Wild North America 1846

Washington White House

"Shet, you bloody bastard, tell me why you're doing this? Aren't we in enough trouble?

God, I curse you to hell, you stupid bastard... idiot... are you happy that the whole country is now in dire danger?
We lost the state of Tijuana because of your reckless behavior, and the United States is now unable to fight against the Tang Kingdom. The glory of the country and our precious persistence have been beaten by the Orientals. What can I do? ?

Tell you idiot, there is nothing I can do.

The war against the South is now at a critical stage, and any accident may lead to the loss of the huge sacrifices made in the past three years. We cannot afford to lose this war, let alone start a new war.

I can only pretend to be dumb, and the White House can only pretend to be dumb, and the US federal government will become the laughing stock of all Europeans.

This is all because of you, Damn Attorney General Richardson, please give me regards for you and all your loved ones, including your mother, send them all to hell...”

In the Oval Office, President James Buchanan yelled extremely angrily, and then heard a crisp "cracking" sound. It seemed that the president was smashing something.

Secretary of State Michael Hughes and White House Chief of Staff Huntingston glanced at each other in the corridor, and both smiled bitterly. They really didn't want to step into the Oval Office at this time.

The two of them are not cheap, just looking for the master who is being scolded.

But no way

The matter to be reported today must be signed by the President before it can be implemented, so the two of them knocked on the door bravely, and then went in without waiting for the President to speak.

Entering the Oval Office, it was a mess.

Shards of porcelain falling from the table and broken ornate lamps (kerosene lamps) were mixed with pieces of scattered documents. Even Mr. President's chair was smashed, leaving only three legs lying on the side miserably.

Attorney General Richardson stood aside with a dejected face, his face was ashen as dead, his eyes were bloodshot, and he looked terrible.

Hearing the sound of the door, President James Buchanan looked over with a livid face. Secretary of State Michael Hughes could only cough twice in embarrassment, and pretended to smooth things over and said; "Dear Mr. President, please forgive me for being inappropriate here. It’s time to disturb you, now is the most critical moment for the American Federation, we need your guidance.”

"Maybe it's a scapegoat? This country is going through a long cold night, and I can't see where the light is?" President James Buchanan seemed to be ten years older all of a sudden, and his gray hair didn't look like when he first took office He is high-spirited and full of ambitions.

President James Buchanan was born in a typical Irish immigrant family in Pennsylvania. He was the eldest son of 11 brothers and sisters, and he placed too many expectations on his parents.

He watched Secretary of State Michael Hughes and White House Chief of Staff Huntingston both hold a stack of documents in their hands, and subconsciously frowned, feeling a sense of resistance in his heart.

There is so much bad news that it has already made people numb.

President James Buchanan suppressed the boredom that was rolling in his heart, and his face became more relieved before he said; "Oh, it seems that you have brought work that requires my participation, tell me... what is it?"

"Mr. President, this is the just-drafted Emancipation Proclamation. I have carefully reviewed the document to ensure that there is no wrong spelling and it is exciting enough. I hope that the official announcement of this historic document can be a response to the current difficulties. to have a favorable effect on the situation, which requires your personal signature."

"Take it here." President James Buchanan showed a hint of self-mockery at the corner of his mouth, took the "Declaration for the Emancipation of Negro Slaves" and simply flipped through it, and said in a joking tone;

"I bet; if only I officially signed this damn document, 17000 white slaveholders in the South would be the eternal enemies of the Buchanan family, at least 1 people would pay $500 to kill me, and maybe a few more Big white slave owners who are no less than congressmen are willing to pay more money to send me to hell. To set these niggas free, I will become the most hated president in the history of the United States, doesn't it sound Very contradictory?"

"I don't want to deceive you, Mr. President. It is true. Although we all sympathize with the southern white slave owners, they did nothing wrong to defend their property?" Secretary of State Michael Hughes nodded with a heavy face, showing the northern upper class. Commonly true thoughts.

He paused and continued;

"But from the standpoint of the Commonwealth of America, we all have to do some things against our will, including allowing those lowly niggers to obtain a legal and free status.

