Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-08-05
COSTOF GOVERNMENT
National Finances of 1866 and 1901
Compared.
STATISTICS FOR FORfY-FIVE YEARS
Two Periods When There Was a
Deficit and a War.
COUNTRY'S GROWTH SHOWN

COUNTRY'S GROWTH SHOWN
No more striking illustration of the Won
derful development of the United States
could be furnished than that which is en-
braced in a statement issued today by DR..
c. H Miller, acting chief of the division Of
bookkeeping and warrants of the Treasury
Department. Information is given which
shows the receipts and expenditures of the
government for every year since 1856. A
recapitulation of the figures for each year
since then pictures a gradual increase in
both receipts and expenditures and Illus
trates each step which has been taken by
the nation in the matter of it's development
from time to time, and the enlargement of
expenses due to the expansion of the var
ious units of the government comprising
the whole.
In the Year 1856.
In the year 1856 for instance the total
receipts of the government amounted to
only SI4056, $50. "a The Treasury Depart
ment at that date was very young. and its
channels for the collection of revenue We're
limited. Thus, for instance there were no
general internal revenue collections in that
year, so that all the revenues derived were
from customs, sale of public lands, and
miscellaneous sources. The customs. col
lections dominated with an aggregate of
$64, 022, 49,. 80. The sale of public lands
Melted SS,917 ,G4493, while the miscellaneous
receipts amounted to S1,1161 9O.s1. During
that year the expenditures amounted to
S69,511 ,o23.19, leaving an excess of receipts
over expenditures of 81, 49, 613. 40. During
the year of 1856 there were many depart
ments of the government to furnish ex-
pense accounts against the collected fund.
The War Department for instance, re-
quired the sum of $16,94S, 1869; the Navy
Department, Sf4 091 .06 and the Indians
81, I69, 429. %. The pension payments of the
country amounted to only 81 29S Dos. % A
glance over the figures for the entire forty
nve years elicits some interesting figures
regarding the subject of deficits of the gov
eminent from time to time The first
deficit recorded in the statement occurred
in the year 1858 when the receipts fell
S2I.J29,904.A3 below the total of expendi-
lures
Period of the Civil War.
For seven years thereafter the govern
ment experienced similar deficits, the civil
war, which occurred within a short time
following, making the expenditures of the
government completely overshadow the re-
ceipts. During the years enumerated the
following deficits are recorded: 1859, S15,-
5s4 10; 1860, 81, O65, 99o56 1861 s25. o36,-
1850; 1862, s4o2, ia. 1863 4s; 1863, $500. o43,-
43+22 1864, sG0o,695, s7037; 1860, 1868, S4o,-
619. So
The immense strain upon the treasury
during the civil war periods is thus shown
illustrating the great amount of expendi-
lures during those years The receipts for
the same years were largely increased, but
the expenditures We're such that, notwith-
standing the adoption of stringent war
measures to offset the great expense, there
was an excess of the latter over the in
come of the government. The receipts and
expenditures for the years mentioned Were
1888, receipts SOB, 4s6, 465.64, expenditures
S69Oio,9l6.l "A: 1860, receipts sos 064 GOT 49,
expenditures 500, $50, sos. 80; 1861 receipts
S413O9,93o. 30, expenditures S6G, 546 Oh So
1SG2, receipts sol ,9S7, 445 AZ, expenditures
Si14, i6l ,S1S9l; 1863. receipts S112697 300. 90
expenditures SILL, 740, I2511; 1864, receipts
S264, 80, expenditures $S65,322 G41 OF: :
1865, receipts $33, III, 6o5.oS, expenditures
81, 291 ,555. 22i II.
1t will be noted that in 1865 Just about
the close of the war, the expenditures
amounted to over a billion dollars and the
receipts were correspondingly nigh The
expenditures during that year, by the way,
were the largest in the history of the gov
eminent while the total receipts for the
year were below all other totals of the
succeeding years with one or two tXcep-
tons
Following the era of deficits the govern
ment after the year 1860 skipped every year
up to 1894 without having total expense
account In excess of the net revenues. In
1000 lHeTe was surplus OF revenue in
the treasury of over s31, 100000
Another Era of Deficits.
In 1894, however, the deficits began to re-
appear and continued for six years They
started during the financial sirlngency OF
the early nineties and continued up II and
during the Spanish war The enactment of
the war revenue act relieved the einbarrass-
ment however, SO that during the year
ant
UNI and managed to get a surplus of re-
ceipts over expenditures in its coh srs. The
figures for these years are as follows:
1884, receipts, 297. 10 ,019. %; expenditures.
1861 80, 30. 81; deficit, S63, 500, go 90 lo5.
receipts. $313,So0.0 15.1l: expenditures 1856.
195,2os,29; deficit. 42,So5. 223.lS. 1896 re-
ceipts, $326,9T6, 2003S: expenditures 49,
179,446.0S; deficit, SO, 203, 245. 20. 1897 re-
ceipts, Sir. 721, 1916; expenditures, s365, 174-
1881; deficit, s1S052, 454.41. 1898, receipts,
s405, 321 1880; expenditures, s443 a6S, $50 81;
deficit. S3S,041 .2I1. go. 1899. receipts, $5l5-
96o.62o.1S; expenditures s605,072 1885, de-
felt, $50, ,.o3.67. During the next year
the receipts were 1867 ,2i0, S51 80 and the ex-
penditures, s4S7, 3,79l.71, leaving a bal.
ance in favor of receipts of $40, 527 ut0lS.
Expense of Military Establishment.
The expenditures of the war and navy
departments during the two periods cover
ed by the deficits are interesting to note,
1ndSmucn as those TWO executive branches
of the government demanded the most
money for defrayins expenditures. In 1865,
for instance, the business of the War De-
partment cost 81, 031 1913 800. 70. while during
the other years of the civil war the ex-
pense in that direction was but trife
smaller. During the same year the ex-
penses of the navy amounted to So, 6i2.-
$40. 30
For the Spanish war and the Philippine
insurrection the figures are: 1898. War
Department, $91. 1872, OO0. %; navy, SOS, $685.
9S4. so; 1899. war; sos, S41 .254.47; navy, $685.
942, 1925; 1900, war. $134, ia, 767.7S; navy,
So, 953, OI7.72.
The total receipts during the civil war
were increased to a certain extent by the
establishment of a general internal revenue
collection system. This was inaugurated in
the year 1863, when it became necessary on
account of the vast expenditures of the
government at that time. During the first
year of such collections the sum of $751;
$40 1875 was covered into the treasury
from this source, while it increased year
after year.
Aside from the years mentioned the gov
eminent has always had a surplus Of re-
ceipts over expenditures. It was only dur
ing extraordinary periods embracing wars
fin oiol mi hat ho