Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1842-04-09

a regular Session of Congress; and do no
gentlemen know that it is now in progress,
by the faithful hands to which it has here
and elsewhere in Congress been commit.
ted and that an extraordinary commit
tee has been raised in this body, insomuch
that to effect il the S..iaio has somewhat
shot from its usual and appropriate orbit by
establishing 4 standing Committee of Re- |
trcnchnsnN If the honorable Senator
from South Carolina took four wears to
bring down tho expenses of tho War De-
partmcnt, when under his own immediate
snperlntcndcncc, may surely, with conf |
dcncc, make my appeal TO his sense of JUS
tlcc and llbcraiity to allow us at least two
years before he rcproachcs us with failure
III work so much more extensive.
will now shy that, in suggesting the pro-
pricty of fixing the annual average cxpen-
dlturc of this Government at twenty-five
millions Of dollars, from this time and for
some years to come, IL is not my purpose to
preclude any further reduction of expense
hy the dismissal Of useless officers, the abo-
ltion CT useless institutions, and the rcduc-
ton OF unnecessary or cXtravagant expen-
dlturcs. No man is more DESTROYS than !
am of seeing this Government administer
cd at the smallest possible expense consist
Cnt with the duties entrusted to US in the
management Of our public interests both at
home and abroad. None will rel oice more
i! it shall be found practicable to reduce
our expenses 10 eighteen, to fifteen, or even
To- thirteen millions. None, repeat it. will
rejoice in such triumph Of economy more
heartily than !. Monochrome.
But now allow me to proceed to state by
what process have reached the sum Of
twenty-five millions as proposed in the res
oluiionS have offered.
Tho Secretary of the Treasury has pre-
scntcd to rs estimates for the current year,
independent Of permanent expenses of a
million and q half, amounting to about
twonty-four and half millions, which may
be stated under the following heads, viz:
For the civil list, foreign inter-
course AID miscellaneous $1,000 957 50
Fer he War Department; inclu-
dig all branches I,7l779l 81
Naval service, sos SO IS
S24,424,358 95
And let NE SAY 4 single word in defence
of tie army. The Department Of War
Games to lis with estimates fer the sum OF
&!l,1lL79l 27; and those who look only
on the surface of things may suppose that
this sum is extraordinarily large; but there
are many items in tat sum. have before
me statement going to show that of that
sum only four millions are asked for the
military service propcr--a sum less than is
dcna.. led for tic naval service proper, and
only double the amount at which it stood
when the honorable gentleman from South
Cardiff. left the Department. The sur
was then about 50 100000; it is now quite
ESl,000,0O0; while, during the same period
the army has been nearly doubled, besides
the raising Of mounted regiments, the mos
expensive for that very reason of any in the
service. think that the gentleman from
South Carolina, if he looks into the subjec
its detail, will find that the cost of the army
Is not at this hour greater, per man, than i
was when it was under his own persona
administration. So | am informed; an,
that, although the pay has been raised dol
lar month, which has very largely aug
moncd the expenditure.
The Executive branch Of the Govern
mcnt has sent is estimates, amounting, il
all, to twenty-four and half millions o
dollars for the service of the current year
which, with the million and half Of per
manCnt expenditure, makes twenty-six mil
lions. How much is to be added to tina
amount for appropriations not we estimat
ted, which may be made during the Sess;Gi
byiCon9r2ss to meet homes. claims, and 70
other objects Of public naturc! Iromem
Der one item proposed by my friend nca
me (A1r. MAsGuM) for quarter Of mi
lion for the building of steamship, an itor
not included in the estimates, but for whic
the Senate has already appropriated; be
sides which there arc various other item
which have passed OF will pass during tn
present session. When the honorable ger
ioman lr"m New Hampshire was at tn
head Of the Treasury, he made, in his con
munications to Congress, constant con
plants Of this very practice. lie well *
members that he was ever complaining thi
lie expenditures Of Government were swr
led far beyond the Executive estimate
by appropriations made by Congress nc
estimated for by the Departments. / hav
calculated that we shall add to the twent,
six millions Of dollars estimated for by III
Executive Department, or permanently rt
GIircd at least one million and half whic
would raise the sum for this year TO tweI
ty-seven millions and half.
How then do | propose to bring tn
down to twenty-five Millions | have.
own. some fears that we shall not be alb
10 effect it; bat hope we shall SO far rcduc
The estimates and prevent unnecessary a.
inY7c hot bn fol 1