The stubborn southerners resisted very resolutely, which cost us too many soldiers and supplies. The military mobilization used almost all social forces, and there were not many young white boys.

The normal production of the factory was severely hit, and the farmland was barren. The national finance had to borrow high-interest debts from the British and French powers who took advantage of the fire to maintain this war that could not see the light.

at this critical moment
Any little help is an extremely valuable bargaining chip. The "Declaration for the Emancipation of Black Slaves" in your hand can bring exactly what we need. It can disrupt the position of the southerners, and maybe even win some black slaves to join us.

As long as 400/1 of the 10 million black slaves in the South joins the army, we will have 40 more cannon fodder, and we will be [-]% more sure of winning the final victory.

This document, which harms the fundamental interests of southern white slave owners, can disrupt their positions and is of great benefit to the Federation.

Mr. President, we need it.

By signing this document, you will go down in the history books with the emancipation of 400 million slaves, a feat that ranks Mr. President among the greatest American presidents in history. "

"The price is that the Buchanan family is unanimously spurned by the southerners, and I may be shot in a street at any time, and fall down in a cold, smelly gutter to die a tragic death."

"Mr. President, everything has advantages and disadvantages."

"Well said, my Secretary of State, please find my quill, and the secretaries bring me a bottle of ink, and I will sign the damned document, even though I don't agree with it."

President James Buchanan shook his head. Although he was in the dizzy presidency, he really had no choice. The military and capitalists needed this document, including the party that chose him as the presidential candidate.

Compared with personal honor and disgrace, these forces are more afraid of losing the war, then it will be over.

At this time, Huntingston, White House chief of staff, stepped forward and gently placed a document next to the "Emancipation Proclamation" that President James Buchanan was about to sign.

President James Buchanan looked at this government-guaranteed high-interest loan contract, frowned into the word "Chuan", and asked sullenly; "Have you run out of money again?"

"Yes, Mr. President, Commander-in-Chief General Ambrose Everett Burnside is trying to recruit and train troops. Dollars are spent faster than an avalanche, and can only continue to the hateful French loan sharks. borrow money."

"What about the specific content?"

"Plan to borrow 1.25 million francs worth 5 million dollars for 7 years at an annual interest rate of 16.2%. It was originally talked about 15%, but after the loss of Tijuana, those treacherous French loan sharks insisted on raising the interest rate. It is the final condition negotiated."

"Damn British, damn French, damn Orientals, and damn Richardson (US Attorney General), I curse you all to hell..." President James Buchanan suddenly became furious again , cursed a few words endlessly, then stopped his mouth, pouted his mouth forward helplessly, and said: "Put it here, I will sign it when I find my quill pen, I am so tired every day ah!"

This can't be blamed on President James Buchanan's crazy complaints. He took over a mess.

When he took office as president, the huge war loan borrowed by the US-Tang War that ended in 1849 had not yet been repaid, and the government had been in deficit for eight consecutive years.

Before the outbreak of the Civil War, the southern states had owed the northern banks $3 million. When the war started, the banks would not return the owed payments, and hundreds of banks had to declare bankruptcy as if they were reincarnated.

If he really lost, the huge sum of money would be completely ruined, and it would be impossible to get it back.

The financial crisis that broke out in the United States in 1857 made the stock market weak. The outbreak of the Civil War exacerbated the financial crisis on Wall Street. The New York market plummeted one after another. .

A suicide frenzy was performed on the high-rises on Wall Street. The speculators who lost all their money queued up to the roof, and then jumped off without hesitation. It was like rain. The scene was truly spectacular.

It is said that at the most time, the New York City Council took away seven carriages full of dead bodies from Wall Street, all of whom were formerly rich.

In order to raise war funds, the federal government used various methods such as taxation, borrowing, and printing and issuing banknotes to raise funds, and almost exhausted all methods.

in the first year of the war

At the end of 1857, the federal government's financial debt had reached 9100 million US dollars, and the treasury was so empty that the mice would cry when they came, and they felt that survival was not easy.

