Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1876-08-19
WHAT IT COSTS.

There is hardly any one who fully ap-
preciates the vast increase of our gov
eminent expenses under republican
administration. The highest point that
these expenses ever attained. in a single
year., prior to the late war, was $685.
| 67S, 642-which sum was expended IN
1859. The whole cost of administering
the government from the beginning OF
| the term of George Washington to the
| close OF the term of James Buchanan
was 50, $50, 962 ,334-and this sum in
| cludes the expenses of the Seminole war,
the Louisiana purchase, the wal OF 1872,
and the wal with Mexico, which resulted
in the acquisition of Texas and New
| Mexico. 1t covers the entire federal
expenses for a period of seventy-two
years-the average annual amount being,
in round numbers, only $50, 00O. 600.
Let us compare these figures with the
cost of administering the government
under republican rule; and in order that
the comparison may be just. let US con-
fine ourselves to the eleven years OF
peace which have supervened since the
close of the war. The amount expended
during this period by the republican
| administration, as is shown by the
Official report of the Federal Treasury,
reaches the astounding sum Of $780,
GOO, 900.
Let us pause here for a moment and
try to comprehend the immense sum
which these figures represent. W. all
know how difficult it is to grasp the
meaning of figures hat run up into the
billions. In fact it is not possible by
SIMPLY looking at them to form any
intelligent idea of their meaning. If we
would comprehend their significance,
ever imperfectly, we must reason upon
them by comparison. We must ascertain
what the money, represented by the
figures, would do, if applied to some
thing that we are able to comprehend.
If, for example, we are told that a rail-
road of one hundred miles in length has
| cost S25. 900 per mile, we a readily per.
ceive that the whole road has cost g.. 5OO,-
UOO-and thus we are able to form an
intelligent comprehension of the sum Of
money that these figures represent.
Now, let US apply this reasoning to the
| gigantic sum expended by the Republi-
can administration since the close of the
war, and see if 1t will aid us in compre-
hending the magnitude of the amount
1t is a sum sufficient to build one hun
dred and eighty thousand miles of rail
road at an average cost of 1926. 600 per
mile-which is thirty thousand miles
more than the aggregate length of all
the railroads in the world. It would build,
at the price above estimated, six rail
roads around the globe, and ten more
acros the American continent of an av-
erage length of three thousand miles
each. 1t it were possible to convert
this vast sum Ca SOC, 900, OOO) into
silver coin, it would furnish money
enough to load a train of wagons, carry
ing two and a half tons each, and occu-
pying forty-four yards travelling space
for each team and wagon, something
over fourteen hundred miles long. And
this vast sum, let 1t be remembered, was
expended by the Republican administra-
ton in the short space of eleven years
and that, too, while the country has
been in a condition of profound peace.
Yes! in these eleven years they have ex-
pended more than double the amount
that it cost to administer the govern
ment from the day it was set in motion
until they got possession of it;-an
amount more than sufficient to cover all
the expenses Of the government from
1889 to 1861, and e%xtinguish besides the
whole of u present national debt.
And yet Senator Morton, in the face of
this record, has the effrontery to claim
that the Republican party has admins
tered the government economically.