The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-09-15
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.l
The Economy OF this .Administ rsa.
ton

1t has been urged as a merit by some
of the friends of this administration
that it was economical in the expendi
ture of the public money. Official facts
and figures show just how much truth
there is in this. The expenses of the
Congress for eighteen months under the
Administration of Grant have been
81 300, 900 more than they were in the
late eighteen months Of Andrew John.
son Is term. The Postoffce expenses
are 81 100000 more. The foreign in.
tercourse expenses have increased near.
ly 100000. The expenses of collecting
the customs are 100000 less, but then
the miscellaneous expenses, including
buildings, are $2,500,000 more. The
cost of the United States Courts are
nearly 100000 more. The Indian
Department has added to it's costs
$4,000. In the way of pensions there
has been added not less than $6, 900, 600.
A Congress and President intent on
economy would not have made such a
record as this. 1t is true there has
been reduction of $S0000,000 in the
expenses of the War Department, but
for that no credit is to be given to
Grant or to Congress either, for it
ought TO have been done years ago
Nay, instead of SS0,000,0O0, it could
have been brought down to $40, DOC, 900,
with no detriment to the public inter
ests. 1t is claimed that there has been
a reduction in the principal Of the pub
lie debt of Sl69,00O,OO0. Now this, &C
cording to Secretary Boutwells own
testimony, is not doing anything near
as well as the previous Administration.
In speech made in the House of Rep
resentatives, on July q, 1868, Hon.
George S. Boutwell, said:
IL wish to call the attention of the
House to a fact deduced by careful ex-
animation of statistics obtained from the
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury,
showing that with our resources and
the revenue of this country we have Sc
cured large diminution Of the public
debt. | confess that, after the careful
examination had made, | felt COM
PEELED to review it, to see that the there
was not some mistake in the premises
or in the calculation, so astonishing is
the evidence thus furnished of the abil-
ity OF the people of the country to liqui-
date the public debt. From the lst day
OF April, 1865, to the LIST day of Janu-
airy, 1868, we paid out of the public
treasury 81 ,552, 100000 of money.
Upon careful analysis Of the ex-
penditures of the Government during
those two years and nine months, | find
that the expense of peace establish
ment, including interest, pensions and
bounties, upon the basis Of the year
1850 and 1867, when the expenses Of
the government were S10,000,000 more
than they are to be the present year,
amounted to $4S5, 100000, showing that
we paid, over and above these expenses,
81. 066, 100000. On the LIST day of April,
1865, the public debt, liquidated and
ascertained, was g 1886, 100000, and the
81 ,066, 100000 which was paid between
the LIST day of April, 1855, and the lst
day of January, 1868, would have been
added to the public debt as proper
expenses of the war if we had not
out of the public revenue from day to
day liquidated it. If we add to the
1885 100000 of public debt on the LIST
of April, 1865, what we paid for war
expenses, including interest on the war
debt, pensions and bounties, between
the lst of April. 1865, and the lst Of
january, 1868, the public debt, if we
had not paid war expenses, out OF the
ordinary revenue, would have amounted
to 50, 432,000,00O. In the face of this
great fact that in two years and nine
months, by extraordinary taxation and
extraordinary efforts to be sure, we paid
81 oct, 100000 of the public debt, are
we to assume that the people of this
country are not annually to make con-
siderable payments of the public debt
of the country? Almost one-third OF
the public debt of the country has been
paid in two years and nine months.
So, it seems that, according to Bout
well, almost one-third of the public
debt, or 81 ,0O0,O00,000 was paid in two
wears and nine months of Andrew
Johnson's administration. If this $50,
what credit does Grant deserve for a
beggarly Sl69,O00,0O0 paid in one year
and half of his term?