The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-07-28
The Enormous Expenses OF the Fed
eral Government.


eral Governments.
The moral delinquencies of the Admins
tration in its Kansas policy has so absorbed
and excited popular attention that its finan-
cial profigacy has not made the impression
it ought. As the Congressional canvas pro-
crosses facts and proofs are coming to light
and are being placed before the people in a
form to be comprehended by all who read.
The startling fact is made apparent that ths
expenses of the general Government have
risen till they now amount to nearly one
hundred millions, and impose an annual
tax equivalent to levy of $50 on every
voter in the Union. Though paid indirect
ly into the public Golfers, it is no less real
tax, and as it is assessed upon articles of
consumption, and not upon permanent prop
erty, the poor man with family, who are
respectfully fed and clothed, pays as much
as the nabob in wealth. Because this money
is taken from the pockets of voters in a
manner by which the hand of the Federal
tax gatherer is not seen in the operation, it
is no less tax than that extracted from the
purse of the citizen by the city, county, and
State tax collector. Its character, too, is
far more odious and unjust; for it falls,
without respect TO means and wealth, as
heavily on the poor, as on the rich. The
laborer's wife, nor the poor servant, cannot
wear piece of silk, or muslin, or lace, or
enjoy any of the elegancies of life; nor can
the laborer put on piece of broad cloth,
nor use piece Of cutlery, nor sip glass of
foreign liquor, or use drug for his sick
family, without paying portion of this OPP
pressive taxation. And if the Democratic
doctrine be true, that duties operate as u
bounty upon home products, this enormous
taxation is doubled by the bounty which the
consumers of all home products pays to the
manufacturer; and instead of S25, the voter
pays $50 perhaps as a consequence of levy
ing the duties for the support of these enor-
nous expenses of the general Government.
! These facts are indisputable and the doctrine
unimpeachably Democratic, and the conclu-
sions inevitable. How long would the
voters of any State endure so oppressive and
unequal an imposition, in the form of direct
taxes, from the Federal Government or
/ from the assessment of their own States.-
Every citizen, divesting himself of party
| prepossessionS, should seriously ask himself
if a regard for his own interests, and his du-
ty to the country, do not make it an i'm
perativc obligation upon him individually
to do what he can to arrest this needless and
reckless extravaganza of the public money.
The only way to check it is to discard the
men who have in any way sanctioned past
extravaganza by their votes, and supported
the proiigate administration that has in
itiated it; and choose men pledged to re-
duction of the public expenditures.
We have not met anywhere so clear anC
/ intelligent refutation of the fallacious state.
ments of the Washington Union, the admin.
istration organ, as the following exposition
from the st. Joseph Register, which is prob
ably from the pen of Hon. Mr.. Colfax. Tn,
partizans of Buchanan will attempt to de.
stroy the force Of the sentiment, by saying
it is from "Black Republican" Facts ant
figures are stubborn products, that benz
neither to the prejudices or prepossessions o
either party. Let sober and honest men o
all parties read and ponder upon them:
i Alarmed at the stern disapprobation man
ifested by the people, irrespective of party
at the enormous and growing expenses o
the Government, and the gigantic Nationa
Debt which Mr.. Buchanan is running up fo
poSterity to pay, the Washington UnioI
came out last month with n tabular state
ment, which we also find in Letcher's cam
paign speech, pretending to show the actua
expenses, and which has been eagerly cop
led by its followers all over the country
, IL acknowledged that it was not exactly &C
curate, but that it was as close an approx
, nation to the actual amount as it was pos
sible to be made; and it drew particular al
tention to its summing up, amounting {
Sixty-Eight Millions of Dollars, to prove tn
, untruth of the Republican charges that tn
! appropriations for Mr.. Buchanan's Admins
( tration exceeded Eighty Millions. We cop
, this table entire, as we intend to expose il
4 Misrepresentation, both in wholesale omis
sion and intentional mis-statement of apprc
priations included in its schedule: