Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1848-03-01

they are doubly SO now. when the expen-
ses of the Government are SO far greater
than they were then.
Those who have not directed their at
tention to this subject will be astonished at
the vast amount Of the expenses of this
war. when compared with those Of the
war Of 1919. Let me compare them
The expenses of the Government from
the 31st December. 1911. 10 the same date
in 1879. were S17.826, 1870, From the
31st December, 1919, to the same day OF
1918, the expenses were $4,000 1876 90.
From 31st December, 1913. to the same
day Of 1914, they were S3O.1e7 ,G26-3o
This statement embraces the entire eX-
penditures Of the Government for those
periods. including both the war expenses
and the civil list Thus, it appears. that
the entire expenses Of the Government for
period of three years, embracing the
whole period of the late war with Great
Britain, were $76,U39. 500 90. Now. let
us compare this amount with the eXpendi
lures for an equal period of the Mexican
war The expenditures from the 3Oth
June. 1916. to 3Oh June, l847. as shown
by the Sec'ys report, were S59.451 H.
e5. For the year from the 3Oth June. AT.
to the 3Oth June, '48. they are estimated by
the Secretary at $58 5.66O.O7. And
for the wear ending 3Oth June. 1919. they
are estimated AT $50 .644.941.72. Making
an aggregate for the three years of S173.-
j711.779 ~; being an excess of S97.672.
1917. "A over the expenditures of the three
years embracing the whole period of the
late war. This comparison is made upon
the estimates Of the Secretary. OF the eX-
pcnscs of two out of the three years.
And yet, upon his own showing, the eX-
penses will now exceed, by nearly one
hundred millions, those of the previous
period
wish, however. to recur again to the
estimates Of the expenditures for the pres
ent and the next fiscal year. The Secre-
tary estimates the expenditures for the
present wear at less than those of the last.
and the expenditures Of the next year at
less than those of the present. The ex-
penditures for the year ending 3Oth June.
l347-the first year of the war-were
about fifiv-nine millions and half, and
they are estimated for the present year at
,, about fifty eight millions and a half, and
, for the next year at about fiffy-five and a
. half millions The Secretary thus in
forms us that the war will cost less by a
million this year than it cost the last. and
that next year it will cost about five mil
lions less Can such estimates as these
!, command any confidence! Can any man
of ordinary intelligence believe. that as
the war progresses lis expenses Will be
: diminished! The reverse Of this must be
the case. Each year that the war con-
: tinues its expenses will increase. Such
was the case during the late war. The
: expenses of the second year were higher
than those of the first, and of the third
year they were still higher Time will
prove that it will be SO withthe Next
, can war. l should be glad TO be
: informed upon what data the Secretary has
> made this estimate Of diminished eXpen-
ditures Are we to have fewer men in
the field than we had last year! The
: President tells the number must be
> largely increased. Has the pay of the ar
the officers or troops been diminished
Have any of the requisites belonging to
: any branch Of the service been curtailcd
!, Has any thing been done to curtail or di-
minsh any Of the expenses of the war;
Nothing absolutely nothing: and yet. &C
cording to the reasoning of the Presiden,
new armies, and all the while the expen-
L
insists that we shall authorize him to call
into the field thirty thousand more troops.
3 while at the same time he assures us tina,
the expenses of the war will be diminish
ed. Was any thing ever more absurd!-
And vet this is the kind of financierina
, which has characterized this Mexican war
f From its very commencement the coun-
f try has been deceived and deluded by false
4 nd t,pdI oft nrt
has been made to conceal from the people
the enormous expense it occasions. 4
national debt has been steadily and steal
, thilv growing upon the country. while by
false estimates of the amount of loans ne
, the country has been deceived as to the
f amount it was likely to reach.
The actual expense of the war is far be-
, yond the amount Of expenditures specified
, in the reports from the Treasury Depart
ment. Those reports present US only with
; a statement of the money actually paid
out We have no means of ascertainina
the amount Of unliquidated claims against
, the Government for arrearages Of pay
: munitions of war. wagons. horses. mules
, provisions. and all the long train of sup
; plies which an army requires. and which
: must all be paid for ultimately. These
r would constitute an item of many mil
5 lions Of dollars In addition to this a very
, heavy item of expenses is to be found in
2 the use of the material Of war with which
= our arsenals were filled Before the com.
mencement of the war these were well
2 stored with all the munitions of WARMTH
, every variety of cannon and small arms
$ and every thing requisite for offensive and
1 defensive warfare-the accumulations o.
: thirty years of peace. All this being
f property owned by the Government, has
, been used, but does not appear in any
t statement of the expenditures. The a.
? mount Of property thus used cannot a.
, mount to less than FIVE millions Of dollars
: and in all probability to much larger