The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-07-29

We think we have been pretty heavily
taxed people for the last three years, and con-
sdering that the State as well as cities and
towns were obliged to burden themselves with
debt to maintain and bring TO an end The
great war of the rebellion, (which debt they
have been rapidly reducing IN tnat time,) tn.
taxable sufferance of the people has been
pretty well tested.
The national government alone levied about
SIS per head upon each inhabitant Of the
United States foi 1865, aud $13 per head for
1867. Who feels it now, who is the poorer for
it? r.. ..., ...- .t-...s-.. ..... ......
We like to know what we get for our mon
ey. Let us see if the Yankees have made
their usual good bargain. We have recovered
by hard fighting and hard taxing the third
part of the national territory, which the con-
spirators of the Gulf States undertook to steal
from the nation and maintain as an indepen-
dent hostile territory. While Seymour and
his friends, and the democratic conventi5 m of
1864 said, that we could never subdue the re-
bellion, Grant and his heroic army were doing
it and finally did it, We have got rid of Slav-
cry our great curse and crime, the element OF
| discord and disunion, the national sore OF
which we were slowly dying, and assured
ourselves true Union on the basis OF equal
rights and just laws. Much suffering, power
| ty and commercial distress will attend this as
all other great social transitions. But IL is
all occasioned by the inveterate folly, obsti-
macy and hatred of the privileged class, whose
privileges are taken away. Partly by whole
some coercion and punishment OF the malig-
nant spirit Of oppression, partly by sense OF
returning reason and justice, it will die out
and wear out, and an order of society which
every just sentiment approves, will be aequi-
esced in by all, and harmony, charity, and
prosperity will return. la
These two great results either of them
worth to us hundred times the cost of the
war are palpable enough, but it has not been
| generally known that since the war the peo-
| pie have actually taxed themselves sum
sufficient to pay third part of the great ma
this we make the following extract from a
speech of Hon. Geo. S. Boutwell, of Massa-
chusetts delivered July 18th inst, on the
Funding Bill
81 wish TO call the attention of the House to
| fact deduced by careful examination of sta
| tistics obtained from the Assistant Secretary
OF the Treasury, showing that during the last
| three years we have with our resources and
the revenue OF this country secured large
diminution of the public debt. l confess,
that after the careful examination / had
| made, felt compelled to review it to see
| xuba thprp r,ic ctalra IN, l,o
premises or in the calculation. so astonishing
is the evidence thus furnished of the ability
of the people of the country to liquidate the
public debt. From the 1st day OF April, 1855
to the 1st day OF January, 1868, two years
aud nine months, we have paid out OF the
public Treasury, 81 ,552 ,00O,O00 OF money
Upon a careful analysis of the expenditures
OF the Government during those two years
and nine months, find that the expenses o
peace establishment upon the basis OF the
year 1866 and 1867, when the expenses of the
Government, excluding interest and pen
siOns, were S700O0,000 more than they are tC
be the present year amounted TO S4S5 O00,-
, 600, showing that we paid over and above
those expenses S1,066 0OO,0 900. On the 1st
day of April, 1865, he public debt, liquidated
and ascertained, W 1896 100000. and the
Sl,O66, 100000 which we paiu between the LIST
of April, 1865, and the 1st of January, lS0o
would have been added TO the public debt as
proper expenses OF the war il we had not out
. of the public revenue from day to day llqui-
dated it. 1t we add to the S2,366 ,OOO,OOO pub
lie debt on the 1st OF April. 1865, 81 ,066 OOO,-
900 which we paid for war expenses between
the 1st of April, 1865, and the 1st OF January,
1s5S we find that on the 1st OF January, 1868
the public debt, il we had not paid expenses
OF the war out OF the ordinary revenue, would
have amounted to S3432 100000. In the tace
OF this great fact, that in two years and nine
months, by extraordinary taxation and extra
ordinary efforts to be sure, we paid 81 ,066, ,Coo,
OO0 OF the public debt, are we to assume that
hereafter the people of this country are not
annually to make considerable payments oi
the public debt of the country Almost one
third OF the entire public debt of the country
has been paid in two years and nine months
and am not willing to stand upon the as
sumption that we shall make large payments
in each year hereafter"