The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 8 (of 9): Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and PrivateJefferson, Thomas
History
The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 8 (of 9): Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and Private
Jefferson, Thomas
United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783; United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1865
An account of the receipts and expenditures of the year ending
30th September last, with the estimates for the service of the
ensuing year, will be laid before you by the secretary of the
treasury so soon as the receipts of the last quarter shall be returned
from the more distant States. It is already ascertained
that the amount paid into the treasury for that year has been between
eleven and twelve millions of dollars, and that the revenue
accrued during the same term exceeds the sum counted on as
sufficient for our current expenses, and to extinguish the public
debt within the period heretofore proposed.
The amount of debt paid for the same year is about three
millions one hundred thousand dollars, exclusive of interest, and
making, with the payment of the preceding year, a discharge of
more than eight millions and a half of dollars of the principal of
that debt, besides the accruing interest; and there remain in the
treasury nearly six millions of dollars. Of these, eight hundred
and eighty thousand have been reserved for payment of the first
instalment due under the British convention of January 8th,
1802, and two millions are what have been before mentioned as
placed by Congress under the power and accountability of the
president, toward the price of New Orleans and other territories
acquired, which, remaining untouched, are still applicable to
that object, and go in diminution of the sum to be funded for it.
Should the acquisition of Louisiana be constitutionally confirmed
and carried into effect, a sum of nearly thirteen millions of
dollars will then be added to our public debt, most of which is
payable after fifteen years; before which term the present existing
debts will all be discharged by the established operation of
the sinking fund. When we contemplate the ordinary annual
augmentation of imposts from increasing population and wealth,
the augmentation of the same revenue by its extension to the
new acquisition, and the economies which may still be introduced
into our public expenditures, I cannot but hope that Congress
in reviewing their resources will find means to meet the
intermediate interests of this additional debt without recurring
to new taxes, and applying to this object only the ordinary
progression of our revenue. Its extraordinary increase in times
of foreign war will be the proper and sufficient fund for any
measures of safety or precaution which that state of things may
render necessary in our neutral position.
Remittances for the instalments of our foreign debt having
been found practicable without loss, it has not been thought expedient
to use the power given by a former act of Congress of
continuing them by reloans, and of redeeming instead thereof
equal sums of domestic debt, although no difficulty was found
in obtaining that accommodation.
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