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Cost Of Military Preparations

Cost Of Military Preparations image
Parent Issue
Day
5
Month
June
Year
1843
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Uut few persons ure avvare of tho immense tax imposed upon the nation by our military ' establishments and our preparations for war ' uhüe in profound peace with all the world. At the late session of Congress, the following appropriations were made for eighteen months, ending June 29, 1844, viz: For the military establishment, 4,733,130 00 For fortificationg, " 808,500 00 For the naval establishment. 9,136,734 00 Making a total of 14,678,414 00 Here is the enormous sum of four teen and a half millions, or near a million per month for keeping up vvarlike establishments. But if to this we add other sums appropriated at tlie same time for objects growing out of the war system, the amount will be considerably enhanced; viz: Pensions, revolutionary &tc. 1,117,490,00 Do naval, 46,000 00 Pnyment of Georgia militie, 50,000 00 Total, 1,213,490 001 nis added to the above, makcs nearly sixtoen millions of dollars; to pay which, would reqmre thirty-two millions of bushels of wheat at fifty cents, lts present price in this market; or right hundred millions of pounds of pork at two cents per pound, the present rale in our western country! This amount is so large that we cannot readily comprehend it, but it wonld be equal to three millions two hundred thousand hogs, each weighing S50 pounds. - To raise all this amounl of agricultural produce would require a large amount of toil, and if our farmers generally knew how uselessly and unprofitably this money thus wrung from them is expended, they would inquire pretty closely into the necessity of such enormous "appropriations" for these purposes. The whole amount of all the appropriations made for all governmental purposes for the same time, was twenty four miliions; so that two thirds of all our national taxation in time of peace, is for war and lts concoiuitaius. All these vast sums too, being paid by indirect toxaiion, cost the people in fact, one half more than the nominal revenue of the country. Government can nol nfford to pay money for rendering our western rivers navigable, or building harbors on our lakes, except in tlio most stinted and insufiïcient fums; but for the support of the war eystem, itis ready to tax the people nea'ly a rr.illion of dollars per

Article

Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News