The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1868-09-24
DO THEY NE An no LIN,

defatood there is Nd doubt of the coun.
try and Of the result.
DO THEY MEA1 10 1111
From the Ne,o York Tribune.
A lie is an assertion made With in.
tent to deceive. Do or do not the 90.
ponents Of Grant and Colfax habitualIy .
make such statements with regard to
the National Finances We make no
charge, but state facts, leaving conclu.
sions to be drawn by Others.
The World editorially says:
''In 1865. the public debt Va, 81. .423.-
437 ,O02.l8. In 1868, it is $2,643. .256. .285.
An increase Of $2l9. .819, ,282.82. Let us
have peace"
Is that true?
The Secretary of the Treasury ofic-
tally states the total apparent Debt on
the LIST inst. ut $2,64S, S,256,285, but
adds that the cash in the Treasury
amounts to sl07, gal ,981 E; which. de-
Quoted from the above, leaves the ac-
tual Debt 1886, ,6l4,3l3. Need We
argue that the money ought to be de-
Quoted to ascertain the true amount Of
the debt? Here, for instance, are
some $25,O00,oOO Of Certificates Of
Deposit Of Coin. individuals are al.
lowed to deposit their gold in the Treas
ury, drawing no interest thereon, and
take Certificates therefor for conye-
nience in business. Is our debt in-
creased by the sum of those certifi-
Gates, when We have the gold ready to
redeem them on call? Is our debt in
creased by the amount of the e,eeo-
bacAs now in the Treasury? If we
owe them is it not to ourselves p
These questions admit but of one an.
swer. .'
Again We have lent to the Pacific
Railroads bonds amounting to $685.
$4,000. The Railroads pay the in
terest thereon as 1t accrues; they are
to pay the principal whea due; and
the Government has second mortgage
on their respective roads to secure such
payment. Even if they were to fail,
those roads will add many millions not
merely to the taxable property and iu-
come OF the people, but to the revenues
OF the Government, by stimulating set
tlement, production. &c., in the central
region of our continent, hitherto hardly
accessible. With what region is this
contingent liability added to our War
Debt? Yet, without it, and deduct.
ing the cash in the Treasury, our Na-
tioOal Debt is apparently $4,000, ,3oo,-
313, and really much less, because of
the greeubacks, postal currency, &c.,
&c., which have been burned, lost at
sea, or otherwise destroyed, so that they
can never be presented for payment.
But the Morld says the debt was but
2,423, ,437,O02 Sin 1865" In what
part Of 1865? That is q pertinent
question. Of course, there may have
been some time early in 1865 when
the ascertained, iquidated debt was no
more than is stated above. But Rich
mond did not fall till April of that
year, and Lees surrender dates from
the 9th Of that month. Johnston's
Dick Taylor's, and the other Rebel ar
mics, surrendered at much later day.
The bloody affairs of Five Forks, Ben
tonvll'e, Averysboro', Mobile, Selma,
&C., &c., all occurred in 1865; and
our armies were not mustered out and
paid of till about the middle Of that
year-part Of them not till near the
close Of it. Secretary McCulloch of1ic-
tally reported the debt, over aud above
the cash in the Treasury, as follows:
July 81, 1865, $2,757,253,275
Sept. l, 1865, 2,757,6S9,57l
1t is now $257 100000 less, after
paying 81 100000 10 gold for Alaska,
unless the Treasury is charged with the
contingent liability for building the Pa
ci6c Roads. And Why should it be
That is not money spent in war and so
sunk, but a guarantee to secure the
construction of works which must add
vastly to the wealth aud prosperity
consequently, to the tax-paying ability
of our people.
do the Copperheads mean to deceive
with regard to the National Finances
Compate their statements with ours,
and judge impartially!
AN INDEPENDENT PAPER ON THE
Political SITUATION.
From the ". r. Herald
The idea that General Grant would
not prove popular candidate is ex.
| n1ndn6 H. - Ala.