lions a surplus of more than $128,000,000 applicable
to the payment of the expenses of the Government, and which must,
unless expended for that purpose, remain a useless hoard, or, if not
extravagantly wasted, must in any event be perverted from the purpose of
its exaction from our people. The payment, therefore, of any deficiency
in the revenue from this fund is nothing more than its proper and
legitimate use. The Government thus applying a surplus fortunately in
its Treasury to the payment of expenses not met by its current revenues
is not at all to be likened to a man living beyond his income and thus
incurring debt or encroaching on his principal.

It is not one of the functions of our Government to accumulate
and make additions to a fund not needed for immediate expenditure.
With individuals it is the chief object of struggle and effort. The
application of an accumulated fund by the Government to the payment of
its running expenses is a duty. An individual living beyond his income
and embarrassing himself with debt or drawing upon his accumulated fund
of principal is either unfortunate or improvident. The distinction is
between a government charged with the duty of expending for the benefit
of the people and for proper purposes all the money it receives from any
source, and the individual, who is expected to manifest a natural desire
to avoid debt or to accumulate as much as possible and to live within
the income derived from such accumulations, to the end that they may be
increased or at least remain unimpaired for the future use and enjoyment
of himself or the objects of his love and affection who may survive him.

It is immeasurably better to appropriate our surplus to the payment
of justifiable expenses than to allow it to become an invitation to
reckless appropriations and extravagant expenditures.

I suppose it will not be denied that under the present law our people
obtain the necessaries of a comfortable existence at a cheaper rate
than formerly. This is a matter of supreme importance, since it is the
palpable duty of every just government to make the burdens of taxation
as light as possible. The people should not be required to relinquish
this privilege of cheaper living except under the stress of their
Government's necessity made plainly manifest.

This reference to the condition and prospects of our revenues naturally
suggests an allusion to the weakness and vices of our financial methods.
They have b