Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-08-18
amount collected, or $16O in every $1O,-

amount collected, or $16O in every $1O,-
OO0
promised to send these figures TO you
on Saturday last, but found it impossible
until the present moment to get them
ready, Very truly,
CHARLES f. CoNANT
Hon. Justin S. Morrill, United States
Senator, Washington, d. c.
INTERNAL REVENUE.
TREASURY DEPARTMENT.
OFFICE OF INTERNAL REVENUE
WASHINGTON, d. c., March Is, 1876,
SIR:-ln compliance with your request,
have the honor to submit herewith the
following statement taken from the books
and records of this office:
The total of internal revenue tax re-
turned by the various collectors of inter
nal revenue during the period from Sep
TENDER 1, 1862, to March 81, 1865, being
from the organization of the internal sys-
tenn to the close of the month preceding
the end of Mr.. Lincoln's administration
is 1898, III ,131; the ascertained leash de-
ficiencies" of collectors appointed during
that period are $414.50S.10, or about
1900 of percent. of the amount collect
ed. In the period from April 1, 1865, to
February 80, 1860, being the period in
even months covered by Mr.. Johnsons
administration, the collections were $S17,-
OGS, 3O5; ascertained cash deficiencies of
collectors appointed in that period, ST..
GIG, 1902, so or about 2-1O of per cent. of
the amount collected In the period from
March 1, 1860, to February 80, 1876, be-
ing from the beginning of the present adj
minstration to the close of the last month
the collections are 1854, 1903, 237; ascertain
ed cash deficiencies of collectors appoint
ed in this period, $500, 75t SO, or about
$4,000 of per cent. of the amount col
lected
AS the balance for the last period men
toned are of comparative recent occur
renee and are now in process of collection,
it is believed that large proportion of it
will ultimately be recovered, so that the
actual ultimate loss will be very much
less than herein shown.
Respectfully,
d. d. PRATT, Commissioner.
Hon. j. S. Morrill,, United States Senate.
These letters and figures overturn
mountains of falsehood which ought
to bury our calumniators beneath
them. The truth is that although
defalcations and malfcasances some
times occur, and always will, there
is more official integrity, the reve-
nues are more faithfully collected,
and the public service better perform
ed than at any former period.
GOVERNMENT NOT BANKRUPT.
During the last fiscal year ending
the 30th of June 1876, the surplus
revenue was s29,249,ooO, which was
applied to the reduction of the ma
tional debt in the last ten years we
have paid off 579,423,2S4 of the ma
tlonal debt. On the 3Oth of June
1866, the debt was $2,64O,34s, 900;
now it is i'll round numbers s2,O6O,-
925,OOO. In 1866 the revenue deriv-
ed from internal revenue taxes was
$3O9,226,s13. In 1876 it was sl16,-
100000, a reduction Of nearly two
thirds, or nearly s2Oo,oOo,OOo per
annum. This does not look like ma
tional bankruptcy and paralysis.
STRIKING CONTRAST.
Contrast this with the last imbecile
slovenly and venal administration of
James Buchanan. During his four
years, i'll a time of profound peace,
the revenues fell short of the ordina-
ny expenditures s75,217,ll9, which
sum was made up by loans and add
ed TO the burdens with which the Re
publican party received the govern.
ment in 1861. TO enable the gov
eminent to live from day to day dur
ing the last of these four years the
six per cent. bonds of the United
States were hawked about the mar
kets of the world, and disposed of
with difficulty at discount of seven
teen per cent. 1t was during this
administration, which was relieved
from the charge Of idiocy only by
beng convicted of treason, that Hen
bricks was commissioner of public
lands, Floyd and Thompson were in
the cabinet, that trust funds were
stolen in broad daylight, and the ma
tional arms publicly conveyed to the
South, where they were seized by
traitors without opposition. 1t is
marvel of human audacity for any
one connected with the administra-
ton of James Buchanan to ask the
confidence OF the American people.
EXPENSES OF TIE GOVERNMENT.
Mr.. Conant, the Assistant Secre-
tary of the Treasury, has carefully
prepared from the books of the de-
partment tables, showing the net cx-
penses of the government, excluding
war expenses and those growing out
of the rebellion, for every ten years,
beginning in 1900, and including the
fiscal year, ending the 3Oth of June,
1875. According to his table the to-
tai expenditures for the fiscal year
1873, were 75,G23,392.s4. The to-
tai expenditures for the year 1860,
were $685. ,7ss.7s. After deduct
ing from the expenditures Of the
year 1914, all these growing out of
the war and the rebellion, the net re-
suits for the year were Ss4,773,762.-
40 in currency. But the expendi-
lures for 1860 were in gold, and Mr..
Conant has deducted l29 per cent.
rs the premium on gold for the year
1875, leaving a net expenditure in
gold for that year of s74,O2s, 6ss.o9
The Secretary shows that the ex-
penses per capita, in the following
table of dollars and thousandths,
were, in
1917. ........ LIZ
lSZO. ....... l.SJI
looU. l.lIO
$50. ..., l.I66
iooo 49, ''''- $500 i.'o%
In 1875, estimating the population
at 4O,OO0,OO0, which was the estimate
Of the Treasury Department, the ex-
penses per capita were Stag. But
the population in 1875 at