The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1868-08-21
Enormity Of the Public Expendi-
lures.

washing campaign document, through
Mr.. David A. Wells, Special Commits
sioncr of Revenue, intended TO parry
inc charge OF eXtravagant expenditures.
AS nearly rs we can learn the origin
and secret history of this white-wash-
ing manifesto, it was got up at the in
stigation Of Horace Greeley, says the
New York World, who wrote, some
four or five weeks ago, to speaker Col
fax, telling him that unless The state
ments in Governor Seymour's then re-
cent speech were rebuttcd, they would
do great damage TO the Republican par
| ty. Commissioner Wells was thcreup-
on charged with the task of cooking up
an exhibit to explain away the enormi-
ty of the Republican expenditures
We will not, at present, enter into any
detailed criticism Of the report, think
ing it more useful to call attention to
the bad state of the case as exhibited
in this apologize document. What is
here confessed cannot afterwards be de-
nied and, judged by their own figures,
the Republicans deserve to be stripped
of the power they so grossly abuse.
According to Mr.. Wells statements,
the total expenditures for the army and
navy from the close Of the war to the
Both of June, 1868, were as follows:
Far tbn ormy cnr- ~ n 40
For the navy ..................... 1873, ,2IG
Total observation-disclosures. Sl,0F0, 231 ,3lo
This is at the enormous rate of more
than $300000000 year in time Of peace.
while previous to the war the whole
expenses of the government were only
S70,0O0,OO0 year, army, navy and eve
rything included. 1t is no wonder that
the Republicans felt that the salvation
of their party is staked on their ability
to explain away these facts, OF to raise
q dust to cover them.
Being compelled to admit the facts,
what is their apology? Why, that the
scale Of expenditure was altogether
larger during the first nine months after
the close of the war than it has been
since. Nobody disputes that but when
Mr.. Wells attributes it to paying Off the
disbandcd soldiers, he warily avoids 60
| ing into details. II he had told the cx-
act amount paid to disbandcd soldiers
in each quarter Of his nine months. we
should have had the means of Judging
Of his apology. We challenge him to
produce such statement. What we
want to know is the number OF soldiers
mustered out during each of those
three quarters, and the amout OF money
paid them Oh quitting the service. That
Il prodigious amount was spent at that
| time we grant; but that all went into
the pockets of disbandcd soldiers we do
not believe, and challenge the proof
| Vague gcneralitics about the vast CX-
pense Of disbanding the army will not
answer, we demand an authentic tran
script from the muster rolls and pay
rolls, before we can judge how much
of this apology is fact, and how much
fiction. Mr. Wells whitc-Washing cam
paign document slurs over and suppress
SEES the details, because the details
would expose the insufliciency OF his
apology.
Without further discussing the OK
penditures of those first nine months
until we are in possession of fuller and
more detailed information than Mr..
| Wells supplies, we call attention to the
enormous taxes which the people paid
! in the third year after the close of the
war, as admitted in his white washing
report. The customs revenue. collect
ed in gold, amounted to Sl63,j000O0.-
Reducing this to its value in currency
to avoid the confusion of reckoning in
two kinds Of money, the revenue col
lectcd in the fiscal year ending the Both
of last month was as follows:
Customs. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. S22S, 900, 900
Internal Revenue. ..............., 193,0Oo,WW
Miscellaneous ................... A., 0OO, 900
Public Lands. .......,............ 2,SO0,00u
Total .....,................ SAL, 10000
And this enormous revenue was all
spent within the year, except about
thirty-four million dollars! Deducting
this sum, we have the following exhibit
for the year which closed with the end
Of last month:
Iotli licNcnuc. "a, ,IOO,OOO
UneXpended balance. 34,7O0,0CO
Expenses of the year ......,... S.i37 ,0OO, 600
We have spent in the third year of
peace more than one-siXth of the
amount Of our gigantic public debt =
We are willing to go to the people on
this exhibit of extravaganza taken from
the white washing campaign document
OF the Republicans. Letting MIR. Wells
apology for the expenses of the first
year of peace pass, for the present, for
what it may be worth, we stand on his
admission that the expenses of the third
year reached the enormous sum Of S437,-
100000. The deceitful electioneering
estimates for next year are mere chafl' I;
but the prodigious expenses of the fis-
cal year which closed less than thirty
days ago, arc an accomplished fact,
which the Republicans will hereafter
be unable to dispute. 1t is fact proved
by their own witness. A republican
administration in time Of peace costs
for one year nearly as much as was
raised in taxes during the whole ctght
years of Mr.. Pierce's and Mr.. Buchan-
ans administrations. For the eight
years preceding the 30th of June, 1861,
the total amount of receipts, both from
taxes and land sales, was S492,O0O,OOO
and the expenditures for the one year
preceding the Both of June, 1868, were
37OMNM We need M othor Stoto-