Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1861-09-18
SeIetteo Mlstellanp.
From the London Times
The Cost of Rebellion.

The armies of Xerxes and the wealth of Solo
mon would hardly sustain comparison with the
hosts of men and the mountains of moDev which
at any rate, upon paper-are placed at the
command of President Lincoln for the suppress
sion of the Southern COnfederacy. We NAV ven
ture, perhaps, to pass without too rigorous a scru-
tiny the bold, though somewhat gasconading
vote by which the intelligence of the defeat at
Manassas received in Congress. The mil
lions so precipitately offered represented. prOba-
bly, the patriotic resolution of the North to spend
its last dollar in the preservation of the Union;
but, without pressing these loose figures to their
literal import, really astounded at the con-
clusiOns which forced upon US by recent re-
ports. 1t used to be thought that this country
had attained an unhappy. but napproLchable,
eminence in national Indebtedness. Half our
tire expenditure in ordinary years goes still to pay
the interest of borrowed money, ana when we
were told to look at America, and observe how
under Democratic institutions a country as popu-
lous as our own could be governed at quarter
of the expense, we could not but feel the force
of the contrast. We know, indeed. that Amer
lea had all her temptations to come, and it was
occasionally remarked in these columns that the
tendency to extravaganza on the other side of
the Atlantic was rapidly increasing, but the CON-
parison still remained striking one. Now, how
ever, critical test has been applied America is
involved in war, and the rate at which she is raj
sing men and money will, il carefully examined,
appear almost too extraordinary for belief.
The next position of American finances must
be to great extent matter of estimate even i'm
the country itself; but it has been calculated on
good authority, that the actual expenditures of
the Federal Government at the present moment
Is at the rate of about IS 900 000I. per annum
This, it is true is less by 9,000,000l. than the
amount of our own expenditure-S4.0 900 ,000i-in
the heaviest year of the Crimean War; but one
third of that charge absorbed in providing for
the interest of the National debt, and the whole
sum only showed an excess Of some 35 900, ,000L
over our ordinary peace expeditures. In 1853
we spent 81 000, ,OO0l in 1854, so, 900, ,000I; and
it was not until we found ourselves in the very
agony of the struggle that We added some so per
cent. to our usual outlay. We may say, in short,
that the war cost us for the twelve months when
it was most expensive about 10000, ,000l. of
of money, whereas the civil war is costing the
Americans at its very outset at least twice that
sum. An expenditure of $4,000 0D0i represents
an excess OF about 50 600, ,000l on the ordinary
outlay OF the Federal Government, and this is in
CURED when the first campaign has but just open
ed, and before the real proportions of the war can
be supposed to be developed. This however,
though most omibous fact, constitutes by no
means the most striking feature of the case be-
fore us.
When we, in this country. we're spending these
tens of millions upon the war in hand, we were
also taxing ourselves in proportion. We met an
outlay of e4,0O0,00Oi by taxes to the amount of
63 900 000I net, actually paid into the Exchequer
after the costs of collection had been deducted.
In the following year we provided no less than
6S,OOO,OO0I to meet an aggregate charge Of 7o,-
OOO,OOOt, so that in the two years together we
added only 80 000, ,O00i to the national debt.
In fact. the whole war, sanguinary and exhaust
ing as It proved; only augmented the public debt
by the sum of 32,793,00 Let US now contrast
these statistics with the accounts received from
America. We find
therefore that while so 900 .00Ol annually would
be added to their national debt. 6000, ,00Ol annu-
ally would be added to the charge of that debt
that four years and three quarters of their pres
ent expenditure would saddle them with burden
to that which We have incurred in a century and
a half Mr.. Gladstone has to provide some %,
000,00I. to satisfy the public creditors of Greai
Britain. In the year 1866, if the American wal
should be protracted SO long. Mr.. Chase's sncces
sor will have to provide rather more than tha
sum for the creditors of the Union.
1t Is obvious to remark that the war may no
be carried on so long, continued at so heavy
cost; and, indeed, the exorbitant proposition
OF Congress were probably based upon the as
sumption that the WY TO make short work wa
TO 60 to work unsparingly at first. But the his
tory OF the campaign up to the present point con
taiis little 70 suggest speedy termination OF TN
struggle. The Southeyners not likely to sue
cumb nor the EUrtheruers to retire. Neither j
1t at all in accordance with experience in thes
matters that the -ast of war should be diminishe
as il goes on. he scale Of operations, indeed
as TAR AS resolutions 90, has actually been extend
ed. The last raj. tells us that the Voluntee
Bill passed by Congress empower the Presiden
to call 100000 men into to field, and il wa
supposed that hall these numbers would be actu
H. - -
when he crossed the Niemen with the most pre-
digious host ever seen in modern days. We ca
detect no sign, therefore. in the curtailment
the dimensions Of this extraordinary war, thoug
We may we'll doubt whether the Americans wi
find themselves able to borrow quite so fal
as they desire They have evidently the wi
70 rival the most reckless of States in this ruin
Gus race, but they have not the power.
The acco n,rIishe al huver conuecfed xv;,