The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-08-26

The argus, it appears, mas some dllhcuity |
in ascertaining the amount OF our National |
expenditures during the past financial year.
From the ostentatlon with which it declared |
that our expenditures are now two and
quarter times what they were under a Demo-
cratic administration. one would have sup
posed that the argus was fully posted in this
respect. We derived our information from a
statement publ shed in the New York papers
a few days ago, and certified to be correct by
the acting Secretary of the Treasury BY that
statement it appears that our total expendi
lures for the year ending June 80, 1870, were
1892 124 600 in round numbers. From this
we deducted Sl52000,300 for pensions and in
terest en- the public debt, leaving the ordinary
expenditures as $140,O00,OO0. From the al
vanced sheets of statement soon to be pub
lshed, it appears that the ordinary expenses
are considerably smaller than this. The in
terest ON the public debt is $127, 702,C00.
Bounties to soldiers amount to S4993,OoO;
reimbursements to the States forIaising troops
to 81 POI 900; arrears of pay to volunteers to
S1,S93,O0U. Pensions to S2S $4,000; and the
expenses of collecting the Internal Revenue
Ss,OS9OOO. All these expenses can be directly
traced to the war, and are therefore beyond
dispute extraordinary. There are also other
items Of extra expenditure which might be
ascribed to the same cause. But we prefer TO
exclude every thing that is doubtful. The
items we have named amount to SIP $685.
000 which being deducted from $292, l24 900,
leaves in round numbers $120000,000 in cur
rency, or S100,000,O00 in coin, gold being reck-
oned at 120. The ordinary expenditures in
1860 we've $5S,S56,00o, which makes the in
crease only 70 per cent. instead of 05.5 per
cent. 1t ought also to be taken into account
that further reduction of SIS 100000 in cur
Iency is to take place during the ensuing
year. For this increase in the public expen-
ditures we have to show more efficient army
and navy. Taking our growth in population
into account the increase is but slight. Our
expenditures in 1860 were $1.90 per head,
now they are but $50, am increase of but 81
per cent. which is about the average rate at
which our expenditures fave increased dur.
ing the last forty years, the Democratic party
being in power most of this time. Now let
us compare with this period in our history
somewhat similar, when the Democratic party
held power, Between 1910 and 1920 as be-
tween 1860 and 1870 occurred war which
taxed the power of the country to the utter
most. In the former as in the latter period,
the country suffered from financial embarrass-
ments an irredeemable and deprecated cur
rency, and bnrdensome public debt. The
Democratic party was in high state of pros
perity, and counted among its acknowledged
leaders such statesmen as Madison, Monroe.
Calhoun, Clay, and Randolph. In lis efforts
to restore the finances of the country, it was
hindered by no internal disorders. Its ma
jorty in Congress was neutrazed by no An
drew johnson, and yet with all these advan-
tages it did not succeed in reducing the ordi.
nary expenditures of the government 70 peace
standard until 1922 seuen gears after the con-
ctusion of peace. In 1920 five years after
that war our expenditures were 80 per cent.
greater than in 1910. In 1870 five years after
our last war our expenses are only 20 per
cent greater than in 1860, although we have
had but little more than one year of really
Republican administration.