Litchfield enquirer., 1875-12-16


 who may marry foreigners, and of defining more fully that of children born m . for eign country of American parents, who may reside abroad, and also of some fur ther provision regulating or giving legal effect to marriages of American citizens contracted m foreign countries. Thecor- respOndence submitted herewith shows . few of the constantly occurring questions on these points presented to the consider ation Of tue g0Fernment TheR0 ara few subjects to engage the attention of con- on which more delicate relations or more important interests are dependent.
 TREASURY AFFAIRS.
 The report of the secretary of the treas ury shows the receipts from customs for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1874, to have been S163, IO3, ,S33 69, and for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1875, to have been S157. .167, ,722 35, decrease for the last fiscal year of @, ,936, ,111.34. The re- ceipts from internal revenue for the year ending June 30, 1874, were SlO2, ,4O9, 7S4 90, and for the year ending June 90, 1875, were Sl1O,OO7, ,493 58, an increase of g, ,597, ,7OS. 68. The report also shows the complete history of the working of the department for the last year, and contains recommendations for reforms and legisla- tion, which 1 concur in, but cannot com ment on so fully as should like to do if space would permit. I will confine myself to few suggestions. which look upon as vital to the best interests of the whole people coming within the purview of the treasury l mean specie resumption. Too much stress cannot be laid upon this question, and hope congress may be in- duced at the earliest day practicable, to in- sure a cOnsummation of the act of the last congress at its last session, to bring about specie resumption on and after January l, 1879, at the fuFthest. It would be a great blessing if this could be ecOnsummated even at an earlier day. NOtheDg seems to me more certain than that full, healthy and permanent reaction cannot take place in favor of the industries and the financial welfare of the country until we return to a measure of values recognized through out the civilized world. While we use a currency not equivilant to this standard the worlds recognized one-specie, be- comes a commodity like the products of the soil, the surplus seeking a market wherever there Is a demand for it. Under our present system we should want none, nor would we have any were it not that customs dues must be paid in coin, and because of the pledge to pay. the interest of the public debt in coin. The yield of precious metals wonld flow out for the purchase of foreign productions and leave the United States hewers of wood and drawers of water because of wiser legisla- tion on the subject of finance by the na- tions with whom we have dealings am not prepared to say that I can suggest the best legislation to secure this end most heartily commended.
 RESUMPTION OF SPECIE PAYMENTS.
 It will be source of great qualification to me to be able to approve any measure of congress looking effectively toward se- curing resumption. Unlimited inhatlon would probably bring about specie pay ments more speedily than any legislation looking to the redemption of legal tenders in coin, but it would be at the expense of honor. The legal tenders would have no value beyond settling present liabilities, or, properly speaking, repudiating them. They would buy nothing after our debts were all settled. There are few meas ures which seem to me important in this connection, and which commend to your earnest consideration.
 First, 6 repeal of 90 much of the legal tender act as makes these notes receivable for debts contracted after q date to be fixed in the act itself, say not later than the 1st of January, 1877. We should then have quotatio1s at real values not fet1- tious ones. Gold would no longer be at q premium but currency at discount. A healthy reaction would set in at once and with 1t desire to make the currency equal to what it purports to be. The merchants, manufacturers and tradesmen of every calling could do business on . fair margin of profit, the money to be re. ce1ved having an unvaryiDg value. La- borers and all others who work for stip ulated pay or salary would receive more for their income because extra profits would no longer be charged by the capf. talist to compensate for the risk of q downward fuctuation in the yalhe of the currency.
 Second-That the secretary of the treas- ury be authorized to redeem say not to exceed two million dollars monthly of legal tender notes by issuing fn their stead long bond bearing interest at the rate of three and sixty.fVe hundEethS per cent. per annum, of denominations rang. ing from $50 to S1 GOO each. This would in time reduce the legal tender notes to q volume that could be kept afoat without demanding redemption in large sums suddenly.
 Third That additional power be given to the secretary of the treasury to accu- mulate gold for final redemption, either by increasing the revenue, curtailing ex. penses, or both. It is preferable to do both, and recommend that 8 reduction of expenditures be made wherever it can be done without impairing government obligations or crippliDg the due execution thereof. One measure for increasing the revenue. and the only one thing of, IS the restoration of the duty on tea and coffee. These duties would add probably SIS, COG, 900 to the present amount received from imports, and would IL no way in- crease the prices paid for those articles by the consumers. These articles are the products of countries which collect reve- nue from exports. and as we. the largest consumers, reduce our duties, they pro- pOrtionately increase theirs. With this addition to the revenues, many duties now collected, and which give but an insignii- cant return for the cost of collection, might be remitted, and to the direct ad- vantage of consumers at home. l would mention those articles winch enter into manufactures of all sorts. All duty paid upon such articles goes directly to the cost of the article when manufactured here. and must be pald for by the con- sumers. These duties not only come from the consumers at home. but act as a pro- tectlon to foreign manufacturers of the same completed articles in our own and distant markets.
 THE NAVY.
 The condition of our navy at this time Is a subject of satisfaction. It does not contain. it is true. any of the powerful cruising iron clads which make 30 much of the maritime strength of other nations, but neither our continental situation nor our foreign policy requires shat we should have large number of ships of this char acter, while the situation and the nature of our ports combine to make those of other nations little dangerous to us under any circumstances. Our navy does con- tain, however, considerable number of lron-clads of the monitor class. which. kh0uOh uok x1rouoYIw erui3oru ara r,0wn~