The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1868-07-23

tlOn ilnmeulately preceding the war cost
per regiment largely more in gold than
| the army now costs per regiment In paper
under the peace establishment as admin
istered by General Grant. The same
scale of expenditure INDUCED in under
| the administration of Buchanan would
| make our present army cost over seventy
millions in gold or a hundred millions in
paper; and until the latter figure is
exceeded the Democratic partisans of
Buchanan can have no ground to charge
| that the army expenses are eXtravagant.
When we look at the actual amount spent
for legitimate army expenses, we see good
ground for the high compliment bestowed
by President johnson when,a few months
since, he publicly proclaimed General
Grant judlclous economy as the direct
cause of saving many millions to the
Treasury" With General Grants cleo
ton to the Presidency and the final paci-
fication of the Southern States, our army
will at once be reduced and the expendi-
lures of the War Department will be
brought to a point so inconsideraDle as no
longer to be felt as burden to the tax
payer.
The comparison in regard to naval ex-
penditures at the two periods l have
named, are equally suggestive and strik
ing. For the four years of Buchanan
administration the navy, by the official
records, cost fifty-two million six hundred
and forty-fve thousand nine hundred and
ninety-eight dollars and eighty-nlne cents
showing an average of more than
thirteen millions in gold coin per annum.
With much larger navy, and with the
disadvantage of paper money and high
prices, our appropriations this year are
trife under eighteen millions. Taking
the difference IN the size of the navy at
the two periods and the disparity between
gold and paper and we should be author
lied, if we followed the Buchanan stand
ard of expenditure, In appropriating well
nigh forty millions for the year service.
These facts are certainly suggestive and
instructive.
In our post office expenditures, as COM
pared with those of the Democratic
regime, the difference is. if anything,
more striking than in the rela tive expen-
ses Of the army and navy. Besides using
up all the postal receipts, the Post Office
Department for the last three years OF
Buchanan s administration made drafts
on the Treasury to the amount OF over
five millions u year, in one year running
up to nearly seven millions. During the
whole time the Republicans have been in
power, the drafts on the Treasury to
support the postal service have not aver
aged two million dollars per annum, and
with this moderate expenditure we have
been enabled to carry on the immense mail
service in the interior of the continent
and to the shores of the Pacific, through
all our remote Territories and sparsely
Deopled sections, and have also been able
to maintain a superb line of mail steamers
from San Francisco to Hong Kong, and
from New York to Rio Janelro. none OF
which extraordinary enterprises and ex-
penditures were levied on the Depart
ment during Buchanan 5 administration.
These comparisons might be quite IN
definitely continued, exhibiting IN each
item the same result, and demonstrating
with mathematical certainty that when
we take into account the vast increase OF
population and the rapid and unprece-
dcnted de -elopment of our country dur
ing the time the Republican party has
been in power, and when we take into
further account the fact that we have
been all the while subjected as necessity
of the war to the disadvantage OF high
nrices resulting from paper money; tax
ing, [ say, these facts into account, as
sert and defy contradiction that large as
our expenditures have necessarily been,
they have vet been on scale OF economy
a I'd fidelity quite unknown during the
last Democratic administration that allie
ted the country. And l assert further,
and T-caH both political friend and foe to
the witness stand in support OF my dec
laration. that whenever and wherever
General Grant has been able to control
governmental expenditure, economy, IN
tegritv. fidelity, and ridgid retrnchment
and reduction have been the unvarylng
result
Consider further, Mr.. Chairman, that
while the Republican party has been pro-
viding the means for these expenditures,
they have been at the same time eftectng
immense reductions in the public debt
and continually and largely reducing taxa
ton. Within the three years that have
past since the war closed and the Army
was mustered out, we have reduced the
public debt between two and three hun
bred million dollars, and at each session
OF Congress, while this reduction of the
debt was going on, we have taken OF mil
lions upon millions of taxation from the
productive industry of the nation. At
the first session of the Thirty Ninth Con-
cress. the first that convened after the
close of the war, taxes were removed that
had thc preceding yeay yielded revenue
of sixty millions, and at the second SeS-
SION of the same Congress torty-one MIL
lions more Of taxes were promptly repeal
ed. The Fortieth Congress has not been
behind the Thirty Ninth IN this respect,
for we havs already repealed taxes that
last wear gave us a revenue OF ninety
millions And to-day the taxes OF the
Federal Government are so wisely adJus-
ted. and collected from such few sources
that no man feels them buruensome, OPP
pressive. or exaeting. Demagogues may
misrepresent and partizans may as
sail. but the people know and feel that
to-day the taxes levied by the Federal
| Government are not on oppression to the
individual and not h,ndrance to the
| DEVELOPMENT Of the industrial resources
of the land.
TIE history of the Republican party,
| Mr. Chairman, Is indeed a proud record
| Inherting a bankrupt Treasury, dls-
| honored credit, and gigantic reheinon
! from the traitorous Administration which
preceded their advent to power IN 1901,
the Republicans heroicaily and success s,
fully grappled with and conquered all
obstacles to the life and progress OF the
nation. They replenished the Treasury
they redeemed our credit; they subdued
the mightiest rebellion that ever coniron-
ted civil power since Governments, were
instituted amons. men; they struck the
shaclxles from f6lr millions Of human be-
ings. and gave them every civil right un
! a. he constitution and laws. And while
aeon, !. hing these herculean tasks, the
! Rembiicaa party administered the Gov
eminent 50 wisely that prosperity has