Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-10-18
"sIx BY NINE"
4 Democratic Document Reviewed.

committee, ashlngton, ID. o., has
issued most imposing document.
christened "Why Taxes are High"
ct by 80 inches-printed on one side.
and ornamented with full-faced TYNE
evidently intended to produce a
d stunning effect, and to practically
annihlate the little that is left Of the
Republican party.
Astonishing as it may seem, this
little joker covers q period Of thirty
three years of our national history,
except that it skips lightly over the
eight years Of the Democratic rebel
lion-simply designating that period
as Lincoln's administration, to be
omitted as period of war-and not
even naming poor Johnson as at all
entitled to notice.
This is not the nrst effort Of the
Democracy to blot from history the
Lincoln administration, and the facts
and incidents of the Democratic re-
bellion, which made it illustrious,
nor is it probable that it will be the
last. But to this formidable 6 BY .
fraction not included-one-sided
document.
The Democratic period covered by
6 BY 9 commences with the admins
tration of Jackson and closes with
that of Buchanan-thereby embrace
ing an appropriate contrast between
the true and the modern secession
Democracy, and illustrating the
gradual fall to complete degeneracy
of that once powerful and patriotic
party.
The document opens with what
purports to be u statement Of the
total cost, cost per annum, popula-
ton, and cost per capita" of each
administration, commencing with
Jackson and ending with Buchanan,
covering period of twenty-four
years Of unqualified Democratic rule.
From this statement, however, the
committee has excluded all pay
ments for interest and for reduction
of the principal of the public debt
Except during the Mexican war, I'M
der Polk, the whole period was one
of profound peace, and, consequent
ly, no valid reason exists for exclud-
ing payments from the cost column.
The document has, however, this
merit in the eyes of the Democratic
committee il makes the column
false in fact, though to inattentive
observers fair in appearance. Be
sides the omisson Of interest, each
Of the sums stated in the columns OF
"total cost" and "cost per annum'
are in some degree erroneous, but
not in large amounts, and we there
fore accept them as approximately
correct.
Under the same headings of "total
cost" and "cOst per annum," and in
the same columns, the said Democrat
ic Committee has placed what they
assume to be the cost OF President
Grants administration, as follows
Total cost. Cost per annum
Grants year.....$l9o 596355 90 si99,596$5 % %
Grants year,. AL ,25j,477 63 All, 255417 90
Now let us examine into the fair
ness of this statement. The first
line purports to be the cost of Grants
administration for one year, when,
in fact, the figures relate to the fiscal
year 1869, two-thilds OF which
was under Johnson, and only one
third under Grants appointees.-
Nor was Grants policy of economy
fully in force until the close of the
fiscal year ended June 30, 1869 So
that, in all fairness, no portion ofthe
period is reasonably chargeable to
the Grant administration. Besides.
there is an absolute error Of $500, 900
in the figures. The sum is, truthful
ly stated, $3.50, 495, 354.95.
In the second line, as above, and
under the same headings, this verac-
ious Resident Committee displays
either the most consummate ignor-
ance or the most profound viliany
undoubtedly the latter.
Instead of the actual ordinary ex-
pendItures excluding payments for
interest and for reduction of the
public debt-as under the same head
ings in relation to the Democratic
administrations-the Resident Com
mittee has set down tho gross re-
ceipts OF the year, to-wit: Sill ,255,-
477G3. True, they have added at
the end Of the line, in smaller type,
"including principal and interest on
the public debt" as an avenue of
escape should their attempted decep-
ton under the head of stotal cost be
detected
For the purpose of comparison
with the Democratic period, upon
precisely the basis adopted by the
Resident Committee, and including
the war items, tho statement would
stand as follows:
Total cost, Grants one year, Sl64,-
421 TAB, instead Of S411, 255, 81
63-thus showing the attempted de-
ception for one year to be S246, 1885,
1880, and here are the official
figures to prove this:
Total ordinary expenditures by Grant
for the year 1s6g-7O, excluding pay
ments for reduction of public debt...S292 0j2 Il
Deduct interest upon the public debt
as in the case OF the Democratic ad-
ministTation, l21 ", 336 %
Total cost including war items, and in
GLIDING interest and principal paid on
public lof+2l,II4 10
SO barefaced a deception by the
representative committee of great
party, should warn the followers of
that party that their leaders are
wholly unworthy Of confidence, de-
sirous only Of power, and unscru-
pulous as TO the means of attaining it.
A TRUE STANDARD OF COMPARISON.
As the rebellion was wholly
Democratic affair, inaugurated and
conducted by Democrats, it is but
Just to charge that party with its en-
tire cost, and, therefore, in any COM
parison between Democratic and
expenditures, all of the
expenses, incident to or in conse-
quence of the war to suppress the |
rebellion should be deducted from
the latter. This we now proceed to