The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-09-16
From Ruper's Weekly.
THE TRUE FINANCIAL QUESTION

The responsibility for the debt we
considered last week. 1t rests with the
Democratic party. Has the Republt-
crease or to diminish the national ex-
penses This is the real financial
question of the campaign. The Repub-
licans were compelled to make debt
to save the Government. The country
of course means to pay it. 1t cannot
pay 1t, however, without taxation and
without a spirit OF economy in the
party that controls the Government.
Yet even If the party evinced reck-
lessness that cannot be proved against
the Republican, 1t by no means follows
that the country would find relief by
throwing itself into the hands ofthe
Democrats, for reasons that we have
suggested. What, then, are the facts i?
The receipts for the;last, fiscal year
were S406, 300 600. What becomes of
this great sum? The mass of 1t goes 10
pay the necessary debt. For interest.
Sal ,635, ,55l. For principal paid, S34,-
749, az. For bounties. pensions, and
other war claims, SS3. .GS3. .29l. Here are
about $500, ,O0O, coo, including the cost of
the Freedmen's Bureau and Recon
struction expenses. How could a
Democratic administration reduce this
amount? For the Bureau is now TO
end, and the Reconstruction expenses
however, there are the ordinary ex.
penses OF the Government, the Civil
list, the Interior, the War and Navy
Departments, and the Engineer Bu-
reau, all amounting toa little more
than Sl46,000,000. This absorbs the
revenue, and Senator Sherman, who Is
especially conversant with financial
matters in Congress-, says: ~ cannot
recall single item of appropriation,
except for the Freedmen's Bureau and
Reconstruction, that was not supported
by all parties. both in the Senate and
House."
But Congress has materially tighten
ed the expenses. 1t opposed the enor-
nous pressure for extra civil and mill
tary pay, involving millions of dollars.
1t has abolished that temporary but
most indispensable constitution, ,theFreed
mems Bureau. Nothing has been some
Indignantly opposed by the rebels and
copperheads than the Bureau, because
nothing tended more to secure finally
and absolutely the victory of the war.
The Democratic orators have made the
loosest statements of the enormous eX
penses of the Bureau, devoted,
they declare, to the support OF
lazy able negroes. MIR. ID. w. voorhees,
lately asserted that 1t spent for that pur-
pose ten or fifteen millions year.
The truth is, according to Gen. Howard,
the unimpeachablec chief OF the Bureau,
that, deducting the pay and allowances
OF army officers and the cOmmissary
stores from army depots, the totul ac-
tual cost of the Freedmen's Bureau has
been less than six millions OF dollars.
Il has been no less the friend of the
poor whites than of the poor blacks,
and its service to the country has been
of the noblest and most Invaluable
character. In the other departments of
the Government there has been IL
att To- hot n
gnte appropriations for ordinary eX-
penditures have fallen from $4,000,
900 to sol 100000. With all the draw
backs the expenses of the Government
this year will not exceed SlOO,OO0,O0O,
exclusive of the public debt and boun-
lies and pensions.
Now how is the money raised for
these expenses? In other words, what
is our system of taxation? The subject
was comparatively new to us, and we
began with cumbrous complication,
Ievying taxes upon multitude of art
cles with the aim of equalization. Grad
uallS, however, the system becomes
simple. The taxes on food, clothing,
and the necessaries of lille have been re-
pealed, and upon manufacturers except
spirits and tobacco. But Tie customs
duties are laid upon imported goods,
and yield about Sl65. 600, COO. The taxes
on spirits and tobacco have yielded as
much as $55, ,O00, 600 in a year. But the
frauds were 80 enormous that the rate
was reduced, and return oil 100000,
600 from those two sources is now esti-
mated. There are besides these the in
come tax on all incomes over $1,000; the
license tax; the stamp tax; the tax on
railroads and other corporations, and
miscellaneous taxes upon such articles
Hs billiard tables, carriages, and plate.
The expenses of collecting the internal
revenue last year were less than three
per cent, which is II smaller rate than
ihnt OF customes collection, or OF any
local sState:or city tax in the country.
This may not be perfect system of
taxation. But IL is constantly tested
by experience, and is vigorously nIOdi-
fed to meet tho necessities of the Coun- |
try. Have the Democrats, who so ve-
hemently denounced the tax-gatherer,
proposed any moro effectual? Looking |
ut the fact and figues, is the Democrat
ic party likely to stop the visits OF the |
collector except by refusing TO pay |
him? Ifthe party of which the South
ern chiefs have again taken the COM |
mand should come into power, will it
probably insist upon paying the cost
OF suppressing the rebellion and de- |
cline TO consider the pensions of rebel
soldiers and compensation for rebel |
losses? Certainly not. 1t will either
say, pay the whole; or it will stand By |
its platform and repudiate the whole.