Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-09-10
TOO SCIENTIFIC.
Reports to the People That Do
Not Inform.
FACTS ABOUT DEBT STATEMENTS.

A System of Stating the Situation That
IL just Exactly the Way How Not to
Do It-when the National Debt Is Re-
ported Increased 1t Is Generally the
Other Way. and Vice versa-secretary
Window Explains.
WASHINGTON CITY, Sept 10.-Secretary
Window yesterday, in an interview with a
representative Of the United Press, made the
following statement in reply to certain news
paper statements that during the months of
July and August Of this year the public debt
had been increased over s7,0O0,0oo while
during the same months in 1883 the debt had
been decreased over 81 100000.
Figures That Prevaricate.
Those statements" the secretary said,
convey an entirely erroneous impression.
The fact is, as shown by the books of the
treasury, that on the 3Oth of June 1889, the
total amount Of the public debt, including
bonds of all kinds, was $500, SSs, 9s7, ::and on
the 3lst day of August it was only $685.
AS, SO7, showing reduction of $40, $40, $50
during those two months. The reduction
during the same months of last year was
only about one-third of that amount, viz
Ss,oois~tO uc Oh tOe annual
terest charge on the public debt during the
months of July ami August, 1888, was only
sol ,3Ol. 10, while the reduction of the an
pual interest charge during the same months
this year was $SI5, 6S5, being a little more
than three times as great a reduction as
that of last year. In fact the reduction of
annual interest on the public debt during
the last two m pnths has been equalled by
only few periods IN the country's history,
notably in President Garfield's administra-
trstion, during the first six months of which
the annual interest charge was reduced $l5,-
347 So.
Why Not Eliminate the Popularity?
"The erroneous newspaper conclusion
above referred to arose doubtless from the
peculiar firm of the monthly statement of
the public debt issued by this department., in
winch the mount of the debt is give less
cash in the treasury. By this form any in
crease of the cash In the treasury sho VS.
apparent decrease of the debt; and disburse :
menis, for any purpose other than the pur-
chase Of bonds at par value, show an APP
parent increase of the public debt equal to
the amount of such disbursements For in
stance, If the public debt were stated to-day
at 500 0OO, 600 less cash in the treasury and
tomorrow SlG, 900, 00J should be paid out on
warrants drawn by the other departments,
the amount of the Iuh.ic debt, les cash in
the tr, asury,' would he stated to morrow las
Stunning no receipts) at $50 0OO, 200, notwith-
standing the fact that the entire SIC, 000, 900
50 drawn out may still be in the hands of the
bonded dsbursing officers of the other de-
partments, aud to all Intents and purposes as
much of the government as if 1t were in the
vaults of the.treasury.
"The facts during the last two months ex-
actly correspond to this supposed case, and
though the actual reduction of the debt was
SO, gl0, $50, the debt statement showed an
apparent increase of 81 9O4 COS
Everything Goes" in the "Form.-
"The largely increased purchases Of bonds
for the sinking fund during the last two
months, over the corresponding months of
last year, show an increase in the premium
paid of g., 515, 92d ~ All these things figure
in the last debt statement as an increase in
the public debt, while in reality they have
nothing to do with it l can readily see how
an honest misapprshension may arise from
the form of the monthly statement, and
therefore have taken the trouble to make
this explanation Similar apparent addi-
tons to the public debt are quite common.
For instance, in March, 1855, the apparent
increase was SS9, 256; in November, 1885,
81, So, 900; in November, 1887, 81, 490, 00U; in
November, 1855, Sll, 1879, sl7; and in Febru-
ary 1889 SO 443 SlI