WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1860
414
the Treasury should be held with an honest grasp, and no ap- propriation be made which is not necessary and ·strictly in ac- cordance with law. Every disbursing officer of the Government should be held to strict accountability, and no stretch of authority be permitted in the exercise of the power confided to him. What economy will not accomplish can, in my opinion, be best supplied by taxation. Texas has learned some experience from going into debt, which she will do well to remember, and I trust she will guard against its consequences in future. The various departments of Government should, in my opinion, be made, as far as possible, self-sustaining, and where it is im- possible, from their nature, to make them so, a rigid exaction of duty at the hands of all those who are in the employ of the Gov- ernment should be required. No free Government can afford to establish sinecures, or to support idleness. The money which comes from the pockets of the people, should be economized for their good, and all who are the recipients of it should render a fair recompense of time and labor. The subjects are within the province of the Legislature. The Executive is powerless, and if reform is needed in any of these respects, it falls upon the Legisla- ture to inquire into abuses, if there be any, and provide an im- mediate remedy. The deficit in the revenue of the Land Office, added to the fact that the business of that department does not keep pace with the demands upon it, furnish subjects for your consideration. The interests of the State demand that it should be self- supporting, and the interests of the people demand that its busi- ness should be brought up at the earliest possible period. A large force is already employed in that department, but the issuance of patents has been delayed, and it remains for the Legislature to discover whether this is to be attributed to the amount of labor performed by the employes of the Government, or the fact that the force is inadequate to the demands of business. If the latter, it is false economy to allow a further accumulation of business, and thus cause a still greater delay. The holders of our land certificates are entitled to their patents, and if an additional force is necessary, it should at once be provided. The deficit in the operations of that department, estimated for the present fiscal year, ending August 31, 1860, at $24,000, shows the neces- sity of prompt legislation to bring its affairs up to a proper standard. If the fees paid by those who have business with that department do not meet its expenses, they should be increased;
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