New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-07-30
Mn SEYlfOHR LIE,

"Now when tho Republican party inaugurated the
policy OF governing the South by force II involved ihe
Necessity of maintaining great armies-great standing
armies It involved great national expense. The war
more on s5OOOOOOO 70 maintain an army 10 keep me Peo-
pfc Of ne south IN SectiOn-a people that ought rather
10 be helping US to bear the cost OF governing the nation
Sly friend Gen sces says nothing is better than the
Governors down South That may be very well Tor the
Governors there with their salaries but can you afford
have that state OF thing exist when we show yon that
more than $500 year hare been WGSfed in order 10
Upheld rs pocy q a AK r ySG i Sa she
aton falling upon us in this land II tins poct IS con
tinuedl What do you sayi The taxgatherer calls upon
you and you complain Of your taxes These taxes are
imposed for the purpose OF paying our unwise P1pnc
debt Now. SOO.OoO0OO are raised, ana on O " me
creditor gss only 100000 Where do The sO0GOOOO got
ask the capitalists ask the mon who hold these bonds
II is wise and prudent aud right to uphold TINS POLICY
policy than cndangers tho liberties OF our andi ask
YOU can you sustain these men VINO waste " Oh tT pee
the public creditori" lApplauso.l
- Here are three distinct specific assertions
as follows
I. 1t is costing this year "mOre than $780,
100000 to maintain an army to keep the peo-
"pe of the South in subsection"
Q. "More than $3OO,OCOOOO year have been
wasted in order to uphold this policy of Re-
construction"
8. Now $500, 100000 are raised, and out of
1T the creditor gets only SlOOOOO,OOO.'
- These assertions we branded as lies-nOt
mere mistakes because made in papabe def
ance of public records and official statements
so explicit and notorious that person of aver
age intelligence could not make them without
being impelled bya desire to bear false witness
against his neighbour.
Of course. We could not state the precise
aggregate of National expenditure in year
not yet concluded; but we cited from the ac-
counts and estimates OF the Treasury and
War Departments, and even from The World
lrpanac, facts which proved Gov. Seymours
above-quoted assertions at war with the truth.
We have now an official statement, by Special
Revenue Commissioner ID. A. Wells, of the
exact amounts discussed from the Treasury
during the fiscal year which closed with the
last month-that is on June 80. 1sGS-the pre-
else year in which and Of which Gov. Seymour
was speaking. These are not estimates, nor
appropriations, nor guesses, but the exact
amounts paid into the L. S. Treasury from all
sources and drawn from it for all purposes
during the fiscal year just ended.
This report shows that Gov. Seymour was
very nearly right "a 20 the amount of Income
to the Treasury during the fiscal year just
closed-the exact amount being iOO,3OOOOO.
But, instead of only Sl0O,0OO,OO0 of this going
to the public creditors, there was paid to them
no less than S141, 6S555l for interest alone-a
large part of this being back interest on the
compound interest notes, whereof the three
years interest and principal are all paid of at
once. These being now paid of and Cancelled,
the current interest on our National Debt is
1926 100000 per annum.
Aside from payments of interest and princi-
pal of the Public Debt, there was paid from
the Treasury, during the fiscal year just closed,
1920 914 ,674-in round numbers Two Hundred
and Thirty Millions-bcing Serenity Millions Of
Dollars less than the aggregate stated by Sey-
mour in his Bridgeport speech.
Upon warrants from the War Department,
there was paid from the Treasury for all pur-
poses during the last fiscal year Sl23,246,64S-
not quite Tirty Millions less than Seymour
asserted was paid to maintain an army to keep
"the people of the South in subsection" But,
instead of being expended for that purpose,
there was paid,
For Rembnrsing state War Claims ...... IO33ois8
For Engineer Bureau malnly River and Harbor
For Payments for property lost or destroyed in
the military service OF the United States,
Act OF March 8, lsi9, and supplements there
For Subsistence Of Indians, estimated IOOOoOO
For Freedmens Bureau. 32l50O0
For Expenses Reconstruction. ............. l,799270
For Communication Of Ratons OF Prisoners Of War $4,000
Total. So, $3.50 2as
These are the Commissioners figures; but we
will subtract the items for the Freedmen's Blu
reau, for Reconstruction expenses and even
that (thOugh we should mott for Subsistence of
Indians, so that there shall be no chance for
even unreasonable cavils, and add these to the
cost of maintaining the Army, which will then
stand
Regular Army expenditures .s56,7l9nO
Freedmcn's Bureau. 325OOO
Reconstruction expenses OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 179o21O
Subsistence OF Indians 100000
Total 727 ESQ
Here is the entire cost of maintaining the
Army, supporting the Freedmen's Bureau and
executing the Reconstruction acts altogether;
and the aggregate is less, far less, than One-haU
the amount charged by Seymour He told the
people of Connecticut that ait would cost this
"year more than S1j0,OOO00O to maintain an
"army to keep the people of the South in sub
lection :" while in fact the entire cost of the
Army whereof Millions were required to sub
due the outbreak of several tribes of savages
on the Plans) with the cost of executing the
Reconstruction acts and supporting the Freed
mems Bureau, was actually less than Sixty
three Millions! Can so gross misstatement
have been honestly made by one who has been
Governor of State and is now running for
President?
We have grouped the Army Reconstruction,
Freedmen's Bureau, and Indian Subsistence ac-
counts with purpose Had we not done so,
there are those who would say, " The Army
proper does not cost so much it is the Re-
construction policy, or tho Freedmens Blu