Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1864-02-02
Partisan ~Juggiery.

/ kent concealed, until the resources OF chl-
~canory aud downright lying were cShaus'
ted. Al last, il became no longer practi-
cable To deny either the annual cost OF tho
war, or the stupcndous sum of the debt
Both were confessed. though not nearly to
their extreme amount; but still tho figures
admitted were large enough to give con
Germ to many very loyal Republicans, ~
well as Democrats.
About this time we began to notice in
various papcrshnd speeches, a proposition
like this. that however vast the sum ox-
pended, and however large the debt, tho
nation was none the poorer for what was
expended was paid to our own citizens,
and whatever was owing, wal Hue also TO
thcm. We now find in the American
Exchange and Review" an elaborate ar
ticlo, in which these prcpostcrous notions
are argued at length,
Thus the writer says
"The fact Of payment is only a transfer OF
proceeds from ons TO another and docs not
eject quantities Of capital in tho lonst Tins,
Il W. suppose that government we're enabled
To pay tho debt tomorrow, although the funds
would come from u portion NJ tho comnunl
", they would 10 into the pockets of another
porton. = A national debt, once IN
existence. is no burden At all upon the totally
OF The nations wealth
II follows, that il a nation may eNpcnd
its resources ut pleasure, without becoming
poorer, aud incur debt Of any magnitude,
without diminishing the "totality of its
wealth." that all expenditure, ought
be- made by the Government. aud all
debt incurred, he charged to the
national account. 1t would be hard to
say that the rascal in the Navy Yard. re-
Gently exposed, who stole public plumber
for the construction Of his house, and paid
the hands who builtit out Of the public
money, was much to blame. II expenses
don't impovcrish, and debts don't bank
rupt the Government, why should it not
not build all our houses. and buy the flour
and groceries, to say the least, of all tho
people?
There is a grain of truth in the assump-
tons we have quoted, Aud this perhaps
will last the Republican party during the
campaign. aud enable it to make continu-
cd fools of the people. Perhaps not,
Let Us explain in what sense it is true:
Suppose a community of a hundred
people. each individual tho owner OF land
in fee simple to the amount of u thousand
dollars. Ten of these persons, by supe-
rior cunning, get tho rmHining ninety in
debtcd to them TO the amount Of
tho value of their farms, aud obtain recu-
rity by taking mortgage on tho whole.
Now. Il is true. that the aggregate wealth
of the community is just what il was be-
fore, but ninety ont Of Que hundred of its
people are bankrupt,
Ii is in this sense, and in no other, that
the %totality Of the nations wealth may
be assumed To be the same that il was be-
fore tho war. But even this assumption
IL untrue to tho amount of tho awful IN.
wages which the war has caused, the nnm-
Der Of wealth producers that il has slaugh-
tered. or disabled. aud the general demon
alization which has resulted from liz prose.
ton.
But in all this we see what the Rcpnb-
lican idea of "Govemment" il. and what
We are to expect from their rule il it is
continued. With them the "Nalion," M
they love to call it, is everything No
matter if the masses are Impoverished
no matter il their lands aud houses 80 to
pay current expenses; no matter IL such
of them as arc not slaughtered in the pres.
ent war, be enslavod to pay future interest
on tho public debt. No matter for all this
The nation is none the worse. Tho total.
ity Of Us wealth though monopolizcd by
the few, instead of being dinusod among
the many, il still as great AZ il was be.
fore tbs war. No consideration Of prof
or loss, veal OF woo, to the people, aparl
from the Government. is worthy of a mo-
ment's thought.
BE prepared for the Nav PoLITIoAl