The National tribune., 1885-10-01
$1,000, ,2H, ,9l3 IS ...... 1857, ,553, 800 n
Total, War and Nayy.........s3,a5 ,a51 1795, ,2I2 90

Total, War and Navy s., ,357, ,795, ,2I2 %
This represents only part of the enor-
nous sums drawn from the willing people to
defray The cost of maintaining the National
life. Ii represents only part Of the actual
money cost of the war.
We, as people, have the proud satisfac-
tion OF saying that every man who hazarded
his money upon the existence of the Gov
eminent and its good faith, has been paid TO
the uttermost farthing. Whoever in its
hour of trial advanced it dollar has been
reimbursed in full Whoever gave it credit
for ton of iron for cannon, or of food for
of ship-timber or drove of mules; every
man who discounted its paper, who boughta
tions to pay at some future time, hasreceived
his principal and interest to the last cent
allowed by liberal construction of his &C
count. Where dollars worth but 50 cents
were loaned the Government, dollars worth
100 cents were paid III settlement. Where
deprecated paper was loaned, standard gold
was repaid. Every letter and iota of the Gov
ernment's promises to its creditors has been
complied with with scrupulous exactness.
Asa a result OF this honorable policy more than
50, 7O0000,000 has been paid in interest TO
the money creditors of the Government.
Now, how have they been treated who
gave vastly more than mere money to the
saving of the National life? Have they who
gave years of arduous, dangerous service,
the best efforts of their youthful strength,
their health, and frequently their lives, been
dealt with with the honor that has charac-
terized the Nations dealings with the hold
ers Of its certificates and bonds? Let Us see:
AS the Government of the United States
had more money placed at its command than
was ever before given a ruler who was carry
ing on a war, so it also had more men placed
at its service. From the 18th Of April, 1861,
until recruiting was discontinued in May,
1865, total of 2S59,130 men responded to
the calls of the President. Reduced TO an
average OF three years, this makes an aggre-
gate Of 2,320,272 men. As the population
from which this enormous force was drawn
was not much in excess Of 20 millions, this
makes a levy which European writers freely
admit far surpasses anything ever accom-
plished by any Nation in the world.
Every one Of these men made great sacri-
fees to enter the service Of their country.
They were school boys who interrupted their
education for business Or professional life !;
they were young men who were learning
trades or businesses or professions which
were TO give them position in society and
livelihood; they were farmers who had be-
gun the task Of making homesteads. They
all renounced their cherished lifework, and
set about learning an entirely different voca-
ton, to follow which they exchanged the
comforts and safety Of home for the priva-
tions and terrible dangers Of soldiers life
in tiIne Of war. II we put it On the scale of
the difference Of wages alone, we shall find
that the young men who fought the war
through sacrificed almost ttc0 billion dollars,
or nearly as much as the assessed value of
all the real estate in the great States of Ohio
and Pennsylvania, and more than three times
as much as The totaI amount Of the PENSIONS Pajd
those disabled by the srar.
How bravely they fought and how fright
fully they suffered, too. OF the 2,320,272
who enlisted
6I 362 were killed in battle.
3s,773 died OF wounds.
IS3 2S9 died of disease.
6749 were missing in battle and probably killed
22l 306 were broken down and discharged for dis
ability.
COCO died in prison, mazing-
570i i79 in all, killed or disabled.
This is a percentage of loss which would
make European army stand aghast.
After such a showing as this every one
would say at once that the immense bull, of
the expenditures Of the Government since
the war and On account of that struggle
must certainly have been TO the vast army
Of men who gave so much to their country