So the IRS paid the debt of a few (the interest to those that invested in war bonds) with the money they "gathered' from all. That's just like today. 1872 had to be a great year. 1913....not so much. 2011......worse yet. This form of government or more accurately, this form of funding a government won't stand much longer. There are already more debits than credits. I'm no accountant but I'm pretty good at math. "The War" changed this country forever. Not just the regional divide but the business of government. And wasn't that the reason it started? Or at least one of them.
Keith