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

tz peHtiI uTeS are llSluS Win lar more
regard to economy than distinguisrei
the last Democratic admins tfatiot
that was in power IN -txs- scoue4r> -
of argument, and hence lures ana ma ~ !
once to the figures. : procee" .
1t Is important at the cs
clear understanding ard clear com.
parison of Government expenditures
at the present time and the period
Immediately proceeding the war, to
/ distinguish between those expendi-
lures which were the inevitable con
sequence Of the rebellion, and there
! fore unavoidable, and those which
NAV be to a certain extent controlled
/ by the discretion and fidelity of Con
! gress. OF those expenditures, which
are the direct outgrowth Of rebellion,
/ I count the interest of the war debt
and the pensions and bounties to sol
diers and sailors. These are expendI-
lures which are not discretionary
but are imperatively demanded, I'M
less the nation is prepared on the one
hand to defrand its creditors, or on
/ the other to turn its back upon the
brave men who risked everything that
the Republic might survive.
The annual interest on the public
! debt amounts to ono hundred and
/ twentv-nine million six hundred and
seventy-eight thousand and seventy
eight dollars and fifty cents. The
pension roll for the year will be thir-
/ ty million three hundred and fifty
thousand dollars, and the bountles
due and payable will require about
/ thirty million dollars. These three
items, which are not discretionary,
amount to the large aggregate of
nearly one hundred and ninety mill
ion dollars, we'll nigh two-thirds of
our total outlay for the fiscal year
upon which we have Just entered.
The fact that so large a proportion
/ Of our expenditure is the result of the
war, and is unavoidable unless we
/ repudiate our obligations to our pub
| lie creditors and our heroic soldiers.
can not be too often repeated or too
/ thoroughly impressed on the public
mind; for t is idle to denounce these
expenditures as eXtravagant unless
we are prepared to withhold them ;
! and whoever proposes to withhold
them, proposes thereby to put the ma
tion at the same time under the doub-
| " djsgraceful stigma of reputation
and ingratitude. If the Democratic
party choose to assume that position
it is welcome to all the glory of it,
For the ordinary expenses Of gov
ernment for the fiscal year which has
just begun the appropriations are as
follows:
Executive, legislative and judicial,
embracing all department salaries
and expenses 81 ,+S' ,"yJruu
For the army -, ,VsI .hl3 10
For She navy .......-........ II DOT, 600 90
West Point Military Academy ....-..... S02, ,Ooc, 90
Consular and diplomatic service.-- ,2o6 ,434, 20
Post Office Department ..-..-.-.-. 50o,no0-'O
Indian Bureau, treaties, etc 2,5eUou'nO
Rivers and harbors.. .......... 4lue-"cO,Vo
collecting the 9,6s6, ,oJJuo
with 4uFE tEe SS various 6o2o
Miscellaneous expenses of all kinds in
Guiding cost OF certain public buildings
throughout the country, expenses Of econ
structi.n, expense Of Of closing up Freed 80 . 80
i-sf. Tefciencies le Of various kinds in the diff
ferent appropriations. 2ooo'"o"'oo
Making total q ............ slo6, SIS, A. 10
l differ in some items from the re
cent statement Of the honorable chair
man of Ways and Means, for l think
he included in the expense Of this
wear deficiency Of thirteen million
dollars resulting from the Indian war
Of 1867: which amount was appro-
priated and spent last year and has no
proper connection whatever with the
expenditures Of the current fiscal
year. And he also includes, incorrect
/ ", | think. some tweptv-four million
appropriations overlapping from the
wear which has closed to the present.
I | say incorrectly, because this amount
viii be offset by a similar amount
I which overlaps from this year to the
next. about the same amount gong
over each wear and this from neceSr
1 ty owing to the mode of disbursc neLt.
/ l have also made the amount FOR bOun-
/ ties ten millions less than the chair
man estimates. because a large pro
norton which he includes IN this year
will necessarily be pa1d in the eusu-
/ inc wear. when it is hoped the whde
matter Will be closed. the last soldier
/ honoraJlv paid off. and the Treasury
/ relieved from further obligation IN
that direction.
Adding together these ordinary ex-
penditures. as | have above, the SUM
total Is fcInd to be one hundred and
six million eight hundred and eight
cen thousand four hundred and forty.
sewn dollars. IT Congress can he
aecused Of extrava gauce. the accusa-
tion must be made good on these fig
ures, or else abandoned. for the 9th
I er expenditures. as | have already re
/ peated. lie without the pale of con
gressional discretion or control. A
clear estimate of the character Of
these expenditures may be gathered
/ by comparing them with the OUTLAWS
incurred under the last Democratic
administration. For example. In
lS57-5S the same class of expenses IN
Buchanan administration were over
seventy million dollars in gold, where
as the one hundred aud six million
eight hundred eighteen thousand four
hundred and forty-seven dollars above
named are in paper. 1t must he Oh
served, moreover, that in lS57-5S the