Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1869-06-12
WHOLE NO. sos .

forty-six millions, and three hiundre,
3 and seventy-three millions. AdtiinJ
to these amounts three hundred an,
: seventy-two millions estimated a
necessary for the fiscal year endin,
, the 30th of June, 1860, we obtain
, total expenditure OF sixteen huriSffe,
millions of dollars during the fou
} years Immediately succeeding tn,
war, or nearly as much as we ex
, pended during the seventy years Cha
preceded the rebellion, and embraced
the extraordinary expenditures nj
ready named. These facts clearly N
lustrate the necessity of retrenchment
In all branches of the public service
Abuses, which were tolerated durine
the war for the preservation of thts
nation, will not be endured by the
people now that protested peace pre-.
The receipts from internal revenue.
and customs during the four years
past gradually diminished, and the
continuance of useless and extrava.
giant expenditures will involve us In
bankruptcy, or else make inevitable
an Increase of taxes already too enor.
nous, or In many respects obnoxious,
on account of their questionable char
acter. One hundred millions annu-
ally are expended for the military
force, large portion of which Is en-
ployed In the execution Of laws both
unnecessary and unconstitutional
$3.50, OOO, 900 are required each year to
pay the interest on the public debt.
An army Of tax-gatherers impover-
ishes the nation, and public agents,
placed by Congress beyond the cor:
troll of the Executive, divert from their
legitimate purposes large sums OF
money which they collect from the
people in the name of the govern
ment. Judicious legislation and pru-
dent economy can alone remedy de-
fects and arrest evils which, IL suffered
to exist, can not fail to diminish con-
fidence in the public councils, and
weaken the confidence and respect of
the people toward their political in
situations.
Without proper care the small bal
ance which it Is estimated will re-
main In the Treasury at the close of
the present year, will not be realized,
and additional millions added to a
debt which Is now enumerated by
billions: 1t is shown by the able and
comprehensive report of the Secre-
tary. of the Treasury that the receipts
for the fiscal year ending June 80, 1888.
were $405, 63S, 0S3, and that expendi-
lures for the same period were $751;
$40, 234, leaving i'm the Treasury a sur
plus Of SOS, 297, $40. 1t Is estimated
that the receipts during the present
fiscal year ending June 80, 1859, will
be S341, 1892, 1857, and the expenditures
1886, l 50, 470, showing q small balance
of S., 240, 397 in favor of the govern
ment. For the fiscal year ending
June 30, 1870, it is estimated that the
receipts will amount to 1927, 900, 600
and the expenditures to 1903, 900, 600,
leaving an estimated surplus of $24,.
1T becomesproper In this connection
to make brief reference to our public
Indebtedness, which has accumulated
with such alarming rapidity and as
sumed such colossal proportions. Tn
1888, when the government COM
menced operations under the federal
constitution, 1t was burdened with an
Indebtedness of seventy million dol
lars, created during the war of the
revolution. This amount had been
reduced to forty-fve millions when,
In 1912, war was declared against
Great Britain. The three years strug-
gle that followed largely increased the
national obligations, and in 1910 thew
had attained the sum of one hundred
and twenty-seven millions. Wise
and economical legislation, however,
enabled the government to pay the
on tira a ~, a,tnt xustht,n thA ,Sa.;..1 "A
twenty years, and the extinguish-
ment of the national debt filled the
land with rejoicing, and was one of
the greatest events of President Jack
sons administration. After its re-
sumption large sum remained in the
Treasury, which was deposited for
safe keeping with the several States,
on condition that 1t should be return
ed when required by thepublic wants
In l849, the year after the termination
of an expensive war with Mexico, we
found ourselves involved In a debt of
sixty-four million dollars, and this
was the amount owed by the govern
ment in 1860, Just prior to the out
break of the rebellion.
The vast debt, II permitted to be-
come permanenta and increasing, must
eventually be gathered into the hands
Of a few, and enable them to erect a
dangerous and controlling power in
the affairs of the government. fthe
borrowers would become servants to
the lenders, the lenders would be mas
tiers of the people. We now pride
ourselves upon having given freedom
TO four millions of the colored race
IL will then be our shame that forty
millions Of our people, by their own
tolerance Of usurpation and prohigacy,
have suffered themselves TO become
enslaved and merely exchange own
ers for new ask-masters In the shape
OF bondolders and tax-gatherers. BE.
sides permanent debts pertain TO mo-
narchial governments, and tending TO
monopolies, perpetuities and class leg
islation, are totally irreconcilable with
free institutions. introduced into our
republican system, they would grad
ually but surely sap their foundations
and eventually subvert our govern
mental fabric, and erect upon its ruins
"a moneyed aristocracy.
Already does the banner of impe.
rialism flout the sky. A paper de-
voted to the unfolding OF this colos-
sal monopoly, by the erection OF an
empire on the ruins OF republican lib
erty, Is weekly issued, and Its notices
are the watchwords Of Frances i'm
perial master, Napoleon III, and Of a
successor of Washington, of jefferson
aud of Jackson-the President of the
United States. (Mr. johnson here
read an extract from the New York
Imperialist.
And here In passing, let 1t be said,
these men want q war with Great
Britain-a war to swell this debt, 10
raise the prices of necessaries Of life,
10 increase taxes, and In this distress
and despair to make the empire Sc
cure When In the Presidency had