PART II. CHA P. I. Of the various Modes of providing for the extraordinary Expences of a Nation. THE modes of or providing for no the extraor dinary Ex are pences of a Nation. HE charges incurred by a nation, in times of Various peace, feldom exceed its ordinary income, what it may be made to produce. It requires great revenue, to maintain the perfons who entrusted with the general government of the country; to fupport fuch magiftrates as are employed in expounding the laws, and in diftributing justice; and to defray the expences of fuch public works, as are effentially neceffary for the benefit of the community. Indeed, if nations were always at peace, fupplying a revenue for public purposes, could never prove burdenfome to fociety. But the neceffity there is, from the turbulent difpofition of the human fpecies, and the ambition of thofe individuals who govern the affairs of States, to be perpetually providing for the expences of war, is uniformly attended with the heaviest charges. Various Modes of the extraor dinary Ex pences of a Nation. charges. Maxims of frugality, however proper providing for and defirable at other times, are found incompatible with a ftate of hoftility. When the fate of a nation is at stake, or even when any of its important interefts are endangered, exertions must be made, without regarding the expences they may occafion. The troops and armaments of the foe must be oppofed, whatever coft fuch oppofition may require; and every citizen must facrifice a part of his fortune, to defend the dominions of the community to which he belongs, and to preferve the wealth, which it has already acquired, from the attacks of its enemies. It is evident therefore, that a material difference neceffarily exifts, between the revenue fufficient for times of peace, and the refources which are requifite, to defray the various heavy charges which a war muft occafion. The ingenuity of mankind, particularly in modern times, has been much engaged, in attempts to difcover, what is the beft mode of providing for thefe extraordinary expences; and four systems have been fuggefted for that purpofe. It has been propofed, 1. To accumulate a treasure in time of peace, adequate to the exigencies of war.-2. To levy the neceffary fupplics within the year, by means of extraordinary additional taxes.-3. To exact compulfive loans from the wealthieft individuals of the community.-4. To borrow money from fuch as are willing to advance it, upon the fecurity of the public faith. Each Each of thefe modes it is propofed briefly to examine. I. Accumulating a Treasure. At the commencement of political focieties, a confiderable share of the territory they poffefs, is uniformly dedicated to national purposes. In the infancy of States, however, there is neither inclination nor opportunity to be prodigal; and confequently, when there happens to be any furplus, after defraying the neceffary expences, it is in general accumulated into a public treafure, and referved for any unforeseen emergency. In ancient times, the practice was very prevalent; and, in England, the monarchs who lived after the conqueft, were provided with such treafures, owing as much to their inability to expend their revenue, as to any parfimonious difpofition, or any forecast for the future. Sometimes, however, the fyftem of accumulation has arisen from real forefight; and among the various acts for which the political wisdom of the Romans has been celebrated, fome authors have included their levying a tax for the exprefs purpose of preparing a fund for public emergencies. The commonwealth, we are told, had hardly been eftablished by the expulfion of Tarquin, before they began to collect the Aurum Vicefimarium, or impost of the twentieth penny, upon the fale of flaves; the amount of which was depofited in the temple of Saturn, Various Modes of providing for the extraor dinary Expences of a Nation. Various providing for the extraor dinary Ex pences of a Nation. Saturn, there to be kept facred for the most preffing exigencies of the State .. It continued accumulating for many years, and remained untouched as long as the free government of Rome exifted, excepting during the fecond Punic war, when it was thought excufable, after Hannibal had ravaged Italy for ten years, to take four thousand pounds weight of gold out of this treasure, to assist in defraying the various enormous expences to which the commonwealth was then fubject. But this mode of employing the furplus revenue of the public, is attended with one material difadvantage. If the precious metals at all contribute to the happiness of political fociety, (which cannot be doubted, at leaft by thofe who confider with how much greater facility commerce is carried on in confequence of fo ufeful a medium,) every plan that tends to diminish their abundance, must be prejudicial. A fyftem of that nature, may be less hurtful, before induftry and commerce flourish; and at fuch a period, may perhaps be neceffary, from the difficulty with which any confiderable fum of money is collected in critical emergencies. But, in general, it would be better to employ the furplus of the national revenue, in works of public advantage, or even in the conftruction of useless pyramids, as was done by the fovereigns of Egypt, than in accumulating a hoard, to lie dormant, without intereft and without circulation. See a beautiful poetical defcription of this treafure, Lucan's Pharfalla, 1. iii. v. 155. A well Modes of the extra r A well-known and eminent author, has notwith-arious standing vehemently contended for continuing the providing for practice of the ancients; and in particular grounds dinary Exhimfelf upon this idea, "That the opening of fuch fees of a "a treasure, neceffarily produces an uncommon "affluence of gold and filver, ferves as a tempo rary encouragement to induftry, and atones, in "fome degree, for the inevitable calamities of "war"." Unfortunately for this author's hypothefis, the fame circumftance, namely the abundance of gold and filver, which alleviates the calamities of war, augments alfo the blefings of peace; and thofe bleffings are neceffarily diminifhed where treasures are accumulated: indeed, a public hoard can hardly be collected, without reducing a nation, in point of commerce and circulation, to much the fame fituation in times of tranquillity, as in the midft of war. Befides, it is proper to remark, that the Romans always endeavoured, in the first place, to procure money by loans, and never applied to their treasure, but when their credit was exhausted. There are other unfurmountable objections to the amaffing of public treasures; fuch as, the dangers Hume's Effays, vol. i. p. 365. The following extract from Livy, fhews the patriotic fpirit of the Romans, during the fecond Punic War, " Quum hæc "inclinatio animorum plebis, ad fuftinendam inopiam ærarii "fieret; pecuniæ quoque pupillares primo, deinde viduarum cœptæ conferri: nufquam eas tutius fanétiufque deponere cre"dentibus, qui deferebant, quam in publica fide. Inde fi quid emptum paratumque pupillis ac viduis foret, a queftore perfcribebatur." T. Liv. Lib. xxiv. c. 18, 66 Nation. |