Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1868-10-01
THE STATEMENTS ARE OFFICIAL.

1 have said that L nave Oeen aDIe u
make The statements which are included
IN this address by the AID OF my TREND,
| David \. Neils, special commissloher oil
! the revenue, 10 whom l applied III order
that / might have the force of an official
statement 10 prove my position. Of the
! value of his official statement you are
well aware. No man stands higher i'll
| the confidence of the people, and no man
! deserves that confidence more.
With single eye TO the truth he gives
| to his work Inc force of an enthusiasm
rarely to be found, and hence the power
and value of every document that. comes
| from his hand.
For the use l have made of the figures
which he has given 10 me in answer to
my questions, / alone am responsible,
and / desire that he shall have the cred
il of A the facts here stated, and invite
the blame OF those whowiil charge me
with perverting them to party purposes.
The Democratic party fears the truth,
and will make this charge. | trust this
may not long be SO. The name of DEM
ocrat, in its true signicance, is one which
l honor and cherish, and L hope the day
is not far Oft when il shall no longer be
| prostituted to purposes OF party which
denies every principle indicated by It's
name, and which has been the party Of
despotism and of oppression ever since 1
came 10 mans estate; a party which
now rests Its chance of success upon the
Ignorance OF its followers and proposes
10 inaugurate war, fraud and Violence.
under the lead OF Seymour and Blair.
We demand peace and am honest adj
ministration, and under the wise control
of Gen. Grant these We will have.
1iSO dp-ira tn saw tnot 5iA not
realize the great Importance or the force
OF the statement of the real nlaximum
debt OF the United States, atagiven date.
untlI1 read the speech of Hon. Geore.
;. Boutwell,, upon the funding bill, IN
which speech IS compact statement
substantially agreeing with the exhibit
l am about 10 make.
The condition of active war ternIina-
ted with the surrender of the rebel arm.
les IN April, 1865, but the condition OF
passive war did not then cease. nor will
1t cease until every citizen of the Sonth-
ern States shall be safe under the pro-
lection OF loyal State governments elec-
ted by the ballots of ali freemen OF freed
men-free not only from the chains of
slavery but from the fear of violence or
fraud by which they are now intimidated.
al WHAT DID WE. OWE IN 1865? 80 \
The ascertained debt of the United
States on the hrst day of April 1863 as
entered upon the books OF the Treasury
department, amounted to 81, ,366. .955. on.
Four months later, on the lst of Augnst
looo, the debt represented upon the books 1
amounted 10 81, 757, ,6S9, ,571; and the
latter sum has been assumed of late TO
nave been the. maXimums debt of-tba
country at any one time. E soy - 70
put such was very far from being the
lact. Ihese figures represent onIy the
amount OF debt actually e7teredupon the
DOCKS OF the Treasury Department. but /
thefe existed at that time Il liability for
d very large sum not then entered. but
loF which The government WAS bound as !
illu1n ~ II the bonds had then been is |
since paid = -. '''i' '"-''s
AT that time the democratic. Marty
leaders asserted, what they now findsft
convenient to forget, viz. that the bur-
deh OF debt imposed upon stlle countrvi
py tHe war was three to four thousand
llIillon aolIars,- and for once they were,
rigpli etle lrue Liability. ofthe Unfted4
States. caused by the war which the DEM |
ocfatic party OF the South -Waeed
upon the government amounted in the
year 1896 TO the sum of 81, ,2S7. .S33. .32g. /
and since that date the republican psrty !
has paid over $500, ,00O, 900, or one-ouarter
OF the principal of the entire debt. be-I
sides paying the interest.
How II. WAS REDUCED. 4
In proof of this statement let us now
review the financial history of the gov-d
ernment from April 1, 1866. to june 3O.
1868, the close of the last fiscal year, a
period OF three years and three months
of quasi peace
AND FIRST AS TO REVENUE.
The receipts from the customs have !
been as follows: ff \ ..1-.7 10y h
April l to June 80 L..s Z soo1i.aS- 4
July !, 1865, TO June 30 1866 - 10 0ie 81
July |, 1856, to June So 1867 136IiS SIo
July l, 1867, TO June 30 1865 ..,..... ia 50o600