Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1867-01-31
AN ANOMALOUS UNIT

The nations of Europe in vain attempt
to solve the enigma which our country
presents to them. We astonish and
confound them at every turn. We do
things so differently from other people
that predictions and calculations are
worth nothing. When the rebellion
broke out the wise men Of Europe fore
saw the complete disruption of the
Union; but when the great uprising of
the North brought forth a million vol
unteer soldiers, prophecy gave place to
wonder and amszement. Whom war
failed to crush the Government, we were
gravely told by Europeans that the i'm
mense national debt would impoverish
and bankrupt the country. But now,
since they have received our financial
exhibit of the past year. surprise again
takes possession Of them, and the Amer
lean people become a greater mystery
than before. They cannot understand
how it is that we ear pay our immense
National, State and local expenses, the
interest on National and local debts and
at the same time apply two or three
hundred million dollars upon the prin-
cipal of these debts. The following ex-
tracts from the London. Tines show how
Europeans perplex their minds about
this anomalous Yankee nation
"At first sight nothing is more strik-
ing than the condition Of the American
Finances. We are astonished at the
spectacle offs great self-governed nation
undergoing, apparently without muir
muir or remonstrance, q load Of taxation
which is without Q parallel in history.
Not only is the actual amount of reve-
nue. raised for national purposes in the
United States greater than has ever
been raised elsewhere; it is furnished
by a system Of imposts Of the most gall
ing and eItravagant nature. The intri-
a c and minuteness of our own inan-
cial system in its worst days are simple
compared with those Of the Union. The
exercise of every trade is fettered by its
peculiar burden; every act Of sale is made
the occasion of levying q tribute to the
Treasury. The total revenue thus &C
quired is far in excess Of the current
wants of the nation, and a surplus &C
crues OF such q magnitude as to prom
Use to pay off its s%tupendous debt before
the generation passes away which saw
il created. Candor must compel US TO
acknowledge that this result surprises
us not only in itself, but because it
run counter to what we anticipated,
considering the quarter in which it is
discovered. No one among US believed
that the American nation would COM
mence the redemption Of its debt as soon
as the war was over, and we had reason
for our disbelief. The conduct of the
greater number Of individual States in
past times cast-nsy, the conduct Of ev-
ery State in the Union, with the single
exception of Massachusetts,, at this mo-
ment cssts-s slur ofsuspicion upon tho
honesty of the collective nation. Where
each member ofthe Federation departs
from its bargain, and refuses to pay
debts. at all, or pays debts borrowed in
gold with paper promises worth from a
half to two-thirds their nominal value,
what security was there for the honesty
of the Federation ITSELF Our doubts
were justi6able, but the Federation has
hitherto put to shame u suspicion,
and, indeed, is showing an example
which might stir up the nations OF the
Old World to emulate it's conduct"