Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1880-08-05
The Cost of the War.

war, ana the enormous public debt and
| the increased cost OF Government result.
1 ing from the war, were due to the Re
! publicsns, who refused to agree to the
! demands of the South in 1860 This
charge was promptly met by Mr.. Garfield
! al the moment of its utterance, and his
response cannot be too often reproduced,
nor its truth too often impressed upon
| the country, a large portion of the present
| population having reached the age of
manhood, OF reading and of voting since
that war WAS begun and carried on
| Here is what Mr.. Garfield said 20 Niblacg
and to the Democratic party generally
| desire To ask that gentleman and his party
| one question. suppose that IN the year 1881
every Democrat north OF the Potomac aud the
Ohio had followed the lead OF Grant, OF sherman,
| OF Douglas, and Dix and Dickinson, and Brough
ana Tod, and other great lights OF tho Demo
cratic party, had thrown away the Democratic
name; said that they would be Democrats no
longer, as we said we would be Republicans no
| longer, but all would he union men and stand
together around the flag until the rebellion had
been put under our feet. desire 10 ask the gen
! tlemsn, II these things had happened. how long
! the war would have lasted, and how much the
war would have cost. do not hesitate to say that
! 1t could not have lasted six months and the ex-
| penditures OF the war would never have exceeded
! Sl00,0oo,00). say, as matter of current his
tory, that 1t wa the great hope OF the rebels of
! the South that the ASSISTANCE o. the Democratic
overcome all our efforts; that at the ballot box
the Democrats at home would help the cause
| which they wsre maintaining In the deld 1t was
| that and that alone, which protracted the war
| and created our immease debt, come there
! fore, to the door of your party, gentlemen the
other side, aud lay down AT your threshold
| every dollar OF the debt, every item OF the stu.
| pendous total which expresses the great coat OF
| the war and say II you had followed Douglas,
there would have been no debt no blood, no
burden.
In answer t. a request from the Senate.
the Treasury Department has prepared
and has recently published a statement
! giving detailed account ct the expendi.
lures by the Government on account or
growing out of the War and resulting
therefrom. The tables OF expenditures
are divided under three heads the footipgs
of which are as follows:
/. Expenditures growing gu. of the War, IS, 1885,
| 800 90s.
! , Expenditures other than for the War $B6i.
64i,523
8. Gross expenditures TO June, 1880, $bs4i,57l,
! 43l.
The pay of the army amounted to
81 ,150,0 900, 900; the subsistence, Quarter.
masters Department, transportation, and
clothing amounted to 81 400, 000 900; paid
for horses, barracks, quarters, etc, $t56.-
100000; bountles, Sl3l, G0 900; arms,
$40 600 900; medical department, about
$4S,000O00; army pensions, S407 ,429 1872,
which expenditure continues at the rate
of S34,o00000 u year; these are but few
of the great expenses; there has also been
paid out 81 ,761 900, 600 for interest in all
the forms of public debt.
the actual money cost OF the War to
date is S6,lS9,929 90S.
The loss OF lie during the War, and not
including those who have died since of
M fpi IN bp
vice, WAS computed to Ia 275 900 Union
men and 100000 Confedersles, or over
half-million OF able. bodied men.
The war has left a debt with pensions
and interest. which will be q charge upon
the country for half a century.
The cost OF the social and political de-
moralization resulting from the war can
only be family estimated; it, too, remains
rs legacy of the moral and political
madness OF the Democratic party in fore
ing that war upon the country.
Gen. Garfield with great force pointed
out the responsibility Of the Democrats
of the Northern States for this enormous
expenditure of treasure and Of life. In
the first place, the South demanded that
slavery should be carried into territory
then free. 1t rejected with scorn Doug
las doctrine that the people occupy ing
the Territories should be free TO determine
tor themselves whether they would have
slavery or not; they demanded the right
against the dec nred wish OF the people
of the Territories, to carry their slave
property and hold 1t legally in all the
Territories This was the question on
which the Charleston Convention broke
into fragments, aud which was used as
the pretext tor the second demand, which
was the right of States, separately or
otherwise, to secede from thc Union. The
Republicans refused to accept either
OF these propositions, and the South
declared war. In making these demands
the South was sustained by large part
of the Democracy Of the North, and it
was the confident assurance by this wing
OF the Democratic party, including the
Democratic President and his chief ad
wiser, Jere Black, that the South would
find one.hslf the North to sustain it In
resisting any attempt "to coerce Sovereign
States" that encouraged and invited secea-
sion. and the subsequent war with all It's
cost and consequences. When war WAS
begun, what WAS the action of the North.
ern Democratic partyf The entire politl-
cal machinery of the party was used to
cripple the Government. Had the North
ern Democratic party been e. dn'ied IN
, support OF the War for the Union AS the
South was united to destroy the Union,
the South would have been overwhelmed
within six months. But the Democratic
party as party never rose above the mere
: partisan. 1t would not run the war Itself
and it did what it could TO prevent the
, Republicans doing 30. 1t encouraged the
, South its open hostility TO the offensive"