American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-07-13
Expenses of the Government.

In a speech at Springfield, Ill. on the
evening of June 20, Senator Trumbull re-
viewed the proceedings and majority re-
ports of the Whitewashing Investigating
Committees of Congress, appointed in
the interest of the Radicals, nominally to
inquire into and expose--but virtually to
cover up-the frauds and outrages perpe-
trated by, and proved against, officials of
the present Administration. He then
spoke as follows concerning the financial
affairs of the Government
could detain you here until daylight to-
morrow morning in detailing cases of this
same character which are justified by the ac-
tions of partisan committees appointed,
not for the purpose of ferrcting out, expos
ing, and correcting iniquity, but for the pur-
pose of sustaining the party l was never a
party man to the extent of being willing to
serve it against my country. Parties are
only useful to carry out measures for the
good of the country tApplausel and if, to-
day, l am acting with the Liberal Republican
party, if l have denounced these transac-
tions at the hazard of being myself de-
nounced, it done in good faith on my
part, for the purpose of correcting abuses,
and appealing from a party tyranny estab-
lished by Senatorial Ring to the honest, in
telligent, upright citizens of the country,
who are bound by no such shackles as will
compel them to cover up fraud and iniquity
in behalf of anybody or any party.
Unjust allude to one other publication, not
the report of an Investigation Committee,
but table which has been pus out and
published broadcast throughout the land, in
regard to the expenses of the National Gov
eminent. The object of the table, which has
been published, and which was annexed to a
speech delivered in the House of Represent
atives by Mr.. Dawes, of Massachusetts,
Chairman of the COMMITTEE of Ways and
Means, and is also annexed to a speech
delivered by my colleague (Mr. Logan in the
Senate, was to show that the expenses of the
Government during the year 1871 were less
per capita than the expenses of the Govern
ment in the year 1860, the year before the
war. The purpose of that is to create the
impression among the people that the
finances of the country and the administra
ton of the Government are economically
managed, that the people may be made to
believe that economy obtains and abuses do
not exist.
[According to the figures in the table
quoted by Mr.. Trumbull, the expenditures
per capita are shown to be for 1860, the
population being 81 AS, 321, 81 .95; and for
1871, the population being IS, 555, 9S3, 81 70.
was astonished when 1 read the state
ment. knew it could not be true, and l
wondered that such statement should be
made up and published. 1 have since taken
occasion to compare the table with the Off
cial report of the Secretary of the Treasury,
and have satisfied myself that, $50 far from
being true, the expenses of the Government,
per capita, in 1871, were nearly double what
they we're in 1860. You have my statement
against the one that is published as a part of
the speeches of these gentlemen; but which
was never read either in the House or the
Senate, although it was stated in the speech
es that there was such a table, and it is pub
lished in the Globe. Will you attach any i'm
portance or give any credit to this table if it
is shown to be erroneous to the extent Of
many millions? Voices, "NO!' 'non'l
Well, now, propose to show that, in round
numbers, the expenses of the Government
of the United States, as stated in the table,
in 1860, were 63, 900 600, and in 1871 they are
stated at s292, 600 900. 1t is not fair, how
ever, to charge the whole of this expendi
1871; and will directly tell you why. But
psnses Of ISL MT There the is w oSe m fs
take, and how do you think it oc,
CURED? If you will look at the official
report of the Secretary of the Treasury,
which / have in my hand, you will find that
he, also, in one place, states the expendi-
lures of the Government for 1871 at 1922,
10000 and gives the amount of each branch
of the public service-so much for the Civil
Service; SO much for the Navy; SO much for
the military establishment, and SO on, and
you will find opposite the amount of expense
set down for the military establishment, to-
wit, s35, 799, 991 80, a star, which refers to a
note at the bottom of the page, in small
type, which reads follows: amount
after deducting S, 2OO, O93. ID repaid into the
nance, etc" The true expenditures were
SA, 0OS, 0S425, instead of 35, .991.S2, as
stated above. Now there is small differ
ence of more than sS,OOO,0OO not taken into
the account. Why? Because the War De-
partment derived the money from the sale of
the property of the United States-its ord
nance-which consisted, in part, of the arms
sold the French. The Government received
for your property more than 8, DOC, OOO then
spent it, and then did not take it into the
account in the general statement of the ex-
penditures of the year.
In order to impose upon the country the
idea that the expenses in 1871 were not great
er than in 1860 in proportion to population,
various deductions are made from this 1892,
100000, as the table states it. In the first
place, S125, OOO, 600 are deducted on account
of interest paid upon the public debt. That
was right. The present Administration is
not responsible for any extravaganza in pay
ing the legal interest upon the public debt,
and it is properly to be deducted from the
gross expenditures of the year 1871. All
agree that that is proper. But, would you
believe it? the interest paid in 1850 is not de-
Quoted from the expenses of that year. We
paid over 81, 0OO, 900 in interest on the public
debt in 1860, which, in Mr.. Dawes table, is
included IN the ordinary expenses of that
year, but the sls5, 600 900 is taken out Of the
expenses of 1871 Is this fair? In 1871 we
paid S34, 900, 600 in pensions. I do not think
that that ought to be charged to the extrav
agance of any Administration because these
pensions are provided for by law and must
$34, 600 900 is deducted properly, but if you
deduct the amount paid for pensions in
1871, does not common fairness say
you must deduct the amount paid for pen
sions in 1902 And yet in this table it is not
done. So, when you make the proper de-
auctions, it will be found that the ordinary
expenses of the Government in 1871 are more
than double what they were in 1860. The
amount paid by every man, woman, and
child for the ordinary expenditures of this
Government, last year, was $40, while in
1850 it was $1-S5 instead of the amounts as
stated in the foregoing table. Other deduc-
tons made from expenses of 1871, as charge
aDie TO the war, are preposterOus, such as
$l6,5U1 ,J3S5, from expansion Of military
adjustments. Not to detain you with these
details, which, although important for the in
formation OF the people, and necessary TO the
understanding and exposing ofthis attempt to
instead them, have said enough, trust. to
call the attention of this intelligent audience
to the unfairness and unreliability of this
table, which you will see scattered all over
TINS state as campaign document by the
friends of the Administration When YOU
see it, look at these items. and examine for
yourselves, and see if the interest and pen
sions are deducted from the expenses of 1871,
and left in as part of the expenditures of
1850. You will not see in the table the facts
about the money realized from the sale of
ordnance. That little sum, of over e, OOO-
COO is omitted from the table altogether
Was right when, with a knowledge of the
transactions have exposed, 1 took ground
against their continuance? Should sit still,
as the representative of the people of this
great State, who have SO often honored me
with their confidence, and suffer such plum
dering OF the Treasury as l have exposed to
you tonight, to go on-such false statements
to go out uncontradicted And when |
found it was impossible to make a correc-
ton through the Republican organization
because was borne down and voted down.
and denounced by the Senatorial Ring, was
in iux. l..