with this mn
which was an honest effort 20 supply A leosi
S 1nahd' he asked for square vote on tbs
MIR. Wright moved TO strike from the hin ..
tne amount TO be withdrawn from the states IN
Shoess twenty-five millions, and insert nfty nil
lions. he opposed Mr.. Merrlmons suhsfitnte
because IL would allow the banks in the stats.
which now hsd an excess 90 come forward and
take up the additional REGULATION.
Pending further discussion the sena,. nan.
INTO executive session, and then adjourned
HOUSE.-After our report closed
Inc oil 70 repeal the duty on matches being
Mr. Dawes made long speech on
TIE PRESENT CONDITION OF TEE TRRhsrRr
tie said that last year they had listened 20 the
protest OF the Secretary OF the Treasury, AMI
had retained the tax on matches and bsnk
checks. The tax on matches had added % the
revenues $500 coo, and that on bank checks
SleCO eco, making for the two q little over
sl,lO0.0O0 The Commissioner OF Internal
Revenue estimates that AZ the tax on bank
cheeks be repealed there would have % be re-
funded on checks not used $500 900, and on
matches about the same, 80 that the repeal OF
tue duty on these articles involved = question Of
about 5000 OOO. IL the condition OF the
ii t.ssgTy was such a. TO justify this relief, Il
The Committee of Ways and Means, he said,
old not desire these bills 20 pass because OF the
condition OF the Treasury, which IL was their
duty 70 present, and then leave the House "a
decide. he therefore desired 20 present the
condition OF the Treasury at Ihis time a. near
as the exact figuring could be presented and
the estimates for the remainder OF the wear
The report OF the Secretary of the Treasure
shows that he bad on hand At the beginning OF
the year SlSl, ly2 ,0eS and OF this there WAS due
on call for legal tender and coin deposits
SCS,000,000, leaving available a little over
StO,OC0,OOO for current expenditures. The re.
ceipts from July 20 February estimating ave
DAYS that elapsed between the making up OF the
report and the hrst of February were sl65,-
6I1 ,S23, and the estimates for the i've remaining
months were silt, 100 GOO, making the total
available income from all sources for the year
S2Sl,177 ,923.
The expenditures for the fiscal year we're. on
account OF the sinking fund, ~. 936, 40 on &C
count Of appropriations made from July %
February j, Sl1s ia SIS; liabilities of the Gov
eminent on account OF uneXpended balances,
cloe ISL ,s5ii interest on the public debt,
s4l ,2o6 ,5ol interest due and unpaid, S6,9s7 AZ,
making the total amount on Interest account
s4s,z1i,iS. There was always portion OF in
terest unclaimed, and Assuming IL 20 be the
same this a. last year and previous years a
deduction Of about 5000, 900 a. unlikely 20 be
drawn could be relied upon, reducing the est
mate OF expenditure on account Of interest TO
Estimated expenditures on account of per-
manent appropriations were -, SIS 900; for the
yided for, sl6, "a 9l9, making a total for which
the treasury may be called upon Of 1895 sac, CO.,
against SAL 600 revenue provided for, 30
that II the government was called upon during
the year for all these appropriations there would
be a deficit Of S52, O66 ,649.
This did not present, he said, the condition OF
the treasury fairly, but as il actually stood on
paper. OF the appropriations made from the
treasury and still unpaid there were many that
II was improbable that the treasury would ever
be called upon TO respond TO. Previous 20 1879
the accounts of the treasury had run along from
year 10 year, charging appropriations ana
charging expenditures for from fifteen 20
twenty years, without being balanced. In 1879
Con- ress attempted 10 close the accounts after
two yeare, and covering the balance into the
treasury. Under this law there would have
been carried into the treasury Si9, lis, SsI. But
the department had construed the law 20 run
two years from the date of the last draft, con-
trary to what he believed TO be the intention Of
Members turning TO the book of est mates
would mo- ne SAID, appropriations Of large
sums, to which there Was no probability OF the
Treasury ever being called upon 20 respond. A
careful revision OF these outstanding appropri-
auons OF past years would allow an estimated
deduction from the liabilities OF the Treasury
OF s12,369,O34. This deducted from the
sl3s 900 GOO shown in his statement, would leave
balance in the Treasury at the close of the
year Of s2O, 500 1885, as against $50 900 600, with
which the government began the year.
Against this twenty millions there was still %
be deducted all the Deficiencies. No deficiency
bill bad been reported, except one for the navy,
had presented. So far as deficiencies arise thew
will diminish the twenty million dollars. What
they would be he did not know. He was in
formed there would be q deficiency Of about q
million in the Indian bureau. He estimated the
general deficiency at two millions New claims
for additional pensions and miscellaneous items
generally would have TO be added 20 this He
had never been in the House, he believed, when
the deficiencies were less than three millions.
and they bad run up as high as thirteen
millions. The award Of the Southern Claims
Commission was six hundred thousand, and the
awards OF the Court Of Claims no account had
been taken Of besides the appropriations made.
TIE CLAIM OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
The Treasury department had left entirely
out OF these calculations claim Of the District
OF Columbia, varying from three TO I've millions,
Tor expenses in this city in improvements ON
account Of public property. III IL was allowed,
ii would diminish the balance Of go 0o0, 200,
making about s1,6Oo,0OO in all TO be taken
1t had been suggested, he said, that the mixed
commission would require two million more,
and II an additional pension billswas passed
ten millions In the Treasury al the close of the
year, which began with sixty. It would, he
said, be admitted by all that ten millions In the
Treasury was not a safe sum TO have on hand
20 meet any and all liabilities that might aris o.
No one would undertake to administer the af-
fairs Of the Treasury unless Congress made
some provision 70 fall back upon to meet an un-
expected draft upon an unforeseen emergency.
RKTRRNCHMKNT.
Mr.. Dawes went on 1T some length and an
0eICng on the
subject Of retrenchment, he noticed first the
collection Of customs, and said there were more
than thirty ports which did not pay the ex-
penses, which amounted 70 nearly $4,000. He
asked for q suspension or postponement Of work
on public buildings not yet commenced; re-
trenchment in the navy yards and arsenals and
a reduction OF the clerical force in the Treas
ury. The force there was now overweight
hundred, while there were but about four hum
dred recognized by law. This, be said, was
owing to the plan Of patching on 70 the system
every wear instead of having a thorou oh reor-
ganizstion. There were other fruits, he said,
ripe for the harvest, and he hoped the House
let local causes or party utilization deter them
from the work OF retrenchment, but put a bal
snce In the Treasury that would leave no APP
preheDsion Of any deficiency. He urged reform
in the pension system and postal system.
At 5 O'Clock the House took q recess.
The House met in evening session 70 further
consider the report Of the Committee on Re-
vision Of Laws.