The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-02-25
Letter from Speaker Blaine on the
81 !'". Public Expenditures.
HOUSE OF IIEVIEEsENTATIVE N,
W WASHINGTON. ID. C.. Feb. q, 1870

! D. w AblIlAuEUNp ~ VI GSu' ~ WV
MY DRARSm:-In theConGusiOn which
luls arisen III some Of the public Journals
about estimates andtapprOpriatiOns anil
disbursements; tho impression has been
created that General GFlnt's adminiStra.
ton has expended more money In tic
same time than It's immediate predecessor.
This is totally erroneous, as the balance
sheet, on u comparisOn'0f official figures,
will clearly establish. The present ad.
ministration llas been in power nearly u
year, and We can compare that period
with tho closing twelve months Of Prcsi-
dent Johns0n's administration. I From
March list, 1868, To March 1st, 1850, the
total receipts into the Treasury were q
lit,le.OvCr thrGO hundred and sixty.Gight
million dollars-I avoid fractions. for tho
sakc Of pcrspicuity. Every dollar Of this
was expended, and tho public debt for the
same period increased about six million
dollars, rs appears from the official publi'
cations Of the Treasury Department, thus
showing a total expenditure for the year
oftllre6 hundred and sevcnty.tour million
dollars, ($374 900, O00.) Huu 4H1rll
i Tho tOtnl receipts in the Treasury for
tho first year Of General Grants admins.
tration, estimating for tho few remaining
days, will amount TO three hundred and
ttiiety.fJur million dollars; ($804, O0O, O0O)
Out Of this sum total eighty millions have
been applied to the payment Of tho public
debt, thus leaving for. the current cXpcn.
(litures Of Government; including interest
on the public debt, three hundred and
fourteen million dollars, ($314, 600 0O0,l or
sixty millions less than was expended In
the same time by President J0hnSon's al-
ministratiOn. These figures arc taken
from OillCial.rrcortls, and their accuracy
cannot be questioned.
It will be observed that the receipts
were tWdntyIsixl millions Geo, O00, OO0)
more in General Grants first year than In
Mr.. Johnson's last year. Over twenty
million dollars Of tliis must DO credited to
tho internal revenue, which Inns been much
more faithfully collected; for II will be
noted that this large increase In amount
has been derived from diminished md con-
traClcd sources Of taxation, many Of the
taxes in force during part Of tho year
1852 having been repealed before Prcst'
dent Grant came into office. Whether re-
gard then, be had To tho fidelity with
which tho revenue is collected, or the
economy with which 1t il expended, the
comparison for the past Is rndentabiy and
overwhelmingly in favor Of the present
administration, ,,.... l..,
5 For, the future Tic fullest confidence
may be lntlnIgCd. The House Of Repre-.
sentatives Is vigorously sccOnding tho Ct:
forts made by Mr.. Dawes, the able and
upright chairman Of the Appropriation
Committee, to ctrtail expenditure where.
ever It may be done, and | am very sure
that for the ensuIng year Secretary Bout.
well will exhibit financial record even
moro satisfactory TO Taxpayers than that
Of the year which Is about to close.
Very truly yours, J. g. BLAINE.
w. n Johnson, Esq, !AugWStG, Maine.