Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1828-07-15

~ ~ OepGriael,t. nci,sdthg cols.iageacses 81 IA
dian Department.
nc minority OF the Committee ne xt ask The at
teniion OF the House 10 the Department of " ar
within thc wide limits OF this Department. il in
Guided nearly one-haif of the entire expenditure
oil the Governmen,. with the exception of the ma
ioi"i dent IL will be rccollected however, that,
under this head, cOinprehendel various items
., expenditure such as iori!icatioas, pensions, In
DIAN affairs, and internal improycmc nt not strictly
connected with the cost OF the army
!, The magnitude OF the expenditure necessarily
provided Tor, under the head of this Department
together with the jealousy naturally iel, in free
counties, on the subject oil the maintenance of n
military force in time of neace has ever ma,. an
economy OF disbursement in this branch Gy orite
"DJect Win patriotic statesmen. On the accession
oi MI Monroe TO the Presidency, more efficient
organization, ana more energetic administration
were introduced into the Army, by the late Score
ta'y oil War. Three years afterwards a reduction
zoos place OF the Army itself, to three ittns of lis
oricr size, by an act of Congress passed fos th,t
o'Jec'. corresponding dimiDuti0n of expendi-
tuFc' oil course, resulted from this reduction; and
nom That time to the present the tendency of tho
! cePSf'hieht nus been 10 retreuchnent of eX-
penSe; an, IN the items and branches dependent
On me administration of the Department., a dimi-
h"uoA OF expenditure has been effected under its
present head.
On The organization OF the Committee of Re-
uehch,nent, copy Of the circular letter already
| siuueI 10, was sent TO the Department of War.
/ Department re-
SeiFed ia reply the minority of the committee he.-
| leave TO make the following extract To mani,
ies To me satisfaction Of the Committee this eco
''o'nicd tendency, have caused 4 syncp,i, TO b,.
p.eparea ot The disbursements FOR the last years
NV ideh INTO periods: the first embracing from isIo
10 io=l, both inclusive; the second from Is22 10
1871; and The u'iri, from 1926 TO 1927 Byreier
rag 20 me heats subject the discretion of the
department. 1t viii be seen that the amount of dis
burSements has been lesscned The item in the
| tyNdttermaSter's To-,
was ,0iJ, (ointng parts of ,ollar); in the
| '''' $oJ1,93j; and, altbo' the greater number Of
HoopS' III the first period. must be taken into the
| account yet, alter making the proper allowance
oI uliS circumstance, still the relative saving must
u obvious SO, also, with the contin. encie of the
army In the lrst period, this iter, of expense A.
, mounted to Sl60, i0C in the latter. TO 500 ssI.
ana comparing the hrSt year, 1870 in the first Sc
res, WIN the last year in The last series 1897
IL wan be found, in the former case that il amount
ca 10 oz,ooo live hundred * sixty three dollars and
III The Latter to Sl0922. So also with the contin-
sencies OF the Indian Department In the second
ouiSoS'oFe winch the contingencies blend
Gu WIN tle pay OF agents, &c.) they amounted to
T'io'S99; IN the last, 10 1922 500; shelving saw
iig Ill mat branch OF expenditure Of 1923 80 in q;
years. "
u WIZ be observed, that the foregoing summary
Sd'e'hent was accompanied, a. il observed by the
secretary, with tables showing the amount Of ex
pehai'ure OF three periods of three wears each IL
coaii not, therefore, have been the object of the
1eoietdfy 10 suppress the second period and bring.
uH"t oil MS own administration, into n cornparjson
WIN the iirSt period alone. Neither couId il have
oeeii MS design TO conceal the fact that a part of
'e reduction OF The expenditure was o,yin~ to the
rsoucuon OF The Army IRON 10000 men TO 6 600.
iOr ne expressly refers 10 this reduction and mn,
al owance for its eject. His object was IN iIIus
'd'e the position that the tendency of the Depart
lheni was 10 economy, IL, those branches 0f e,-
Peta'fuFe lctich are ,citii. The c0ntyo! of ne De-
pusfHeHf; and certainly no better method of dojn,.
a.. In
,'e last; showing, thereby, the extent TO which
tiie Feuenchment mad gone; but with no illiber,l
design OF intimaing tliat the reduction had NOT
meen progressive, ttro' the second period or that
'ie credit OF 1t was due exclusively 10 the present
| administration Of the Department
III indeed, ii can be made TO appear either that
! inc process OF retrenchlnent has been checked r
,'a' discretionary expenditure has unnecessarily,
f > e"ee"' under tie present Administration, then
Vi course 1t must forfeit al c,ai... 20 c credit cc
WISE iruSalIty OF The public money
me minority oil the Committee will ACCORDING
" EXAMINE tle facts, on which both these CHARGES
nav Dech ih'iinated against the present Admins
1 '"uohoi inc department. Ii has been stated that
VINE the business O. the department has greatly
decreased II! some OF its branches particularly in
inc bounty land and pension Offices the number oi'
| CLERKS now employed, IL "a large as il was nine
| years ago, when the business was uerhans ton
fold a. great. In consequence of the di,nior,io,,
0i business, 1T has been alleged, that n system az
, reducing the number Of clerks had been co,r
Wehccd, Under the late administration of the de-
! P"Finent, by retaining from filling vacancies as
| tuey occurred, which, however, have since beer,
iied ny TIC present Secretary, altIous h n couuor
D; doubted thai there has been Il considerable de-
crease OF business, snce he came into Office.
mere appears IN this assumed stalcIneft Of facts
some misrepresentation, which the u.iuoritv ask
/ iraVe 10 reciiy In 1919, there were thirty-seyen
cseTkS III Tie department proper. On the accession,
/ OF the present Secretary, lac found sevcotcct,
G ,Sa1 Ia The department authorized by law In
! 49, one more was added to the Bureau of indian
niisir'' ny ast OF Congress, and the reccmner.
ua''oh Oh a Conntec OF lndidn Affairs headed nv
d 'neiih@r OF singular vigilance and caution in The
/ expenditure ci the public money ln the same
Jndr, vacancy OF clcrkship occurred in tho
pension once, "i'ch Ate Secretary did nofEH.
II appears therefore, that far il il from the
'1ct That The same number OF clerk is now en-
Pioyeo, which WAS employed years ago that the
"uiHoeris less by twenty, this reduction took place
under Tue late Head of the Department, in conse-
fuehce' oil course, OF the great reduction in the
"s'i,cSs oi the oiuce; bat the present Head Of
INC DcPdFtDcnt,lds not filled these twenty yacau-
cic; Il, dlicdged; (Which he could no, haze done
ny idw) bii; has, on The contrary forcborn to I'm
vacancy, which has occurred in the Pension Office
nc addiucna clerk, in the Bureau OF Indian At.
'@lfS, was provided for ia cOnssgucnce of the in
crease OK business in that bureau, and by act Of
: CoHgrc-s
IT does not appear i;iat there l.. or naura,,,
cohia be, any d1mnutiou in the general business 81
me department, under the present Administrator,
he army remaining the sane aud some of t,e re-
iaiions entrusted 20 the War Department si,c as
Inhi'l AIidlrss having become more extensive and
complicated. Ia lac Land Bounty and Pension or /
~ ''t' mas Ocen some dimiUutiUn OF business; !
anu DIS Has Oeen already seen, a vacancy in the
latter has not been filed But il will be borne il,
miHG' that TIC decrease in the number of pcnsien
c'S uOcS not IMPLY decrease ia any decree pro. !