Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-09-30
MIR. NGSENER ON THE REDUC-
TION OF THE DEBT.

AiAAs w ASSHSA NONS AOb DSClu W 1dsC 1
seen, or if he has seen, he has not been
intimidated by the recent exposure which |
we made of Mr.. Maynard's ''facts and
figures" Both of these distinguished lu-
minaries of the Radical party are candi-
dates for personal promotion, and hence
have displayed in their statements of the
financial condition of the country
a lack Of information which can
only be accounted for upon the prin-
ciple that when ignorance is bliss, it is
folly to be wise. Both of these distingu-
ished Office seekers have presented figures
and made assertions relative to the public
debt, which display an eager haste at con-
clusions, that sometimes cause private
interest to control efforts for the public
good These gentlemen have each re.
peated figures to establish their positions.
To show how fallacious those figures
are, it is only necessary to quote from
the highest Radical authority. There is
even higher authority than the figures
presented by Gen. Grants cabinet, and
quoted by Mr.. Maynard and Mr.. Wisener.
In January last the Chairman of the
Radical Committee on Appropriations, of
most intensely Radical Congress, es-
posed the triggering of the Radical trick
sters upon the question of "facts and
figures, oJostentatiously paraded by Mr..
Maynard and Mr.. Wisener. Mr.. Dawes,
of Massachusetts,, Radical without spot
or blemish, from Mr.. Maynard's native
State, old Massachusetts, spoke of these
false and unreliable calculations, which
were put forth by the administration, in
the following terms as found in his pub
lished speech in the Congressional
Globe.
'Mr. Dawes may be pardoned as a
friend of this Secretary and of this Ad.
ministration, in what l may feel com
PEELED TO say in reference to either his es-
Inmates or the estimates of the whole adj
ministration, when say that the estimates
of this Secretary in reference to these ex-
peHditures do not inspire me with. entire
confidence. | know he speaks of econo-
my and the saving of money, but, sir, the
great point upon which find that he has
expended his energies is upon the promise
he holds out to the House that he will
save 81, 900, 900 upon the article of coal
alone, the whole estimate for which for
the last two years was less thanSl5O 600
yesrl Sir, that Is an achievement of
mathematics that finds its parallel only in
the attempt to save $5,OO0,OO by abol-
ishing the ranking privilege, when all the
paper bought by this government, and 80
letters day to every member sent through
the mails at regular postage, would pay
less than $500, 600. ! hope to see the
ranking privilege abolished, but on no
such absurd pretence as that it will save
s., 600, 900. l really think that if the
mathematicians who put these figures in
the heads of these two secretaries could
be brought to light and set to work. the
public debt would be paid before the ex
plratlon of this administration. Laugh
ter. !" " .
The economy of the Grant admin .
istration is simply San achievement of
mathematics, " cheat and a delusion.
Mr.. Maynard being an old scbool-teacber
knows how best to use this trick of fig
ures and impose upon his unsuspectlng
constituents
MIR. Dawes fully understood and appre-
ciated the conduct of his chosen friends
in power, when he exposed the paltry
subterfuges to which they were resorting
in order to mislead the sober Judgment of
the American people. He said:
81 have a right to complain of the other
end of the avenue the President and Cab
met that, with all its professions of econ
Omy and reduction of unnecessary force
in the departments, with all the heralding
by telegraph or otherwise of its purpose
OF reduction, there is not one of these
departments that does not estimate TODAY.
IN the book l have before me, for an in,
crease of expenditure over the appropria-
tons OF last year, save only one, and
that IS the poor, unpopular attorney gen
eral, MIR. Hoar. hope it is rot be-
cause OF this remarkable trait in his char
acter that 1t is contemplated at the other
end of this capitol to relieve him from
further public service, and to drive him
into private life.
Hon. Alex. Delmar has shown how
pretentious is the claim of the present ad-
ministration to a reduction of the public
debt. He says:
As to its claim in respect to the pay
ment of the public debt, l have to reply.
In the first place, that gradual reduction
OF the public debt has been going on ever
since the fiscal year 1866. At the close |
OF that year July, 1860 the public debt
(and by this term mean just what the
administration means, viz: The written
debt of the Government; the sum of |
bonds and treasury notes, actually ont |
standing and unpaid, amounted to So
7S3, 900, 900, as is stated in the annual re- |
port of the Secretary of the Treasury. |
(lS69, page 3l7.) On the 1st of July. |
1870, the debt, calculated by the same |
method and upon the authority of the |
last (the july monthly debt statement of |
the Secretary of the Treasury, was 81
S4t, oOo, OOO. This shows reduction of |
500, OOO, OsO. Of this amount there was |
PAD PAD OFT IN 1867 the sum of S91, 0OO,-
700; and in 1878 the further sum of
500, 600, 600; altogether $l47 900, 900.
The year 1868 was the last completc
fiscal year of the Johnson McCullocb ad-
ministration.