Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1880-08-07

this claim is true, 1t Is no less true that
| democrats more Than republicans have
paid this debt. Since 1865 how much
has the general government collected
with which to pay the debt? That IS the
pertinent question. From 1868 to 1879,
inclusive, the government collected, in
customs dues, S2,456, S95, 102 So; from
internal revenue, $2,37S, 423, 572 OF;
from direct taxes, l1,l4S,2 03 81; from
the sale of public lands. $40. 16l go o.;
or u total of 81, S73,23i 66S %. The
mere statement OF this amount is enough
to show that the republican party has
nothing to boast of in the sum 1t has paid
on the principal of the national debt.
During the time here spoken ot,there has
been paid in interest the enormous sum
OF 81. az ,693, 253 Ga sum greater than
the entire present debt-and, accepting
the statement OF Mr.. Curtis, there has
been paid OF the principal OF the debt
s651 $50 800. or a total OF S2,315,2SO,
1913 SO. This sum, deducted from the
total receipts of the government, leaves,
tor expenses. 50. 1913, OO4 .514 a. In or
der to be entirely fair in the compari-
sons which we desire to institute, let us
deduct three per cent. of the coll ectioEs
Tor the expense OF collecting. which is
what Mr.. Sherman says it costs, though
it is too much. This sum Is SIG, 1877
040. Let us also deduct the AMOUNT of
pensions caused by the recent war, S3Sl.-
100000. These W sums equal 1921
1877, 040. This deducted from s.. 49S. OO4.-
5l4, leaves S1,97O. SO7, IA. Atter-allow-
ing these sums, there is no reason why
the expenses OF the government should
be greater than they were under demo
cratic administration just prior to the
war. The most expensive year under
democratic administration was 1858,
when $50, 330,437 II was spent. Sup
pose republican economy had been no
more expensive than democratic extrav-
agance, what then? Why, simply, that
the cost OF the government during the
past fifteen years would have been only
81 ,OS4 1856 800, and that $3.50, $50. 924
more OF the principal OF the debt might
have been paid. The democratic con-
gress, against every effort of every de-
partmcnt but that OF the navy since Sec
rotary Thompson entered it, has reduced
expenditures some thirty-nine millions
per annum. If this sum only had been
saved for the eleven years before they |
came into partial power, S429, 900, 900
mi ght have been paid OF the principa! oil
the debt which has not been paid. The
truth is that any claim OH the paIt OF the
republican party to economical manage
ment of the %iinancesof the country is bas-
ed on false premises, 1t has been u ter
ribly expensive party. 1t permitted The
public debt to be swclled to almost
double what it should have been, b.
monstrous %rascality. 1t so mismanaged
the currency that lat n time it took
81 50 Of it to buy 4 dollar in gold. Ii
fraudulently demonetized and debasGd
silver. 1t always consulted the interest
of the bondholders' syndicates before the
of the people. 1t enriched the
rich by lavish %lavors, and impoverished
the poor by enormous taxes. 1t used both
the collecting and paying ont OF the rev
enue 10 perpetuate itself in power. 1t
screened, and is, to-day, screening cor
rupticn in the treasury department, an
exposure OF which would startle the
peop'e. 1t is Il bold, reckless.
revolutionary party. led by hrainy, un-
%ScrupuluuS men, who do not intend to
re. inquish power, il any human means.
fair or foul. will retain it Tor them. Mr.. |
is Il tool in their hands, which they
will cast aside in the future as they have |
in the past when they have used
him. and his ~specious pleas in delusive
figuring will not save him. There is
only n party OF economy only one
party OF the people in this country, and
it is the democratic party. Eliminate
pol tics the bloody shirt, and three
of the people will say so at the
polls.