Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-07-17
The Cost of Running States as Com
Quered Provinces.

The following is President JoHNsoN's
message to the Senate, on Monday, relative
to the cost, etc of running the ten States
of the South as conquered Provinces:
WASHINGTON, D. c., July 15, 1867
The following message was transmitted,
to-day, addressed to the Senate ofthe United
| States -
transmit herewith reports from S,cre-
tary of War and Attorney General, con-
tanning the information called for by the
resolution of the third instant, requesting
the President of the United States to COM
municate to the Senate copies of all the
orders, instructions. circular letters, or let
ters of advice, issued to the respective mill
itary officers assigned to the command of
the several military districts. under the act
passed March ID, 1867, entitled "An act to
provide for the more efficient government
of the rebel States" and the act supplement
tary thereto, passed March 23d, 1867. Al>o,
copies of all opinions given by the Attorney
General of the United States touching the
construction aud Interpretation of said acts,
and all correspondence relating to the OPP
erations, construction or execution of said
acts, and such as may have taken place be-
tween himself and any such commander or
between him and the General OF the army,
or between the latter and said commander,
touching said subject; also copies of all
ing out the provisions of said act, or either
of them; also, that he inform the Senate
what progress has been made in the mat
ter of registration under said acts, and
whether the sum of money appropriated
for carrying them out be probably suffi-
cient.
In answer to that portion of the resolu-
ton whether the sum of money appropri-
ated for carrying these acts into effect is
probably sufficient, reference is made to the
accompanying report of the Secretary of
War. 1t will be seen from the report that the
appropriation of five hundred thousand dol
lars made in the act approved March 80, 1867,
for the purpose of carrying into effect the
act to provide for more efficient govern
ment of the rebel States, passed March I'd,
1867, and the act supplementary, passed
March % !, 1867, has already been expended
by the commanders of the Military Dis
trlcts, and that in addition the sum of ST.
645277 is required for present purposes.
IL is exceedingly difficult at the present
time to estimate the probable expense OF
carrying Into full effect the two acts OF
March last and the bill which passed the
two Houses of Congress on the 18th inst
1t the existing Governments of the ten
States of the Union are to be deposed, and
their entire marhinery to he placed un-
der exclusive control and authority of the
respective district commanders, all eXpeD-
ditures incident to the administration OF
such Governments must necessarily be in
curred by the Federal Government.
| 1t is believed. in addition to The 81 100000
already expended, an estimate for the sum
which will be required for this purpose
would not be less than fourteen millions
the aggregate amount expended prior tc
the rebellion in the administration of theil
respective governments by the ten States
embraced in the provision of those acts
The sum expended would, no doubt, be
considerably augmented, if the machinery
of these States is to be operated by the Fed
eral Government, and would be largely in
creased, il the United States, by abolishine
the existing State Governments, should bt
responsible for the liabilities incurred by
them before the rebellion, in their laudablt
efforts to develop resources, and in no wist
created for insurrectionary purposes. The
debt of these States, thus legiti
mately incurred. when accurately as.
certained, will, it is believed, approx
innate hundred million dollars
and they are held not only by our own cit
iZens, among whom are residents of por,
tt0rs of the country which have ever beer
loyal to the Union. but by persons who arr
subjects of foreign Governments. tt /;
worthy of consideration of Congress anC
the country whether, if the Federal Gov.
ernment. by this action, were to assume
such obligations so large an addition to ou
public expenditures would not seriously
impair the credit of the nation; or, on the
other hand, whether the refusal of Con
gress to guarantee the payment of thes'
States after having displaced or abolished
their State Governments, would not b.
viewed as violation of good faith, an,
reputation by the National Legislature o
the liabilities which these States had justl,
and legally incurred. ....
[Signedl ANDREW JOHNSON.
WASHING ron, July 10. 1867.