The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-12-30

Our readers will remember the great parade with which
the alleged deficit in the treasury ushered forth to
the public in the form of official proclamation stimuli
aneousy published in both Of the organs OF the cabinet
printed in this city, in which document was gravely al
legged that the supposed deficit resulted from the expend
lures made in the late with Mexico AT that time we
expressed utter disbelief the existence OF deficit as
alleged by the cabinet proclamation. But did expect
when the Secretary Of the Treasury should lay his budget
before Congress, that ingenious and plausible attempt
would be made by that officer to show that the alleged
deficit did actually grow out Of the Mexican war. We
supposed he had discovered some claims and demands
upon the treasury growing out Of that war; which had
not been presented and qudated under the last admins
ration and which he weuld put forward as the pretext
for announcing deficit in the treasury But nothing Of
that kind appears. No new claims OF any importance
have been presented On the contrary, appears that
the last administration had settled and paid all the claims
growing out of the expenses Of the and actually had
made provision for the payment Of the nstalments DUE
under the treaty Of peace for the fiscal years Of 1s4s and
1850, amounting to over seven millions Of dollars
Then. how does the Secretary attempt to make il ap.
pear that the deficit which be has discovered was the
offspring Of the Mexican WARP In manner truly pueris
and contemplate He proceeds to state what would
have been the condition Of the treasury, the Mexican
war had not occurred He shows the expenses OF the
army and navy during that period, and arrays with those
expenses the indemnity Mexico, and that also to the
claimants, secured by the treaty, which, Nth his est.
mates for The expenses of the government during As
present and nert fiscal years, constitute his imaginary
deficit This is the unsatesman like manner in which the
new Secretary of the Treasury attempts to account for
the deficit the discovery Of which he ushered before the
The substance Of the Secretarys argument is, that
the money which paid out for the expenses of the
Mexican war had been left in the treasury there would
have been no de6s Could he not have said, with equal
propriety and force that il the money which had been
paid out for the payment Of the debt created by the war
Of the revolution, or the late war with England. for
the purchase Of Louisiana and Florida or the surplus
revenue amounting TO twenty mionO disiribu.
ted among the States, had been left in the easury there
would have been deficit Certainly, with equal pro.
pretty and with equal force Of argument, he could have
assigned those payments from the treasury the true
of the present deficit as to ascrbe il TO the dis
bursements occasioned by the Mexican war.
Such an explanation Of the Of the alleged deficit
as the Secretary has attempted to give, can be locked
upon only as the Of man. feeble in intellect 10
sustain oregone conclusion the shallow device Of
one prone straagem and fnesse, impress upon the
minds Of others that which he does not himself believe
The true remedy for this alleged deficit is the redus
ton Of the Secetays estimates Onehaf Of the sixteen
millions wanted by the treasury be sausd IN The re-
duction Of The expenditures Of the army and navy
We shall recu again TO the report OF the Secretary Of
the Treasury, and efecualy expose its plausible but
shallow sophsms upon the various topics in relation to
which il treats. For the present content ourselves
with copying the letter Of the able correspondent of the
Baltimore Sun, writing from this city, the signature
of"X" Coming from a neutral source, il win not be
any the less entitled to attention. The writer satisfae
orily answers the question what constitutes deficit
and shows conclusivey that Mr. Meredith will neither
have 10 resort to loans nor an increase of the tariff 10
provide for it.
Correspondence of,hs Baltimore sanl
WASHINGTON Dec. n.
The query, "whai constitutes deficit ~ reminds Of
city Of Gotham "wilI sstpetre explode I" What the
deficit Mr. Meredith speaks Of which will be S5.0o0,o0
di,h call. i "a deficit produced BY he extraordinary e
penses Of the Mexican but his figures prove him
h be public ss5o deb, S .. :: % Meredith, now
By hi: own showing, he Old J.aded debt. tnot
assumed By Congress, ,tnot made Sy The
war) the i've per ee~t. loan Of ID March.
cent osn Of ai fSh AZ April ,ss no ,eS %ad. BY
the war; amount, together, TO B7f9,6oz 70
sss05,oa ssI
showing that the OF the loans necessary d.f
the expenses Of the war; amounted only TO ~
~, NJ 2. wn,Sn , am ,be mater and by
specious argument addressed to the Jury get, the war
expenses in the following Ingenious ne takes ns
from the LIST April lSts to LIST April 1549 those OF the