Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-12-10


ec' one per cent for the same period. These
as statistics further show that in l79l the
.H' annual national expense compared with
10 the population was little more than one
Isl dollar per capita, and in 1860 but two
- dollars per capita, while in 1869 they viii
las reach the extravagant sum of SO rs per
We capita. 1t will be observed that all of
IA these statements l refer to- exhibit the
or disbursements Of peace periods it may
III therefore be OF interest to compare the
ca expenditures of the three war periods
or the war with Great Britain, the Mexican
l. war and the war of the rebellion. In
e. 1914, the annual expenses incident to the
a war Of 1872, reached their highest
J. amount, about thirty-one millions, while
s. our population slightly exceeded eight
10 millions, showing an expenditure Of only
! three dollars and eighty cents per capita.
$ In 1847 the expenditures growing out
e OF the war with Mexico reached fifty
e four millions, and the population about
u twenty-one millions, giving only two dol
! lars and sixty cents per capita for the
4 war expenses of that year. In 1865 the
expenditures called for by the rebellion
reached the vast amount of twelve hun
bred and ninety millions, which compared
4 witt population of thirty-four millions |
gives thirty eight dollars and twenty
cents per capita. From the fourth day |
Of March 1889 to the 30th of June 1861, |
the entire expenditures of the govern |
ment were seventeen hundred millions
of dollars. During that period we were
engaged in wars with Great Britain and /
Mexico and were involved in hostilities |
with powerful Indian tribes Louisiana
was purchased from France at a cost Of
fifteen million dollars; Florida was coded
TO the United States by Spain for five
million dollars. California was ac-
quired from Mexico for fifteen millions
and the territory OF New Mexico was
obtained from Texas for the sum of ten
millions. Early in 1861 the war of the
rebellion commenced, and from the LIST
OF July of that year to the Both of June
| 1850, the public expenditures reached |
the enormous aggregate of thirty>three
hundred millions tEs. .s
Three years of peace have interviewed, ..
and during that time the disbursements ,,
Of the government have SUCCESSFULLY
been five hundred and twenty millions,
three hundred and forty~six millions,
NbN AAlCC huAAlSu anu StNGulI 4
millions. Adding to these amounts :
three hundred and seYenty-two millions :
estimated as necessary for the fiscal year .
ending the Both Of June, 1869, we OBJ
tain total expenditure OF sixteen. hun
dred millions Of dollars during the four
years Immediately succeeding the war, !
or nearly as much as was expended :
during the sew nty-two years that pre- !.
coded the rebellion and embraced the :.
extraordinary expenditures already :
named. These facts clearly illustrate Z
the necessity of retrenchment in all y
branches Of the public service Abuses :;
which were tolerated during the war Tor =
the preservation Of the nation, will not u
be endured by the people now that pro- >
fessed peace prevails. III. s
The receipts from internal revenues | !"
and customs have during the past three =
years gradually diminished and the con- -
tinuance of useless and extravagant ex- -
penditures will involve US in national ~
bankruptcy, or else make inevitable an =
increase OF taxes already too enormous, -
or in many respects obnoxious, on ac- ~
count Of their questionable character. "
One hundred millions annually are ex- u
u II
portion Of which is employed in the OK ~ ~
ecution Of laws both unnecessary and - -,
unconstitutional. One hundred and fifty :"
millions are required each year to pay ~
the interest on the public debt An -
army Of tax-gathercrs impoVerishes the u
nation, and public agents, placed by Con- u y,
gross beyond the control Of the Execu> e cu
tive, divert from their legitimate pur- "a
poses large sums Of money which they 81 81
collect from the people in the name of ".
the government. Judicious legislation -@'
and prudent economy can alone remedy W
defects and arrest evils which, if suffered II
to exist, cannot fail to diminish confidence w.
in the public councils and weaken the ="
confidence and respect Of the people to- +"
ward their political institutions.
Without proper care the small balance 90
which 1t is estimated will remain in the or
Treasury at the close OF the present fiscal du
year. will not be realized, and additional be
millions added to a debt which is now ri
by billions. 1t is shown by the DC
able and comprehensive report Of the IN
Secretary Of the Treasury that the res VI
ceipts for the fiscal year ending June Sc
30, 1868, were S405,63S0S3, and that &c
tAD GA pCAulAul Go iOI lLlG OAHU DGllOu W ElC |
1877, 340, 2S4, leaving in the Treasury a OF
surplus of S282, 977 9S. 1t is estimated m
that the receipts during the present fiscal Ia
year ending June 80, 1869, will be tlt
S34l, 392, S6S, and the expenditures at
1886, l52 40, showing small balance OF IN
50 24O, 1913 in favor OF the government. M
For the fiscal year lending June 30, Ira
1870, it is estimated that the receipts will WI
amount to S3270O00OO, and the expendi- fro
lures to S303.000,000. leaving an e5tima- pu
ted surplus of S240O0,000. pc
1t becomes proper in this connection vi
to make brief reference to our public
which has accumulated lei
with such alarming rapidity and assumed lo'
such colossal proportions. In 1889, co
when the government commenced op- II
erauons under the Federal constitution, tn
it was burdened with an indebtedness OF tn
five million dollars, created dur RAJ
ing the war of the revolution. This its
amount had been reduced to forty five sh
million, when, in 1912, war was declared an
against Great Britain. The three years OF
struggle that followed largely increased IN
the national obligations, and in 1866 they CO.
had attained the sum of one hundred OIL
and twenty-seyen millions. Wise and pc
legislation, however, enabled ma
the government to pay the entire amount TN
within period Of twenty years, and the gr'
of the national debt filled oil
the land with rejoicing, and was one o. ar
the greatest events of President Jackson's dit
After its resumption,
large sum remained in the treasury, re,
which was deposited for safe keeping with of
the several States, on condition that II VS.
should be returned when required by the re-
public wants. In lS49, the year after fat
the termination OF an expensive war with pc
Mexico, We found ourselves involved in to
a debt Of sixty-iour million dollars, and re-
tins was the amount owed by the gov to
in 1860, just prior to the out an
break Of the rebellion. sh
In the spring OF 1861, our civil war sti
commenced; each year Of its continuance rel
made an enormous addition to the debt tn
and when, in the spring OF 1865, the ma bu
ton successfully emerged from the con- at
ilict, the obligations of the government be
had reached the immense sum of 81 3d. tn
992.9)9. The Secretary Of the Treasury rel
shows that on the first day Of November las
! 1867. this amount had been reduced to SUI
3, 49l ,j04, 453, but at the Same time his rel