Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1868-08-07
The Exact Figures.


on the army aud navy. end for military
purposes. This ID nearly one third Of tue
national debt. This was spent In time 81
peace" 4e- ~ 4.- 4 = p ra,.s..z
Mr.. Blaine showed. from official records,
that the actual expences Of both army and
navy for the past three years Of compare
tive peace have been hut Sl75'OOO.OO0 in
all and that the army costs less in gold
as a whole, and far less even in currency.
per regiment, than it cost under the last
democratic alministration-that of Mr..
Buchanan.
But the example of Mr.. Seymour having
been so widely followed, and wild assert,
ions OF extravaganza in the government
having been circulated everywhere. the
full and authoritative summary given by
Mr.. Wells, which we print elsewhere. is
most timely and valuable. For example.
the democratic papers and speakers have Sd
often said that the country is increasing its
debt, that possibly somebody may almost
believe it. Only last week democratic
organ insisted, not for the first time, that
the Republicans, during three years of
peace. have expended, over and ab,vc
81. 500. 600 raised in the way of revenue
nearly $500, ,OOO, ,OOO raised in the way of
luins."
The fact is that not one dollars has been
- raised in the way Of loans" for the ex-
penses Of the government, in time Of peace.
On the contrary. the ordinary revenues
Of the government though by n" means
to $l.5OO, ,OOO.OO0 In all, have
paid all these expenses, the interest on the
dJbt, and have reduced the princiy,a Of the
debt $25O,OOO0. 900. Aud Mi. Wells
shows that in the fiscal year Just ended the
revenues yielded a surplus above all tx
penditurcs of S34.749,777.
Again, the expenses Of the War and
Navy Departments are not ouly continual
ly exaggerated by certain GcIno< rats. but
they daily assert that these expenses are
constantly increasing. Mr.. Wells shows
conclusively that both are rapidly diminish.
ing in annual cost; and that. apart from the
extraordinary expenditures which are the
direct results of the war, they have now
ceased to be, in any sense, burden upon
the country. Their cost sinks into in
significance beside the military and naval
hrdgcts of any Other great nation in Chris
tendon.
The World says:
:" The expenses Of these two depart
mcnts in 1867 were over $44,O0O 600 more
than in 1866. and from all accounts the in
crease of 1868 will he double that sun.
Again we ask, Where does all this money
go! All efforts i'll Congress to reduce the
expense have proven futile.'
The fact is that The expenses of these two
departments, apart from bountes to the
soldiers of the war. are constantly dccreas-
ing and that the efforts OF Congress tn re-
du e them have formed part u the work
done ut tho session just closed. The in-
crease for 1868 will not he S65. 5.OOO. .0OO
but the decrease in the ordinary expense,
Of these tw" departments for 1868 will be
. ~. .OOO. 600.
The tavOrite charges against Congress
have been founded upon the Frcedman's
Bureau and the Reconstruction acts. he
fOIe the actual Gust Of the b lrcau iu question
was officially known, many Of the deiuocrat
10 papers formed habit Of lenouncins it
as the chief item Of national expenditure
and some Of them have not given up tn.
habit yet. Now that the total outlay Tor il
from its organization to the beginni ,g ol
the present month is known to have been
$5,Gl7 900, it is to be hoped that it will no
longer be represented as swallowing up all
the revenues Of the nation, and threatening
the treasury with bankruptcy. In view OF
the number f.liycs saved hy its ministries
and the amount of distress among demo
cratic citizens of the southern states rellvcd
or prevented by it, any criticism upon this
bureau may be disresarded which does no,
show how the same good could have been
obtained at smaller cost.
The whole letter of Mr.. Wells deserve,
careful study. not only in it's bearings up
Oh the partisan calumnies which l. refrtrs
but as giving expression to that mob trib
ute to the economy aud honesty of IL Re.
publican form Of government which lies il,
tho figures Of our national ledger for the
last three years. No other government nj
has ever closed up the accounts ola great
war so chcaply and so satisfactorily. NJ
other government has ever, in reOrganiz.
ing society aud restoring civil order thro
. region devastated aud unsettled by war,
made 20 little waste and incurred 50 it'll.
Just reproach. The whole process la,
been disturbed and delayed by dissemsiu,
in the government itself, and the purit,
and noral power of its administration has,
been seriously injured. especially durins
the last year. by facti"us resistance to it,
policy on the part Of the President hin,
self. Yet, Under all difficulties. much la
heen accomplished; far more than could
reasonably have been hoped for, had these
difficulties been forcsecn; and the Ameri
can peOple will not fail to anticipate the