The Mississippi Creole. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1841-1851, 1847-01-23
From The New Orleans Bulletin.
war Expenses.

L Inc JsUeTaonton uoes not represent our ar
8 gumen fairly. Mr.. Polk in his annual mes
sage stated that the public debt had been in
: creased only about six millions Of dollars
and the Union in its columns claims grea
/ credit for the administration, that after seven
/ months IF war expenditure, only so small an
addition was made to the debt. We conten
ded that these statements were deceptive, and
that Of the Union evidently intended to be so,
and lead casual readers to the inference, that
the extra war expenses had only been this
six millions, and that neither Mr.. Polk or the
Union make any reference to,twelve millions
Of surplus that was in the Treasury when hos
tlities commenced, or to the large supplies that
had been Withdrawn from our arsenals Of oil
kinds Of Military and naval stores, and used
in the prosecution of the war, all of which
had been previously bought and paid for
Whatever may be our opinion as TO large waste
full or unnecessary expenditures that may have
marked the progress Of the war, we did not
give any expression to that opinion, or in any
way allude to the application Of this surplus,
/ nor did we in any way complain that the sup
|
had been used-so far from it, we should have
complainedifthey had not been freely employed
as we wish to see the last gun--the last ball
the last cartridge, and the last blanke that they
may contain literally distributed if necessary
in the prosecution of the war - we merely
stated the naked fac. that the surplus in the
Treasury had been used and thAHiltary and
naval stores employed in the wal ~ order to
prove that the addition to the Ap6E DEBT was
not the only cost of it, as the<1kN kyH Than
intimaod, and which wasN 4 attempt at a
gross deception upon its readers. We also
stated that we did not exactly understand how
the increase of the debt had been only six
millions, seeing that Mr.. WALKER had made
loan of five millions, and had also issued
for nearly four millions Of Treasury notes,
but on examination we find this is the increase
since Mr. PoLK's Inauguration, and that du-
ring his first year, some two or three millions
of the former Treasury notes were paid off,
from previous revenue. Here is another de-
ception, to that extent, for there has been an
actual war debt created Of nearly nine mill
lions, from which the Union deducts two to
three millions of old debt, that was paid off
before the war began, in order to make out that
the debt, has actually increased only about six
millions Of dollars.
There is still another item which the Union
has overlooked in its anxiety to prove the eco
nomy of the present administration, w.lich is,
the additional surplus revenue, which would
T. Il. 49, 4 L
the declaration of war, and which has also
been absorbed with the surplus that was actu-
ally in the Treasury.
Although we believe, and indeed know there
has been great deal of reckless and unneces-
sary expenditure in the prosecution of,skis war
we are not now finding fault on that, Joint we
hope to see every necessary and proper expense
for the vigorous prosecution Of hostilites freely
incurred, and our present object is solely to
point out the deceptive statements ofthe Union
by which that print is endeavoling to glorify
the administration for an economy in public
expenditure, that has no foundation except in
its columns.
We would call the attention of the Union
to the following statement, showing what has
been the actual war expenses, instead of the
six millions.
Surplus in the Treasury at the
commencement of hostilities, Gle, 100000
Surplus of ordinary revenue over
ordinary expenditure, g. which
would have accumulated since
the war, say 100000
Treasury Notes Issued and War
Loan 8,50000O
Ammunition, munitions of war,
camp equipage and nsGteriel
both for military and naval
service, supplied from the arse
nails, and paid for previous to
the war, say 100000
26,5O0,0O0
From which is to be deducted
any actual balance oil cash that
may be in the Treasury, which
we will estimate at, say 100000
Leaving $4,000 600
as the extra war expenses for seven months,
and not six million as the Union wonld lain
have US believe.
In the statement no estimate has been made ,
for the immense amount Of outstanding claims
Of every kind which, if the war was to close TO-
would flow in to the extent of mil
lions IL reouired from COS to 40 000 OO0 IN