New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-11-29
FOOLISH EYAGGERATTONS.

FOOLISH EXAGGERATIONS.
Some one would seem to have access 10 tne
Treasury books who does not understand the
use of figures, and who consequently SENDS out
muddled statements which mislead and De1oS
some innocent and ignorant people. Among
these. Mr.. Peter B. SweeDy-a gentleman VINO
considers it reasonable and proper that he
should receive $4,000 out of the peoples hard
earnings for drawing check on a bank IN tilis
city and depositing it with the State treasurer
at Albany-thus makes an unfortunate eXhlDl-
ton of his susceptibility to be led into error
lie is being "interviewep by Herald re-
porter. to whom he thus exposes part OF the
Democratic engnery for the ensuing elections:
1--WE will have capital Issue the question OF taxa
ton The expenses Of the Government the year peolc
the war were about eghtyve millions IL Is dinot 10
know what they are nOw but for the half year up 10
January l, 1862 they were nearly five hundred anu
seventysix millions, at the rate OF over thousahu
millions ayear although the appropriations forleO9 "ero
nominally about one hundred and sxyt millions
Comments by The Tribune.
Mr.. Sweeny's reading is evidently restricted
to those leading Oracles of transformation,
The World and The Herald. Had he duly read
THE TRIBUNE, he would have had this foolish
blunder very thoroughly corrected at least so
long ago as our dealing with Gov. Seymour In
April, 1863 The fate of that eminent statls-
tician, Mr.. Alex Delmar, who, from data similar
to the above, demonstrated that there would
be a deficit of $175,OOO00O in the Treasury last
July, would have afforded him salutary
warning. Still, taking compassion on the CITY
which is paying Peter some S2OOOOO per an
mum for the rent of his financial abilities, we
proceed to ilumine his murBy understanding
Mr.. Nathan Sergent, U. s. Commissioner OF
Customs, reports the entire receipts from that
source for the last fiscal year lin gold),
S1S1 ,S91 1872
Do. from Internal Revenue (paper). 159,lS4,G3S
Total ----. Sotl'Voo,f'o
Suppose you add Nine Millions for MisceIla-
neous proceeds of the sale of useless vessels,
&c1, and you have Three Hundred and Fifty
Millions of Dollars, which, according to the
homely rule that "You can't get any more out
"of a cat than the worth of her skin," would
seem conclusive demonstration that we are
not spending "at the ratesOf over One Thou
"sand Millions year."
But more: we are not merely paying over
One Hundred and Twenty Millions of what we
do spend for interest on the National Debt,
but we are buying up the principal of that
Debt at the rate of Seventy to One Hundred
Millions per annum, and still keeping great
deal too much gold in the Treasury: so that
the actual cost of running the Government
can very little if at all exceed One Hundred
and Fifty instead of over One Thousand Mil
lions per 0nnum.
Why won't some one send Peter some
newspaper or public document whereby he may
be saved from such atrocious blunders9 AS
Judge Barnard only gave Inn $4,000 last
year for his nominal Receivership Of the Erie
Road he can t afford to buy newspapers; but,
surely, some taxpayer can better afford to dis
burse four cents in lis behalf than to have the
City discredi;ed by such exposures as the fore
going