Southern shield., 1851-05-17
THE FRONTIER AND THE WAR
 DEPARTMENT.

Every arrival rom cALiFokniA, lIoih Tnx,s and NEW MEXICO, brings intelligence of some new outrage perpetrated by the I,d;ons There is every reason to believe 'bat encouraged by the impunity with ,"bicb these outrages have hitherto been foo often committed. they will make fearful jnroads into the white settlements during the approaching summer
 The War Department, we are informed, is employing all the resources at its con- mand 10 avert these calamities, but those resources are entirely disproporlioned to the magnitude of the service.
 The Executive has done its duty in this matter, The PRESIDENT, in his annual message, and the SECRETARY OF WAR and Commanding Genera, in their respective reports at the opening of the last session of Congress, all united in earnestly recom- mendng an additional number of mounted men, experience having shown that infant ry is of but little service against an enemy who is almost always mounted. Congress paid no attention to these recommendations.
 But this was not al At an earl y period of the session the SECRETARY OF WAR ad- dressed communications to the Committee of Ways and Means, informing them that the appropriations for the Quartermaster's Department for the current fiscal, year (end- ing 30th June nexD would be insufficient. This deficiency arose in part from the fact that portion of these appropriations had been applied to the payment of expenditures made or debts contracted during proceed ing years Such deficiencies, in some one of the Departments, or in all of them, occur every year, and are provided for as mat ter of course; and yet the Committee of Ways and Means paid not the smallest at- tention to this communication. The conse- quence is that the appropriations for the current year are already exhausted. lm- portant movements are now going on in the army requiring heavy disbursements in that department. Besides its ordinary ex- penditures, necessarily large in countries singularly destitute of all the means and ap- pliances required for heSupport of an army, services of an unusual character are re- quired oft. An entire regiment the mount ed rit1emen) are now on their way from Oregon 10 Texas; regiment of infantry has just been ordered from Jefferson bar racks 10 the Indian country west of Arkan- sas; while the regiment now stationed in the latter country has been ordered further west to establish chain of posts extending through the North of Texas, from Red river to the Rio Grande. Add 10 this that the War Department has been called upon 10 furnish escorts to the commission for survey ing the Mexican boundary, to the party en- gagged in surveying the river Gila under resolution of Congress, and 10 the Indian superintendents and agents created by re- cent acts to negotiate treaties with the h. dians in California and the numerous tribes that infest the vast plains and mountains or the route to Oregon. All these opera lions require large expenditures by the Quartermastel's Department; and yet, by al most extraordinary omission ornegect, that department is left without adequate means 10 discharge its important duties.
 Some time since we alluded 10 the fact that the committee of Ways and Means of the House of Representatives had assumed the responsibility of reducing the appropria~ tious for the support of the army far below the estimates, and that too in opposition to the unanimous opinion of the Committee or Military Affairs, the chairman of which (AIr. BuRr) challenged the chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means to point out single item of the estimates that could be reduced.
 We understand that the excuse for this haphazard legislation in regard to the ap- propriations for the aect fiscal year was that Congress would meet long before it expired, and consequently in time to supply any de- fciency; but what apology can be offered for emitting 10 provide for an acertained de- fciency in the appropriations for the cur- rent year-a deficiency, too, occasioned, in part, as we have said by the applications of the funds appropriated for this year to the payment of expenditures of previous years! We are far from wishing to i'm pute improper motives to any one. We cannot suppose it possible that the Con- mttee of Ways and Means sought to en- barrass the administration by withholding supplies; we cannot believe that party spirit could be carried so far as to trfe with the lives of the defenceless inhabitants of from tier. We leave to others to speculate about reasons or motives. The fact, however, is undoubted, and if adequate protection is not afforded 10 the people of the frontier, we wish them, and we wish the whole country 10 understand where the fault and the re- sponsbility lie.-Repuhlic.
 
 HIT. Fillmore and his Administration.
 We DreSunnn th tbo o,ootion of oDpro