American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-05-04
Under JOhnsOn-Under Grant.

AT last, after long, long waiting, the san
| itary detachment came to me.
Under JOhnsOn-Under Grant.
THE vociferously urged claim of credit
for General Grant of having paid SO large
an amount of the national debt, has just
encountered a most remarkable and con-
| vincing settler in the fact brought out by
| ex-Commissioner Wells, that more than
a hdf as much more Of the debt toas paid I'M
der Andreto johnson than under General
| Grant
Secretary Boutwell, dates all reductions
of the debt from the time he and
President Grant came into office in
March, 1869; and his own official state
ments inform us that the fetal reduction
from that time to the LIST March, 1872,
three years, was $299, $40, 52S. These
figures look so large, and, in fact, are so
large, that the adherents of the admins
tratIon dwell on them with fond affection,
and asks the country if it would turn out
a President who is paying the debt and
| reducing the taxes at the same time at
such an enormous rate2 As an answer to
this, commissioner Wells, in a letter to
the Nation, goes back four years and re-
produces part of a speech made by Mr.
Boutwell,, then member of Congress, on
the 21st of July, 1868. This speech was
made while Andrew johnson was Presi-
dent, and Hugh McCulloch Secretary of
the Treasury, and is so interesting a state
ment OF the great reduction of the debt
under johnson, that we copy the portion
quoted by the eX-CommissiOner. Mr.
Boutwell, said:
wish to call the attention of the House to fact
deduced by careful examination of statistics OBJ
ry Department, showing that during the last three
years we have, with our resources and the revenue
of this country, secured a large dminution of the
public debt. 1 confess that, after the careful eX-
animation had made felt compelled to review
it. and see whether there was not some mistake in
the premises or in the calculation, astonishing
Is the evidence thus furnished of the ability of the
people of the country to liquidate the public debt
From the 1st day of April 1865. to the LIST of Janu
AIRY, 1868, two years and nine months, we have
paid out of the public treasury 81 2OOO,0OO Of
money. Upon a careful analysis of the eXpendi-
lures of the Government during these two years
and nine months, find that the expenses of a
and bounties upon the basis of the year 1866 and
and 1867, when the expenses of the Government
were S7O,00Oo0O more than they are to be the pres
ent year, amounted to S4S5 20 0,000 showing that
paid over and above those expenses, 81 .O66 0OO.
COO On the LIST day OF April 1865. the public debt,
the 81 0oo,ooO which paid between the LIST of
April, 1865, and the list of January, 1863 would
penses of the if we had not. out of the public
revenue, from day to day. liquidated it. In the
face of this great fact that in two years and nine
months. by extraordinary taxation and eXtraordi-
nary efforts, to be sure we paid S1066,O0O,OO0 of
the public debt are we to assume that hereafter
the people of this country are not annually to make
country? Almost One-third Of tie entire public DEBT
Of the country has 6een paid acithin tro years and
nine months, and l am not willing to stand the
assumption that we shall not make large payments
in each year hereafter.
This conclusive testimony from Mr..
Boutwell, to the admirable management
of the national finances under JOhnson'S
Administration is, says the Missouri Re
publican, all the more valuable on account
of Mr.. Boutwell's present pains to CON
ceal what johnson did, and fix the public
attention upon what Grant is doing.
That the statements made in the above
extract are true is proved by the official
report of Secretary McCulloch for 1868,
by speech made by Edward Atkinson
before the Massachusetts Republican Con-
vention, September 8, 1868, and by the
then Special Commissioner of Revenue,
in number of documents published and
extensively circulated by the National
Republican Committee. Secretary Nc
Culloch stated in his report of December,
1868, that within period of three years
and seven months from April 1, 1865, the
sum of $500, 431 1925 was paid on debts
which were actually due at the close of
the war and for bounties which, like the
pay of the army, were part of the eX-
penSes of the war; and that, in addition
to this there was paid on the regular debt
sufficient sum to increase the total pay
ment on account of the national indebt-
edness $40, 256,650 and but for the adj
vances made to the Pacific Railroad ($42,
1919, O0O), and for the Alaska purchase
(S7, 200, 900, the amount would have been
$519, $50. The discrepancy between
the figures given by Mr.. Boutwell, in his
speech and those given by Secretary
McCulloch in his report, is accounted for
by the fact that the former included in his
estimates the interest and pensions for
three years and seven months, while the
latter omitted them from his. The inter
est and pensions for the time alluded to
amounted to about $500, 900, 600, and ii
added to Secretary McCulloch's figures
would augment them to 81, 49,, 431, l25
Commenting on these facts, the eX-Com
missioner asks:
In view of these facts, what becomes of the
claim so constantly put forth in the public press
and ostentatiously embodied in the resolutions
of political conventions that the Administration OF
President Grant is especially entitled to the conf
dencc and support of the country COR ITS course IN
reference the reduction of the public debt; and
that its experience in respect to this matter Is |
without parallel in history The figures and testl
mony above given demonstrate beyond question |
that all such claims and avermenls are SIMPLY I'M
true; and il would further seem To stand to reason,
tbat if the fact of having paid S2996ia 62 of debt
in the three years from March |, 1853 TO March l.
1872 constitute "A special debt of gratitude from the
people 10 the existing Administration. the measure
of gratitude due TO Andrew Johnsou's Aiministra-
ZION. which actually reduced tne national ucbt IN
three wears and seven months by the Of at |
least Si'0 600 ought to be, ON the same prnci
pie at least double
If, however, il be said that the johnson Admins
traion had more To pay with than the Grant Admin
istratiou, and therefore able for such reason 10
make better showing the answer simply Is that /
both Administrations have had exactly what Con |
gress permitted them 10 have, and each of them has
used its surplus in paying the debt in the
ncr. Or if it be said that taxation has been |
reduced To Il greater extent under the Grant Ad- /
than under that of johnson. The /
avcment is simply untrue; inasmuch as by far the |
greater proportion of the reductions of the war |
taxes made since 1868 the result Of legislation
before Grant assumed office.