Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1864-06-30

NJ. O1BIOs III IhbCDh Il
BY eloquent and plausible tongues, in order
to disguise the figures, and dclude the pco-
pie still further TO their ruin, but the muir
der Of the nations welfare at last will out, /
and bankruptcy, like an uneasy and troub- |
led ghost, with its shrivelcd face and skel- /
eton fingers, will come 70 plague and tor
ment the faithIess murdcrer-. 1t may he |
an unwelcome task to portray these facts, |
but the hour is fast approaching, in which
sons and daughters Of honest toll will lay
bitter maledictions on the authors of this
oppression and thank those who have
pointed out their danger.
In the report of the Secretary Of the
Treasury, submitted at the opening of the
present session of Congress, we find his
estimate for the fiscal year ending June 80,
1864, of the expenses Of the government
amounting to 81 l,099,73l, 800 1t is true
that he amuses the country by conjecture
that a considerable portion Of that sum will
not be expended at the end of the fiscal
year. He asks that it all be appropriated,
but gently intimates that some of it may
remain in his hands, not paid out on the
30th Of June, 1864. But inasmuch as we
have already at this session passed deficicn-
cy bills over aud above his estimates to the
extent of more THANH Hundred millions of
dollars, j must decline making any calcu-
lation upon any lower basis than the full
amount Of his own figures. Then taking
the appropriations already made up TO
March 4tb, 1868, as above stated:
,..-a s2,l2S3oo, 200
to June 30, 1854
l,oea 200
s3,223 OIL 100
We thus have from the official records an
Indebtedness on the 3Oth ofJune next, not
more than four months distant, reaching the
sum of three thousand two hundred and
twenty eight million, forty-one thousand
one hundred and sixty dollars. Pause for
moment, ye sweating tax payers, and COM
prehend if you can the weight of this load.
| pause with you, for my heart is now at
home clinging to the scenes of intelligent
husbands, which, represent here and which
| seek to save from desoation.
But the Secretary of the Treasury has CIV
en- US forecast ofanother year ofthe future.
Commencing again on the lst ofJuly, 1864
and closing june Goth, 1868, he gives us his
estimates of the expenditures Of another fs-
cal year. He places them
And the amount already estimated
up to June 80 1861, SGi,................ 3,208Oi 100
Total debt June 30, 80 SjG, ,2lS
From this amount must be deducted the
acual receipts from every source of revenue
during the years Of lS62 and 1868, and the
estimated receipts for the years Of lS64 and
| 1868. Allowing that the estimates of the
Secretery will prove correct in the future,
which is exceedingly charitable in view OF
the past, and we find that these receiptS will
amount in all to Sjl9,64 los. Subtract
this amount from the above sum, and we
! have left SO, $50, 2l3, Oq3. To this again,
however, must be added at the lowest cal
culation one hundred and fifty million to cov-
Ter the claims of States for advance to the
Federal Government and the claims of citi-
zens for the destruction of their property by
the inevitable operations of war. Thus the
public debt will stand June 3Oth, lS65, a
s4, 0l0, ,2I3, ,093. Sir, in this calculation
have stated nothing in order to swell tn,
the amount. Far otherwise. Iwould glad
~ diminish it if in my power. | have
) simply taken the amounts appropriated by
former Congress, and added the amount
which the Secretary Of the Treasury ask
shall de appropriated for the years 1864 anC
1865. ! assume and most safely think il
view Of the past, that all money thus ap
propriated by Congress for specified object,
will be spent. This is all, and you behold
the appalling result. | do not stop to take
an account of State debts, which counts by
hundreds of millions. | pass the debts OF
counties, cities towns and various corpora
tions, all of which are a direct tax upon the
people. | simply compute the Federal
indebtedness, and you have these frighttul
figures.
Sir, this debt now inevitable fastened upon
the American people has no parallelin the
history of nations. Its like is unknown in
the annals of mankind 1t stands alone in
itscareer of devastation. The power of Ian
guage cannot eXaggerate it as an agent o
destruction. More than four thousand mil
lions ofdolarsl The debt Of England, whicl
is now permanent curse, is less, Yet, since
1859, no British Statesman has thought TO
an instant that it would ever be finally paid
1t commenced accruing in small proportion
, during the reign of Charles 1.-two hun
dred years ago. Succeeding wars rapid
! increased it, and baffled all the wisdom an
| resources of the English people, in thei
long and faithful efforts to accomplish it
r payment. They pay the interest and be
; queath, the principal, with all its crushin
weight, to each succeeding generation An
even this burthen on the labor of Englan
is so great and so perpetual, that oneeight
! Of her citizens are inmates of the poor house
, and almost another eighth have been drive
by want from their native land. We are t
tread in the same blighted pathway, groan
, ing YEARLY under still heavier load-th
cursed fruits of a sectional party, and ii
nancial corruption. We look ont upon tn
field of the future. 1t lies dismal and end
, less before us. There is no land Of rest il
, the distance for the tired taxpayers. Their
is no promise of deliverance Frightening th'
sky before him. His step from this on is il
ceaseless treadmll, from which he viii
f never escape. Are you afraid men of labo
, throughout America to look at this picture
, VIII you turn away your faces and hu
t yourselves in the delusion that all is well
= little longer? Will you punish and dcnounc
the faithful sentinel who cries out toyou tn
t approach of destruction? 1t may be so yc
: awhile. 1t is in the heart Of man to put o
the evil hour We often take refuge tror
danger by affecting not to see 1t when W
y know it is inevitable. Death itself at las
: Surprises us in the midst Of the busy plan
| and pleasing aspirations of life. The vote
n of warning dies away on the ear unheede
: by the heart But this fact does not di
n vorce man in public station from tn
a performance of his thankless duty. L sha
: here perform mine, and take all the rewar
= | seek or desire, in the appreciation OF m
| a..,,, n over prpSpnt sell d