Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-11-03
OUR PUBLIC DEBT.

In Difference to that spirit Of fair-dealiDg which
we seek to practise towards political opponents we
yesterday gave place to communication from GA
Subscriber" who wished to correct certain state
ments, deemed by him to be erroneous, as made in
: communication published by us on the 9th
ultimo on " The Cost Of the War"
Among the items which A Subscriber" sought
to invalidate in that exposition of the gigantic
debt which the nation mourning under the present
Administration was an estimate of 500, 1000, 900
for "indefnite appropriations" He says:
81. In estimating the amount of our national debt in
1866 your correspondent includes the Of OO0
under the head Of indefinite appropriations No such
appropriations exist or can exist"
1--WE do not doubt the candor Of GA Subscriber !"
when he thus writes, for the very obyiousness of
his error shows that it was unintentiona and springs
from want of familiarity with the financial ope-
rations of the Government The writer of the
communication on the "Cost of the War" may
have under-estimated or over-estimated the amount
allowed for " indefinite appropriations" but this
is no reason for denying that any such appropria-
tons exist or can exist" If GA Subscriber !"
under the direction of the Secretary Of the Senate
and Clerk Of the House of Representatives, show
ing the appropriations made at each session of
Congress, he would have known that nothing is
more common than appropriations marked indie
finite, because the sum required cannot be known
in advance Of the settlement made by the Treasury
Department For instance, we have before us the
Official " Statement" Of the appropriations made
at the third session Of the Thirty-seventh Con-
gress, in which there are several marked "indef-
nite," and the amount of which, not being asoer-
tanned, is not carried into the aggregate of the
appropriations made at that session. A single ex-
ample will suffice by way Of illustration:
For payment of the several certificates Issued by the
accounting officers of the Treasury Department to the
officers sailors marines and crews of the Congress and
Cumberland and other persons provided for by the act
Of April g. 1862 entitled An act to provide for the equt
able settlement of the accounts OF officers and crews of
the fisate Congress and other essels.-Indefnite"
The money to meet these " Certificates" was
appropriated by Congress, but the amount being
unknown the sum required for their payment was
not included in the g definite" appropriations
of the session, which, erclusiue ofsthe "indef-
mite appropriations" reached the aggregate of
1918, 100, 470 If the indefinite appropriations
had been included, this monstrous aggregate would
have been swollen beyond that sum.
As GA Subscriber" was in error on this sub
ject he will perhaps concur with US in the opinion
that he may be in error on some other points to
which he takes exception in the communication
referred to. He is certainly in error when he says
that it is easier for u, to pay national debt Of
the same amount than for England. II has
been truly said that the capacity Of Great Britain
to carry colossal debt lies in two circumstances
of her financial condition These are
First. Her vast accumulated wealth, which makes
her subjects the of rawsy and mining property
and bonded debts 10 oil parts of the world.
Second Her nsular position which exempts her from
the expense of large standing army"