Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1868-07-15

, we'll nigh forty millions. Adding tor
tv per cent premium on the gold, to
, bring the expenditures of the two
, eras to the same standard, and we
, find the outlays of Buchanan were at
{ the rate Of over ninety-elght millions
Il In paper to-day. To this add one
Iair3 "a 81 i3e iRer986ee aan RRng1S9tl2H a and ID
{ adjusted 10 the scale of to-day, would
tamount to ono hundred and thirty
e,silIlOn dollars Tor the same 1tems
that we are paying less than one
hundred and seven millions. And In
this calculation have said nothing
about the increased military and ma
val force of the present, day which
adds immensely to the account in ia
vor of present economy.
This calculation, stated in these
| general terms, is far more striking
and suggestive when you come to ex-
anime details, the army, for instance,
cost during the four years Of Buchan-
ans administration, by the official
statement Of the Treasury Depart
ment, which | hold in my hand, the
I large aggregate of S86. 6.307,575, ,55.
making an average of well nigh TWEEN
ty-two millions each wear IN gold.
And at that time the army consisted
in all of nineteen regiments so that
each regiment cost considerably over
million each year in gold. The ar
my at present contains sixty regi-
ments, and yet the whole appropria-
ton asked for by General Grant
amounts to little more than thirty
three millions, a trife more than half
a million per regiment each year in
paper. In other words, the army un-
der the peace establishment of Dem
ocratic administration Immediately
preceding the war cost per regiment
largely more in gold than the army
now costs per regiment In paper un-
der the peace establishment as admin
4 istered by General Grant. The same
scale Of expenditure induiged in un-
der the administration of Buchanan
would make our present army cost
over seventy millions III gold or
hundred millions in paper; and until
the latter figure is exceeded the Dem
ocratie partizans of Buchanan can
have no ground TO charge that the ar
nv expenses are extrayagant. " hen
we look at the actual amount spent
for legitimate army expenses, we see
good ground for the high compliment
bestowed by President Johnson when,
4 few months since, he publicly pro
claimeds % General Grants iudicious
economy as the direct cause Of saving
many millions to the Treasury
With General Grants election to the
Presidency and the final pacifcation
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 inconsiderable
as no longer to be felt as a burden to
the taxpayer.
The comparison in regard to naval
/ expenditures at the two periods / have
named are equally suggestive and
striking For the four years Of Bu-
chanan's, the navy. by the official re
cords, cost S52, 2,645.99S SO. showing an
average of more than SI3.0OO,0O0 in
| gold coin per annum. With a much
| larger navy, and with the disadvan-
/ tage Of paper money and high prices.
our appropriations this year are a tri-
fie under Sl8, 100000 Taking the diff
! ference in the SIZE of the navy at the
/ two periods and the disparity between
/ gold and paper and We should be au-
! tlorized, if we followed tie Buchanan
standard Of expenditure, in appropri-
ahng we'll nigh $40, 600, 900 for the
years service These facts are GER
tanlv suggestive and instructive.
In our Post Office expenditures. as
/ compared with the Democra tic regime
! tie difference IS, if anything. more
striking than the relative expenses Of
/ tie army and navy. Besides using
| up all the postal receipts, the Post
Office Department. for the last three
/ years Of Buchanans administration,
made drafts on the Treasury to the
amount of over FIVE millions wear,
/ in one year running up to nearly ST.
600, ,000. During the whole time the
Republicans have been in power, the
drafts on the Treasury to support the
! Postal service have not averaged two
million dollars per annum; and with
/ TINS moderate expenditure we have
! been enabled to carry on the immense
nail service in the interior Of the con-
/ tnent and to the shores Of the Pacii-
/ il. through all our remote Territories
and sParscly peopled sections, and
/ have also been able to maintain a su-
/ Terb line of mail steamers from San
Francisco to Hong Kong, and from
/ New fork to Rio Janeiro, none Of.
which extraordinary enterprises and
expenditures we've levied on the De
Partment during Buchanan's admins
tratIon.
These comparisons might be quite
indefinitely continued, exhibiting in
each item the same result, and demon
strating with mathematical certainty,
1 that when we take into account the
! vast increase Of population and the
rapid and Unprecedented development
( of otr country during the time the
Republican party has been in power
and vhen we take into further ac-
count the fact that we have been all
the while subjected, as a necessity Of
f the war. TO the Disadvantage of high
prices resulting from paper money
j taking. ! say. these facts into account,
I assGt, and defy. contradiction, that
largeas our expenditures have neces- J