The Portland daily press., 1882-07-25
[Lewiston Journal
National Expenditures.

NdUlOucl EAp0uOlG liISS'
six dollars of taxation for every dollar of debt
paidi Here the exact official figures: Reduction
Of interest bearing debt 10 seventeen years. S937,
719, 1914; net ordinary receipts into the treasury
during the same seventeen years, 50, 967 681 ,39l-
is the taxation this the sacrifice which the Ameri-
people have made to pay off one billion of their
debt.-ArgnS.
We submit to the Argus that such a state
ment as the abovei is not the whole truth,
and must necessarily mislead those of its read
eers who are not familiar with facts which the
Argus conveniently omits to state.
While it is true that only 1887, 719, 1914 of the
interest bearing debt, or $1,070,76 900 of the
debt of s., 756, 431 ,571 as ascertained and adj
justed on the 31st of August 1865, has been
paid since that time; yet the Argus can but
know that more than double that sum, exclu-
sive of interest, has during the past seventeen
years been paid for expenses and liabilities
growing out of the war, in addition to the
thousand millions paid for reduction of the
funded debt of 1865. In round numbers So
800 GOO 600 has been paid since 1865 to liquidate
expenses and liabilities arising from the war,
and over 81 100 000 900 for interest on the same,
total payment of over $780, 200, 900 on ac-
count of the war during the past seventeen
years, or $300000,000 per annum on the aver
age; while the revenue from all sources, in
Guiding public lands and miscellaneous items
have been during the same period $6,74S, 540,-
3d. or about $40O, 900 per annum on the av-
erage-leaving about 81, 74S, SAC, 814, or an av-
erage of 800, 000,0 900 per annum for ordinary
expenses. In other words of every four dollars
of the revenue of the nation, three dollars
g
the Shareholders rebellion-a rebellion in
which no Republican participated.
The Argus well knows that the war to save
the nation has cost over Sc, 900 000 000 in addi-
ton to about 81 100000 of interest paid up
to date IL the Argus is not familiar with the
figures, we refer it to the official report of the
Secretary of the Treasury made to the Senate,
June 10th, 1880. More than $5,000,000,000 of
this cost remained unpaid August 3ist, 1866,
when the adjusted or funded debt of the ma
ton was found to be S2,756, 431, 571. Since that
time about So, 800, 900 of liabilities on ac-
count of the war, not then ascertained, or not
then preferred or accrued, have been adjusted
and paid, in addition to 81 ,070, 767 900 of the
funded debt, of which some of the items are in
round numbers as follows
Pensions and Expenses of Settling
the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. $3.50, 600 600
Back Pay and Bounties. ............. 105,O0OoOO
Refunding to States, War Expenses. 42,000,000
Support National Homes for Soldiers 100000
lief .......................... 100000
National Cemeteries. .,....:......... 100000
Claims of Loyal Men in the South
for Supplies Furnished. ........... 5000, 900
Payment for Property Lost in War. 4,5eO,0O0
Bounties to Seamen ................ 100000
Expenses under Reconstruction. -. 100000
Cost of Collecting War Revenue. 125,000,00e
Extra Cost of Settling Accounts and
Disbursing War Revenue. 100000
Support of Bureau Of Refugees and
Providing for Sick soldiers -. 49,. 100000
Artificial Limbs for Soldiers. ....... 100000
Reconstruction and Armament of
Southern. Forts. Observation-Disclosures. 100000
The distribution of the revenue from taxa
tion will he seen more clearly by taking the
expenditures of the fiscal year, which closed
June Both, 1882, as follows
ordinary Fynenditnres e192 $40 ono
interest on War Debt ,,..,..,,,... 7l'256OO0
Principal of War Debt. ............. 151,6S4351
Pensions .......... ................. 65,000,000
--------------------
Total Expenditures ........ $4lO,570,35l
In other words, of the revenue of the govern
ment the past year, only $122,630,000 went to
pay ordinary peace expenditures, (and even
$700O0O0 Of this are properly chargeable to
the war; and 1921, SAC, 351 to pay expenditures
necessitated in crushing secession.
Moreover, the expenditures for ordinary pur-
poses were no more per capita the past year,
than they were in the last year of Buchanan's
administration. In 1859 tho expenses were
about 1925 per inhabitant; the past year four
populationibeing about 54,000,000) they were
about the same In other words, notwithstand-
ing government is attending to many public
interests, which, in 1859, it paid no attention
to-such as forecasting the weather, guarding
against the spread OF contagious diseases, look
ing after educational interests, distributing
new varieties of seeds to farmers taking meas
ures to prevent the spread OF cattle diseases,
etc., etc. yet the expenditures OF the nation
al government outside OF charges put on the
nation by war, are no larger, in proportion to