Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1855-05-25
How much this Cou ntrv owes.

plunged in debt. So far as this boast re
lates to the United States in its federal
capacity, it is well founded. But so fal
as it relates to one and thirty Common.
wealths of which the nation is composed
it is an absolute absurdity, since the ma.
jority of these latter rre deeply if not in
extricably, in debt. We hear this Bit Of
braggadocia so frequently, that it is worth
while to devote few moments to show
its folly.
In England, France, Austria, and all
other consolidated nations, there is but one
exchequer to meet every want Of govern.
ment There is, consequently, but one
national debt. When we say that Great
Britain owes nearly eight hundred millions
Of pounds, or four thousand millions Of
dollars, the whole story is told But if
We should assert that the entire delt ofthe
U. States was less than sixty millions,
we should be apt to mislead the reader.
For the government, which is what is tech
nicaliy meant by the term United States,
having only circumscribed powers, is not,
and never can be, made liable for the prin-
cipal share of the expenses of maintaining
order and dispensing law among the people
at large, most Of this falling on the scpar-
rate members of the confederacy To give
a correct idea of the real Indebtedness Of
the nation, therefore, we must include the
debt cf the several States
Now, the total Indebtedness Of the va
rious Commonwealths is about two hun
dred and twenty-onc millions of dollars,
divide among twenty seven States, four be
ing so fortunate as to owe nothing, viz
New Hampshire, Vermont, Delaware, and
Florida. Of these twenty seven, the debts
of seven are under a million apiece.
Maryland, Texas, Illinois, Ohio,
Virginia, New York, and Pennsylvania
are the States most deeply in debt. The
largest absolute debt is that Of our own
State, which is over forty millions; the
smallest is that of New jersey, which is
but seventy -one thousand.
The heaviest debt, in proportion to that
of the population, is the debt of Maryland,
which exceeds fifteen millions, in u to-
tai population OF five hundred and eighty
two thousand. The debt of Virginia, tho
bat little greater numerically than that of
New York-:he one being twenty mil
lions, and the other twenty four-is more
than twice as heavy relatively, the popu-
lation being less than half, while the ge-
neral resources of the State are greatly in
ferior The entire debt of the Nation, cs-
,imating the Federal debt as well as that
of the States, two hundred aud seventy-fye
million of dollars.
But this still fails to gire an accurate
account Of the Indebtedness Of this country
In Europe, if we except England, most
public works are constructed by the 60
vernment, so tha. the national debt inclu-
des the cost of the principal railroads, ca
mails, and turnpikes. But in the United
States, with the exception of the Pennsyl-
vania State Works and those of a few other
Commonwealth, all such improvements
are owned by private corporations. Now,
the aggregate cost of the principal of,hese
works, is computed to be one thousand |
millions of dollars, Of which six hundred
millions alone are invested in railroads. |
Consequently, if We would arrive at the /
true Indebtedness of the United States, we
must add the amount of this description ,
of securities to the amount OF the State
and federal ones. Twelve hundred mil
lions of dollars are, therefore, about what
We owe-a very respectable sum, it must
be acknowledged, especially for nation
but eighty years old.
To give an entirely just idea of the sub
Ject, however, We must remind the reader
that chief part of this debt is attribut-
able to the fact that we are a new country,
three fourths of those millions having
been spent in developing its resources.
Considering the vast mineral and agri-
cultural wealth of America, considering
also the indoinitable energy of otr people,
md the favorable position we occupy for
the commerce Of the world,
his debt, enormous as it may seem, is
comparatively little, or would be, if We
we're always as prudent and thrifty as We
Ire enterptising.-HiladeIphia Ledger
THE OLDEST POSTMASTER IN THE UNI
FED STATEs.-The Baltimore Sun gives
ist of the oldest Postmasters in the United
States, at the head Of which stands the
lame Of John Bickcl, of Jamestown, Leb-
mon county, Pa. In letter to the Post
Office Department, he speaks of hi, ap-
continent as follows
'My fathers natne was John Bickel.
md I was commissioned John Bickel,Jr'
Wy father was in the revolutionary war,
md lived to be eighty nine years old. lie
lied about nine years ago. was appoin-