New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-08-03
THE NATfONAL EXPENDITURES.

THE NATIONAL EXPENDITURES
For many months, the most atrocious false
hoods with regard to tile current expenses of
the Federal Government have been the pnnci-n
pal stock in trade of the enemies of Human
Liberty. The assertions of Horato Seymour
in his Bridgeport speech that In tho fiscal
wear then current but since closed, 1t was
costing more than $15O0OO,GO0 per annum to
maintain an army to keep the people of the
D" South in subjection"-that "MOre than $780,
100000 a year have been ,rdSted in order TO
uphold this policy of Observation-Disclosures
" Now, $4OO, 100000 are raised, and out OF 1t
"tbe public creditor gets only S10OOOO,OOO -
are fair specimens Of the gigantic, villalnous
lies that have been put forth as facts III Cop
perhead harangues and editorials for the last
/ The Hon. VIM. B. Allison of Iowa was moved
to solicit of the Hon. David A. Wells. Special
Commissioner of Revenue, an exhibitor the actual
income and expenditure of the Federal Gov
eminent for the fiscal year which closed barely
one month ago. He made his inquiry on the
9th of July; but the accounts were not yet
made up, so that he did not answer till the
15th-which is earlier, we believe, than the ac-
counts of q fiscal year closing with the pre-
ceding month were ever laid before the public.
OF course, they may possibly require subse-
duent correction as to the petty details; but
that they are substantially accurate, and within
a fraction of the exact figures, no one doubts
Let us sec, then, how the official facts compare
with Gov. Seymour's assertions: .....rr s...l
Gov. Seymour guessed the Income for the then
current fiscal year at $40O,00O,0O0 and it WAS
actually S4OG, 100000 very nearly)j so that it is
proved that he can make very good guesses
when no political capital is TO accrue from
making bad ones. -....., ........ '..
Now look at the other side Of the account;
He asserts that the cost of maintaining an
army to subjugate the South for the fiscal year
1878 was more than $l5O,OOO,OOO;" and that
'more than $500 100000 year have been
wasted in order TO uphold this policy of Re-
Construction" Mr.. Weiss report shows that
the entire cost of maintaining our army, sup
porting the Freedmen's Bureau and defraying
the expenses of Reconstruction at the South,
amounted in the aggregate to S62,727,6SO !;
though this includes the Outgoes OF waste
full Indian War Oni the Plains, and S1,OOO,OOO
appropriated to feeding Indians whom
we had ceased to fight. Very much of the
s., 100000 spent by the Freedmen's Bureau went
to feed the helpless widows and orphans of
White Rebels left destitute by the collapse of
the Confederacy; nearly all the residue was
paid for registering voters and holding cleo
tions in States where the Freedmen's Bureau
is now being closed out, while Military rule is
already abolished.
- Gov Seymour asserted that of the $4OO0OO 900
e 20, no hon, no L.
lie creditor gets but $10O,0OO000. Mr.. Weiss
report shows that no less than Sal ,635,55l
were paid in that year for interest on the Pub
lie Debt-much of it being the back interest
on the Compound Interest Notes, which were
paid off in that year with the three years
compound interest due on them-so that the
interest on the National Debt henceforth is but
s126 100000 per annum. After paying this cur
rent interest and back interest, there were
$34,749 TAI left wherewith to reduce the princi-
pal of the Debt. Thus the years revenue
yielded for the payment of interest and princi-
pal of the Debt no less than S178,385, 298, being
SIG, 1886 ,29S more than Seymour asserted.
Gov. Seymour asserted that More than
"$3OO,OO 600 year have been wasted in order to
"uphold this policy of Reconstruction" Mr.
\ w euSB report SHOWS IDdg bHo pay HlcuJs liOHn
the Treasury for eUerypurpose except payment
of principal or interest of the National Debt
were less than Two Hundred and Thirty Mil
lions precisely, $229,914,674; and that of this
amount, beside many millions for Pensions,
there were paid III T~sATF
For BSunties 70 our Volunteers =. H.. tssooopOO
For feimbursing War Claims u, S0l6o
Payments for property lost In the Military Ser
vice Of the United States. ................ 6llSOO
These three items-together $5S,44l, 4S8-are
payment of Public Debt as much as though
they. had bought up and Cancelled 50 many
Five-Twenties They are SO much of the cost
of putting down the Rebellion paid off and ex-
tinguished, once for all so that really the
amount Of our.Natonal Debt was reduced dur
ing the fiscal. year just closed, including the
payment of back interest on the Compound In
terest Notes, by little less than One Hundred
Millions Of Dollars And, instead of the entire
current expense of the Federal Government,
except for the payment of principal and inter
est of the Public Debt being "more than $780,
F." OO0.0OO'' 'it-was considerably less than $500
100000
How do Seymour's pettifOggers meet this