Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1876-08-30
That "HOnest, Administration.

TrOl. EStaDrook, last Friday
evening, undertook to prove that
the administration of Gen. Grant
was the best, most honest, and
economical this country has had.
Does any voter believe such state
ments (? On the contrary 1t has
placed the administrative support
ers just where we wanted them,
that is, trying to prove that the
most corrupt government that ever
disgraced any nation, is one of the
best.
The Professor, as we'll as all the
radical journals, admit that Grants
administration lost or stole 81 cents
on every thousand dollars it ex-
pended, and Senator Boutwell, IRE
publican), who introduced the
statement into Congress, says
that 80 cents was lost or stolen on
every one thousand dollars received,
which makes an acknowledged loss
or theft of S1.23 on every one thou
sand dollars. The figures are fur
nished by the administrationists,
being the result of a demand by
the Democratic House for the adj
ministration to show up its accounts.
AS the government was the guilty
party, it is but natural that they
would make as favorable showing
as possible for themselves, and as
the books were in their possession,
they could very easily do so. The
amount lost or stolen during the Re-
publican rule, as shown by their
own statements, is over ten millions
of dollars. The losses or thefts
during the present administration,
is placed at over two millions of
dollars.
To this amount is to be added
the enormous sum of S1,370,138,-
$1,000, tho amount that was stolen
from the people, from 1868 to 1870,
by frauds in the whisky business;
by the tombstone frauds;
100000 per year, during cleo
ton years, taken from the naval
funds, for the purpose of corrupt
ing voters, according to the report
of the Congressional committee,
anu then add the amount stolen
from the people in the whisky bus
mess since 1870; the custom house
thefts, the Indian thefts, and
number of other thefts that have
been shown up, and we shall find
that the real thefts of the present
administration amounts to over
500 on every thousand dollars ex-
pended.
Altogether we find that by ac-
tual theft and losses, and by false
revenue returns, and bogus con-
tracts, more money has been dis
honestly taken than would pay
The national debt. In the face of
:hese facts the administrationists
nave the shameless audacity to
proclaim the present administra-
ion the chest and most honest we
rave had" They also claim that
he present government is more
lonest than that of Washington,
nd endeavor to prove it by saying
hat while $500 were lost on every
thousand, during Washington's ad-
ninistration, they only lost or
tole 81 cents, which no reason
bly, minded person will believe.
While considering this fact, it
nay be well to see what it costs to
ollect the revenue, and the follow
ng table will show that dishonesty {
xists in collecting it, for why {
hould it cost three times as much c
D collect it in 1S74-5 as in 1S67-8:
Amount Of inter- Cost Of [
nal revenue. collection. =
CTS, sl6i,464599 s6,70o,000
Zig, 2i6.370,2sG l6,sS2369
7i-5, l57l67,722 $780, 37 c
The following tables will show :
rat it costs nearly three times as S
luch to carry on the expenses of ,
,e government in 1875, as it 1
id in 1860. The figures given ?
re the actual expenses of the gov {
and do not include the
mount paid for pensions, and for G
lterest on public debt: b
81. ss7, 9ss, 0e57s D
s.. 1897, s50l5 d
AZ IA / ,