New-York tribune., 1868-07-28

The cry of Coppcread is no coycr for ihe startling
fact that IN three years OF peace te hauI % parry rnn ~
the pockets Of tho people, and has borrowed eSht huhd
rcd millions more
Remarks by The Tribune.
If simple naked, barcfacod, incXcuSabic false
hood could transform the American People
into Copperheads, it were idle to hope to make
head against those who do not hesitate to make
such shamefully false assertions as those above
quoted. But we have faith in the might OF
truth. and will adduce some facts that ought
10 make the authors OF such statements blush
for their audaciiy.
The amount of the National Debt on the 1st
of August, 1867 (hroo years ago. after deduct
ing the cash in the Treasury, was over
$2.7j 100000.
The amount of that Debt is now certainly
not over e?5lIOOO.OOO; so that the Debt has
been reduced in these last three years not less
than $2iO,OOOOoO.
What means, then, the naked lie that the
Government has toTOUed $S0)0)0,O)O in these
years.
1t means, we presume, that a very large
portion of tile National Debt existed, three
years ago, in the shape of Certificates OF Ma
tional Indebtedness and other Treasury due
bills, which have since been funded into Tcgu-
lar loans Most certainly, the Secretary OF the
Treasury reported, Aug. ., 1865, that the totai
Debt, over and above the money in the Treas
ury, was $2,7j7 2j3,21j. and that the annual
interest accruing thereon was Slj0 262,f6S
VIII any one pretend that either Debt or In
terest is so large as this at PRESENT.
The Secretary reported the amount Of Legal
RI A. 80. incl
mound interest notes at SG3J 93G2j9. This has
been reduced nearly S3OO,0O10oO; and not
mainly 10y destroying plain legal tenders, but
by redeemiug and canceng the $2O),00O0oO Of
notes which, while they were legal tenders
were drawing compound interest
Including back interest on these notes, the
Treasury must have paid over $iOO,01O0c0 for
interest on the National Debt within these two
years, beside paying and some canceling $2io,-
100000 of principal. Here are Six Hundred and
Forty Millions of the Fifteen Hundred Millions
said to have been raised by. taxes within these
three years required and used to pay principal
and interest of the National Debt.
Nor is this all. Three years ago, we had not
nearly finished mastering out and paying of
our volunteer armies who had pat down the
sums. Mr. Blaine recently asccrtaincd from
the Treasury Department that, within the SIX
months that Immediately followed Gen. Lees
surrender mot four OF which had passed on the
2d of August, 1869 Sir hundred and Irenty-
fre Millions Of Dollars were discussed in pay
ing OF the Army and Navy, including their
musteI-out bomtIcs. il was thi, that absorbed
most of the Seycn-Thiriy loan, whereof
S53O0OO,O0O was rapidly taken for the purpose.
But not merely have large sums been re-
quired since August 3 1865, 10 pay of our Vol
untecrs. State after State has presented claims
against the Union for the expense of raising
and cqupping troops for the War, and millions
on millions have been allowed them. All these
have sweled the expenditures; while hardly
one State claim remains unadjuotcd and un-
paid
Mr.. Blaine states the Appropriations for the
carrying on of the Government exclusive OF
Public Debt for the ensuing fiscal year as fol-
lows:
Executive Legislative, and Judicial embracing all De
partment salaries and expenses C1
For me ,l'g9 ~
West Point Military demy............. 10000
Consular and Diplomatic service l21i5i o9
POstOiice Department. 22"VH ~
Indian Bureau, Treaties, 100000 90
Collecting the o959oOo 90
various Departments C,o2oooo %
Miscellaneous expenses Of an kinds, including
cost Of certain public buildings throughout
the country, expenses OF reconstruction, ,eN-
pense OF closing up Freedmens Bureau &c 100000 90
Deficiencies OF various kinds IN the different
appropriations 100000 90
Making total Of 10
Equal to less than s7j,0O1oiO in coin.
of course, this does not include the e., 200 900
in gold just paid to Russia for Alaska, nor the
postage which our people pay for carrying their
letters at two or three cents a piece; and why
should it? Nay: why should the Sl,5OO,OOO ap-
propriated to the Improvement Of certain Rivers
and Harbors be charged in this account? Every
dollar so expended is 2 permanent addition to
the National wealth.
The cost of collecting the Revenue is too
great, but is being rapidly reduced, in consc-
quence of the repeal of nearly half our Internal
Taxes by the present Congress. We hope to
see it reduced within the year to SGOOO,OOO.
Gen. Howard is a soldier and Christian,
whose word was never questioned. Seeing 1t
asserted, In n speech by the Hon. b. NJ. Boyer
of Pa, that he (HOward) had estimated the cost
of the Freedmen's Bureau for one year at
81 ,GSl, ,ijO, he felt constrained to rebukc the
lie. Not only had he made no such estimate,
but the total disbursements Of that Bureau mp
to the 1st day of this year were less than Six
Millions of Dollars; and the entire expense,
including Medical and Commissary Stores and
the pay of Army officers detailed to serve in
this field, falls considerably below Ten Millions
of Dollars. "And," (adds Gen. Howard) "a
large part of these expenditures were for the
"benelt of Southern Whites, reduced to poy-
"erty by the Rebellion"
MLnn sLnll run COG tLnsn facis and Grnrns