The Sunday herald., 1886-09-05

ACCORDING to the Treasury statement the public
debt, less cash in the Treasury was. in round num-
bers, 900 the LIST OF September Twenty
one years ago 1t was, In round numbers, 900
600. so We have paid about 81 800, 900 of the
debt, or more than onehalf This has been wrung
from the people by vicious system of taxation al
an additional cost In ruined enterprises far beyond
even this great total. The bondholders inaugurated
the policy OF rapid payment. Even they now wish
| 10 stop 1t. But the people who pay the taxes de-
mand that shall cease They insist that the sur.
plus, beyond the requirements Of the sinking fund.-
shall be expended upon works OF general interes,
and necessity.
Among these works are those at the National
Capital The building for the State, War, and Nayy
Departments has been delayed for years from in
suficlent appropriations: when finished II will no,
accommodate all the business Of those Departments
The Treasury Department Is renting quarters fol
Its bureaus. The Interior Department ia occupying
building paid for by the inventive genius OF the
country, and compelled 10 rent quarters besides fol
several of Its branches. The General Post once 1.
cramped for space, and has large rent roll besides
There Is no City Post Ofce building. The Treasury
Department has to rent outside buildings. The Ex
ecutve Mansion is too contracted, besides being In
condition unnt FOR occupation. The Capitol itself IL
In an unfinished state, and the work of improving n
crawls along at snaIl's pace because of insufficient
| appropriations. And all this time we have beer
paying of a debt that nobody-the bondholder leas
OF all-wants paid OF at more rapid rate than tn,
| contract calls for.
| What is true Of the public works In this city II
| true, to less extent however, In the country at
| large Take, for example, the river and harbor i'm
provements What excuse can be given for tn,
scaling system applied to themc Instead Of appro
pralng such amounts as can be economically use,
to complete such improvements within brief period
therule Is to make relatively small annual appro
priations for the various improvements. Thus th
Potomac Flats, upon which million dollars Do
annum could have been expended with great savlnI
In the end only gets $780, 900. And the samo is tru
OF other public works. The Navy gets but suflcien
TO make few experimental ships, and for fortify
Ing our seaboard nothing is appropriated. Ant
yet In twenty-five years we have been rich enough
to spend fifteen hundred millions OF dollars In pay
ment OF the principal Of the public debt and twt
| thousand millions for interest thereoni
1t Is time to stop this ruinous policy. The gene
ration that sustained the drain of the war ha
already paid more than its share Of the war debt
II has been bed enough. And having expended
since 1865 some 900 100000 It finds itself to-Ia,
without Navy, with its commercial capitals at The
mercy OF petty States, and with insufficient accom-
modations even at Its Capital for the conven!en
transaction OF the public business. There Is but ON
remedy for this state OF ,hlngs. Stop excessly,
payments OF the debt, and spend the surplu, for the
general welfare