The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-07-31
PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST.

To THE EDITOR: In your very clever article
headed 9 Which Is the More Sacred?h published
in your issue of July 3, you say Where the men
who crushed the rebellion have received 81 the
men who grew rich their contracts have re-
ceived S550" Please tell me- is this $3.50 in inter-
est on the money loaned, or Is there part of the
debt included? / have few thoughts on this sub
ject that will send you when understand the
subject sufficiently to write definitely upon it,
GEO. S. B1cWATTERs, 221 East 18th street, New
York.
We are sincerely glad that our comrade has
few thoughts on this subject" 1t is some-
thing that we want not only comrades, but
every man and woman in the Nation to think
on strongly and earnestly until they arrive at
a full comprehension of the subject, and of the
decency and righteousness of treating the men
whose sacrifice of life and health saved the
Nation, as honestly and honorably as they
were treated who only gave money to the great
cause. We will give Comrade McWatters the
exact figures bearing on the matter, taken from
the Secretary of the Treasury's report for 1888.
The report for 1884 would make still stronger
showing, but it is not yet published. The war
Indebtedness reached its maximum in the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1866, when it was
| 50, 773, 236, 1859 The report for last year
indicated that it had been reduced to
81, 1854, III, 72so7. Let us put these two
amounts together:
Debt in S2,775 236,i o.
Debt in 1851, Hits W
Amount paid off,. .........,. $3.50 064 445 G.
To this might properly be added
the cash in the Treasury for pay
ment on the S345 s9 902 g
Making total 81. 28s 4543f8 81
We should next add to this sum 81, IT'S
1882, which is the aggregate amount of the
interest paid on the public debt from June 30,
1862, to June 80, 1884. The figures will then
stand:
Total amount Of debt paid.,..... $3.50 o64, 445 50
Cash on hand, i5SS9,gi2 g
Total interest paid. 21l7 s5l3o %
s3,S52,259,4Ss 0G
This enormous sum does not yet represent
the entire truth, for there were hundreds o.
millions paid during the war on the debt and
to those who contributed money and material
to the war, which do not appear in these sta
tistics If they ssnld be separated and placed
where they belong they would swell the grand
total up to nearly $4,000 900, 900!
l.24 ssf tEn
money paid those who gave life and health in
stead Of money to put down the rebellion We
find the total amount of pensions paid since
june 30, 1861, foots up but s6f3, 048, 068 80, OF
less than sirth The total payments to capitalist.
and bondkolders.
These are the facts, which any one can verify
by going over the Secretary of the Treasury's
annual report.
As we have repeatedly said, it was just and
right that the men who gave their money to
the Government in its time of need should be
repaid to the utmost farthing, and that the larg-
est nberality should be exercised in the con-
sideration and satisfaction of their claims
What we want and strive for is a similar
spirit ofliberafity in considering and discharg-
ing the Governments obligations to those who
placed at its service that compared with which
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