As a last resort, Minister of the Treasury Chase begged his grandpa to sue his grandma. After exhausting both explicit and secret methods, he borrowed 5000 million U.S. dollars from Wall Street's financial predators as a reserve, and issued hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars in federal bonds with an interest rate as high as 8.3. %, which is equivalent to paying 100 cents of interest per day for every $2.2 bond issued.

As a result, the federal government's debt would have risen to $5.17 million a year later, unprecedented in the history of the national debt of the United States.

In the early days of the war, both the North and the South were in financial crisis. The South relied on borrowing from the Tang Kingdom to survive, and did not even think about how to repay it in the future.

Because I couldn't pay it back at all, I simply broke the jar.

In 1857, the Great Depression began in the United States, and the Washington government had experienced fiscal deficits for eight consecutive years, mainly relying on short-term loans to make up for it.

Short-term loans mainly come from usurers in Britain, France and other countries, and the interest rate is generally as high as 12% to 13%. With the brutal war entering its third year, the interest rate of short-term loans has also risen sharply, and some have reached 3%.

At the beginning of 1857, the national debt of the federal government was only $2780 million.

But after the war broke out, in just a few months, by the end of 1857, the national debt of the federal finance had soared to 6480 million US dollars, and the speed of expansion was desperate.

At the most difficult time, there was not enough money in the national treasury to even pay the salaries of members of Congress, so we had to owe it.

In 1857, the first year when the war broke out, the U.S. government’s annual expenditure was only 1 million US dollars at most, but in the third year of the war, that is, the first quarter of 7420, the government’s expenditure exceeded 3 million US dollars, which means that the annual expenditure There could be a staggering figure of over $1859 million, the vast majority of which is borrowed.

While the U.S. federal government (Northern) was frantically issuing national debt, it also borrowed a large amount of high-interest short-term foreign debt without food and clothing, and lived a life of debt.

The basic situation now is that the Tang Kingdom lends to the southern United States, and the usurers from Britain, France and other countries lend to the northern United States.

As the civil war became more and more cruel, and they fell into mutual torture like a seesaw, it became more and more difficult to borrow money, and the interest was getting higher and higher. The four-year principal and interest of compound interest would make a comeback, that is, borrowing 4 million francs One billion francs will be repaid with interest.

The longer the time, the higher the total amount of principal and interest.

Why are loan sharks in Britain, France and other countries willing to lend money to the northern government of the United States?

Loan sharks are not stupid. It is clear at a glance whether the strength of the North and the South is strong or weak. Even if the northern government loses the war, the foundation of the regime will still not be threatened.

Therefore, there is basically no need to worry about not being able to recover the high-interest loans lent to the US federal government (Northern).

At most, it will take a little longer. The U.S. federal government has a good reputation in this regard, and its economic strength is stronger. Compared with the southern rebel government, the risk of borrowing is naturally smaller. Of course, this kind of cost-effective business must be done.

In particular, the French loan sharks benefited from the last US-Tang war, and the US Federation did not push back on its repayment obligations after the war, and its reputation was quite good.

Therefore, the French are highly motivated to lend to the US Federal Government (Northern), basically accounting for more than 8% of foreign loans, with a total of 11.2 billion francs, or about 2.8 million US dollars.

Excluding the current high-interest loan, the interest rate on foreign loans in the past was between 9.5% and 13.6%, which is generally lower than the interest rate borrowed by the southern government.

This shows that international loan sharks are optimistic that the US federal government (North) will eventually win this brotherly war against the wall.

At worst, the U.S. federal government will not collapse.

Because of the double superposition of the bad domestic economic situation and the impact of the disastrous war, the price inflation in the northern United States was astonishing, the purchasing power of the dollar dropped sharply, and the economic situation was very grim.

In 1857, the inflation rate in the northern part of the United States reached 700%, and the government had to announce the abandonment of the dollar-equivalent gold policy, which in turn led to a crazy depreciation of the dollar like a cliff.

By May 1859, the inflation rate had reached an astonishing 5%. The dollar banknotes issued by the Northern Federal Government were now like waste paper, and the ultimate victims were still the people and capitalists in the North who bought national debt.

It can be said that the economy of both the North and the South of the United States is a mess, but the war has to be fought with gritted teeth!