The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-09-07


rs before the published evidences tina
'r they pretend to have paid seven mi
le lions for a cOurt-hOuse.wOrth only tW
e millions; that they have paid tw
Ir millions Of the seven for repair
Is though the building was new less tha
e four years ago; that they have paid e
Ie lO2 acres OF plastering for its wall:
d that they have bought for its fiOOI
l. twenty-five square acres of carpet, a
Y five dollars yard, and for three pub
o lie buildings seventeen miles Of chair.
= at five dollars piece. Phe voice q
t the press and people is roaring in thei
i ears the demand for the accounts, In
= eXhibits-the bills. But the sachem
= do not answer. Meanwhile thecity /
J. stricken from the list of publ
e markets of Europe. What else but th
2 terrible arithmetic Of finance cOuli
. have so shaken the throne whereof
r Tammany sits, gorged with publi
] plundeT2 After the recent exposures
t who can doubt that all this robbery i.
e the vital part OF that well diseiplineC
t organization which so long ruled and
debased our greatest metrop0lis-and
I AAa7 81 AsADA snNlACh anu IEbLuElACA Illt
political power of our greatest state
In a letter which | received a few
! days since from prominent and
: worthy citizen Of New York, ocrurs
this passage: "From my own knOWl-
! edge Of the crimes of the Tammany
ring, and from what know on unim-
peachable authority, 1 estimate the
sums they have stolen from this city
Iaf
jOice that the democracy of Ohio have
not gone down into the depths wheTa
their New York brethren are wallOw-
ing; but they ought 10 be reminded
every every day in the year that the
Tammany league is their political
master, and under its leadership alone
is the election of a democratic pres
ident possible. Let it not be forgotten
that the >day that witnesses tie tri-
umph of the democracy In this nation,
will witness also the legiOns of Tam
many entering the natiOnal capital to
re-enaet there the scenes that have
made New York our political SOdom.
REPUBLICAN FINANCES-EXPENDI
TUREs.
From this horrible picture of DEM
Ocratic misrule, turn with pride and
satisfaction To consider the admin
istratiOn of our national finances.
The republican party comes forward
with its exhibits and vouchers in full
detail. II oilers the national balance
sheet for inspection and, scrutiny. It
challenges the most rigid application
of this most searching test.
And, first, let us apply the most
/ pslpable of all tests-the expenditures
of the gOvernmeut-the national
| expenses from lhe base line on which
our financial system * constructed.
| Have they been wisely Incurred? -? Are
| they honestly paid? And, above all,
are they increasing or diminishing?
Since the heaviest Of the war bills
were paid constant and heavy re-
ductiOn of expenditures has been talk
ing place. The total amount of this
reduction is more than SS5, ,OOO, 900
since June 30, 1868. That is, we now
annually expend SS5, 900, 900 less than
we did three years ago.
An analysis of present expenditures
will show which are the heavy items,
and will exhibit the limits beyond
which the work of reduction can not
go at present. The total amount of
II INV sN-4TZt0IDf
RE,sei. the larger portion of this sum is
PAID Tor obligations created by the war.
These extraordinary items for the
fiscal year just closed, stated in rnnnd
numbers, stand thus:
Interest on the public debts sI2i 30, 900
Expenses OF national loan 9.OOO,Ul1
balances OF expenses OF late war IO,JOG,UO
Expenses of internal revenue de-
partner CHI. ..----. -----.-.-.-. iiuuiuD
Total-.......... .sIs6, ,OlO 900
No part of these expenses can be
avoided without dishOnOr or wantOn
neglect. This amount taken from the
total expenditures leaves for the or
dinary expenses of the year about l06
millions. III.
It must be remembered that this
sum includes the whole expenses of
our present army and navy, which,
though reduced TO the smallest force
consistent with the necessities of the
country, are, nevertheless, larger in
consequence of the disturbances re-
sulting from the war. When we re-
member that our expenses are now
reckoned i'm q deprecated currency,
and for thirty-nine millions of people,
not in gold and silver and for thirty
one millions of people, it will be seen
that the government has been restored
to peace basis and to terms of much
greater economy than at any period
since the war. This exhibit is con-
elusive and unansWerabIe proof that a
spirit wholly unlike that of Tammany
hall pervades the administration of
national affairs.
REVENUE RECEIPTS.
The revenue collected under our tax
laws affords another gratifying evil
dence of thorough and honest enforce
ment of the laws. During the fiscal
year ended June 30, 1861, our total
revenues, exclusive of loans, exceeded
S55S, 600, ,000. Since that time taxes
have been abolished which, at the time
of their repeal, were producing an
aggregate of '25I millions of dollars.
Yet, because of the growth of our
wealth, and the faithful collection of
our taxes, the total receipts of the year
ended June 80, 1871, were 3S3 millions
of dollars, leaving a surplus Ofreceipts
over expenditures of 81 millions.
REDUCTION OE THE PUBLIC DEBT.
While DO not applaud the policy
OF the debt rather than greater re-
duction of taxation, yet it il a inst
ground of pride that the burden has
been so greatly lessened. From the
first day of March, 1869 three DAYS be-
fore the Inauguration of General
Grant, to the first day of the present
month, there have been paid and
collected, Of the principal of the public
IaIk 900 fTlas.g ant
and the operations of Te-funding have
reduced the annual charge of interest
| by the amount Ofl4f millions of dol
lars.
The result has been a steady inn
prOvement of our credit ut home ana
abroad. With the exception of the
legal tender notes, which are still dis
hOnOred by nOn-payment, there is
scarcely pecuniary obligation of tie
government which is not worth the
! full amount promised on its face.
This state of credit has made il pos
sible to refund a considerable portion
of our maturing six per cent, debt in
to new bonds at five per cent. Over
sixty millions of dollars have thus
been converted within few months,
and the secretary has just completed
llESOllaliOlS lOE bllt IcillalnuGT Oi Tile
300 millions offered. In this way the
preservation of good faith comes back
To the government in the form of
money saved, of expenses reduced,
and affords another proof that honesty
| is more profitable than any form of
open or covert rascality.
REDUCTION OF TAXEs-INTERNA
REVENUE. HIS.
For the same reason, also, it has
been possible greatly to reduce the
burdens of taxation. Since July, 1866,
seven different acts have been passed,
by which taxes We're abolished, that
produced at the time of their repeal
total Of 25l millions of dollars per an
NUN. ..|
This reduction has been vitally i'm
pOrtant to the business of the country.
| For the last two years, and especially
during the last six month, there has
| been a constant tendency to lower
prices. We are slowly descending To
/ the level Of normal prices, and the
smaller and sure gains of regular IN
dustry. The consequent shrinkaSe of
values bears hard upon all enterprises
| and especially upon the debtor class,
and makes the burden of taxes felt
a. an-