The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-07-31
Did Seymour Liel

On the evening of Friday, April 3-two days
before the late Connecticut election-Horatlo
Seymour made a political speech at brldge-
port, which was flooded over the State when
too late to be effectively answered in that can
vass. In that speech-among many assertions
as scandaously false-Governor Seymour said
"Now, when the RepuOli AN party inaugu-
rated the policy of governing the South Dy
force. IL involved the n cessity of maintaining
great armies-great standing armies. IL IN,
nearly four years ago; and yet ~ VIII eosC Uuis
year more than $3.50, 900 900 to maintain an army
10 keen The people of the south in subjection-
a people that ought rather TO De heiplng us 10
bear the cost oil governing The nation Gap
PiaTSf INV friend General sckles says nothing is
better than the GoveInoIs down So9In, ,r 1IaC itt
their salaries; but can you afford TO have that
state of things exist when we snow you ! JnaG
in order to uphold this policy of reconstruction?
/ ask you, is the public fdtn sate?-if there Is
no danger of greater desolation falling upon us
in this land, If this policy IS continued? WhBt
do you say? The tax-gatherer calls upon you,
and you complain OF your taxes. These taxes
are imposed for the purpose OF paying our un-
wise public debt. Now, S4OO,OOOOOO are raised,
Where S do the SSOJ 900 900 goq / ask the capi.
talists, l ask the men who hold these bonds, If
1t is wise and prudent, and right to uphold tqis
policy, and to impose these taxes upon the
people, to uphold a policy that endangers the
liberties OF our land? ask you, can you sustain
where they devote one to the payment of the
public CREDITOR" (Applause)
Here are three distinct, specific assertions
as follows-
l. 1t is costing this year "more than $780,
900, 600 to maintain an army to keep the peo-
pie of the South in subjection."
2. "More than $500, 000 900 year have been
wasted in order to uphold this policy of Re-
construction"
3. "Now, S4OO, 900, 900 are raised, and out
of it the creditor gets only 800, 100000"
These assertions we branded as lies-not
mere mistakes, because made in palpable de-
fance of public records and official statements
so explicit and notorious that person of ave-
rage intelligence could not make them without
being impelled by desire to bear false wit
ness against his neighbor.
OF course, we could not state the precise
aggregate of national expenditure in year
not yet concluded; but we cited from the
accounts and estimates of the Treasury and
War Departments, and even from the World
Almanac, facts which proved Governor Sey-
mOur's above-quoted assertions at war with
the truth.
We have now an official statement by Spe-
cial Revenue Commissioner d. A. Wells, of
the exact amounts disbursed from the Trea-
sury during the fiscal year which closed with
the last mOnth-that is, on June 80, 1865
the precise year in which and of which Gov
ernor Seymour was speaking. These are not
estimates, nor appropriations nor guesses, but
the exact amounts paid into the United States
Treasury from all sources and drawn from it
for all purposes during the fiscal year just
ended.
The report shows that Governor Seymour
was very nearly right as to the amount of in
come to the Treasury during the fiscal year
Just closed-the exact amount being $780,
800, 900. But instead of only $l00,o 900 of
this going to the public creditors, there was
paid to them no less than S14l, 635, 551 for in
terest alone-a large part of this being back
interest on the compOund-interest notes,
whereof the three-years' interest and principal
are all paid off at once. These being now paid
off and Cancelled, the current interest on our
national debt is $126, 600, 900 per annum.
Aside from payments of interest and princi-
pal of the public debt, there was paid from
the Treasury, during the fiscal year just
closed, 1929, 914 674-in round numbers, two
hundred and thirty millions-beipg seventy
millions of dollars less than the aggregate
stated by Seymour in his Bridgeport speech.
Upon warrants from the War Department,
there was paid from the Treasury for all pur-
poses, during the last fiscal year, $l23, 246, 64S
not quite thirty millions less than Seymour
asserted was paid ''to maintain an army to
keep the people of the South in subjection. -
But instead of being expended for that pur-
pose, there was paid,
For S3S 600, 900
For relmbursing State war caims..... TO- 1880, ,lSS
For Engineer Bureau (mainly river
and harbor improvement s. )....."....... 6l32, ,62O
For payments for property lost or de.
stroyed in the military service OF the
United States Act OF March 3, lS49
and supplements thereto estimated Sill, 800
For subsistence of Indians estimated. 1000, ,0OG
For FTeedmens Bureau. u................... 32l5 900
For expenses reconstruction"".......... l,799 27O
For national 7O2, $3.50
For communications Of Iations OF pri.
soneIs of ar..........................,. l52 900
5SS 23S
These are the Commissioners figures; but
we will subtract the items for the Freedmen s
Bureau, for Reconstruction expenses, and
even (though We should uot) for Subsistence
of Indians, so that there shall be no chance
for even unreasonable cavilS and add these to
the cost of maintaining the Army, which will
then stand
Regular Army expend 7l3 Az
freedmen Bureau" 32l0 OOl
Reconstruction pen nses............... ,790 27(
subsistence or Indians ,.....-...,..,... 1000 OO(
,S62 III 6S(
Here is the entire cost of maintaining the
army, supporting the Freedmen's Bureau, and
executing the Reconstruction acts, altogether
and the aggregate is less, far less, than one
half the amount charged by Seymour. HI
told the people of Connecticut that sit would
cost this year more than $3.50, 600, 900 to main
tain an army to keep the people of the Soutl
in subjection;" while in fact the entire cost o
the army (whereOf millions were required Il
subdue the outbreak of several tribes o
savages on the Plarns) with the cost of execu
ting the Reconstruction acts and supporting
the Freedmen's Bureau was actually less thar
sixty-three millionsl Can so gross q mis-
aka a4n -