Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1851-01-03

that tue n the war But when whig cxtraya-
ee and ineompetency have made the expenditures
e. e tho War Department unnecessarily large since
The conclusion of peace, it is not only llogcai Due
;tastlv and grossly unjust, to attempt to make
L. or responsible for the results OF that extraVa-
e nance and incompetency. According to Mr. Cor-
Wins mode of reasoning, he may waste ourinS
tho nresent year millions in every branch OF army
exnenditure he may pay twenty prices 1or suoss
tanre and forage and waste wherever it be possDe
~ waste: vet all will be covered by calculating
what the expenditure would have been accofolng 10
h neaee establishment of 1915. and charge the ex-
coes to the Mexican war. 1t we had never Deen on
unfriendly terms with Mexico--if a gun had never
hean fred on the Rio Grande-- all the officers and
soId;ers of the army would have drawn their pay
and consumed their rations rs they do now Inc
only increase in the expenditure Is the increased
r;ce of transportation and subsistence on the more
remote lines of our fronter.-an item OF expenditure
which cannot be admitted until 1T is shown TO e1-
ist We have seen, in OF the organs OF the al
ministration, statement OF portion OF the army
oxnenditures which bore official appearance ana
was we think, intended to sustain the argument OF
the Secretary of the Treasury this point IL so,
the attempt lame and impotent for the state
ment to which refer gave portion OF the expen-
ditures of the troops in Texas and the territory ac
ouired from Mexico and also portion of the expen-
ses of the residue of the army.
Texas was annexed by Joint resolution before the
Mexican war; and of course, any expenditures made
for that portion of the army stationed in Texas can
not be charged to the war AS to the troops station
cd in New Mexico. Utah, and California, their ex-
penses are not to be charged to the war, for they
would have been charge upon the treasury II there
had been no increase of territory and they had been
distributed from Old Point Comfort to Fort Laramie
The excess of the expenditure of the troops IN utah
New Mexico, and California. is all that can IN any
event, be charged to the Mexican war; and that ex-
cannot properly be charged until 1t Is SHOWN
that the expenditures were economical as possible
Mr. Corwn has made no effort to show that fact;
and we rather think that he never will make the at
tempt. In 1913 had 47.l5O men in active service
in the enemy's country. The cost OF those men av-
eraged four hundred and three dollars each Now, In
time of peace, we have 1927, and the average
cost to the nation is eight hundred and ortytaco DOL
lars EACH To our eyes, this looks like a balance
against PEACE instead of balance against WAR.
We take up the next item-that which relates to
the navy.
This item is manufactured in the manner as
that which relates to the expenditures for the army
The expenses of the navy for 1915 taken as ba-
Sis and then the expenses for seven years calculated
on that basis. The sum thus obtained is deducted
from the expenses Of the naval establishment, actu-
al and estimated for the years ending June 30
1852. The difference between these sums (Sl9,05S.-
858 I'D is charged against the Mexican war. We
have already explained the fallacy of this mode OF
reasoning when commenting on the item charged
against the army. We have considered the matter
and cannot the navy costs single dollar now
which be fairly attributed to the war with Mex
leo That war did not induce to build single
increase
man. The Navy Department during the war may
have purchased and we heleve did purchase, steam
ers and perhaps fitted out revenue cutters and used
them for pu poses; but yet to learn that
any of these vessels remained charge on the Ma
Wy Department., even when Mr. Preston at its
head. We sure that none such remain now
Our Pacific squadron may have been more expensive
than the squadron would have been in the year
1915 but submit that the increase in the cost Of
articles of subsistence on the Pacific occasoned
hIth e nf oil and
not by the march of General Taylor from Corpus
Christi to Fort Brown We respectfully suggest to
Mr.. Corwin to charge the whole item to the revolu
tiOnary war; for had it not been for that war.
would never have owned ship to send to the Pacific
Perhaps would he better to charge the whole mat
ter to Christopher Columbus; for had it not been
for him, the Western World might have remained
undiscovered and there would have been revolu-
! tionary war, no George Washington, American
Union, no fernando Cortes, and no Mexico to make
But. to be serious and the task is not
easy in looking MIR. Corwins fantastic re-
port. During the first year of the the expenses
of the Navy amounted to $645O,o92 In l948, the
last year of the war--the year in which the navy
had most active employment-the naval establish
ment cost sc, 400 1871. Now. MIR. Corwn tells the
country he intends to spend about eeren millions of
dollars on the navy and charge the extravaganza of
the item to the Mexican war!
So much for the two principal items in Mr.. Cor
wins grand sum of hundred and tuenty four
millions. We have not the time to go through the
whole list The intelligent reader will do that for
himself-remembering that MIR. Corwin's argument
is worth nothing until he proves that the present
expenditures of the government are made with due
regard to economy Until he does that ho cannot
hide himself behind the heapcd-up expenditures of
the Mexican war. When he does that. then every
thing will show for ITSELF The Gaphin claim will
show for itself. and not be included in the general
item Of = excess peace expenditure embra-
ced by cunning argument in the expenses chargea-
bic to the Mexican war;
Mr.. Corwin does not venture to make any specific
charge against the Mexican for the year ending
tune 3d. 1851. He could not do inasmuch as all
the items thus chargeabe were included in MIR Mer-
edths estimates, and Congress had at the last ses-
sion made appropriations to cover them. Mr.. Cor
win exceeds Mr. Merediths estimates by nearly nine
millions of dollars yet he cannot directly charge
any Of that sum to the He cvadcs the matter
by taking specific charges against the war for the
neu fiscal year. and by devoting large portion of
his report to investigation of the liabilities entail
cd by the war for years. hoping that the inves
tgation may induce the public to attribute the re-
suits OF wing extravaganza to the continuing effects
OF a democratic
We close remarks on the treasury report for
the present We shall embrace an early opportunity
to examine its reasoning with regard to trade and
| revenue.
/ Trckery and Tarifv.
| A few weeks since the cotton lords at Fall River,
Massachusetts, combined together to turn the screw
little tighter by reducing the wages of the opera
tives. Many of the workmen and women opposed
this reduction of their wages, and refused to work
BY the last accounts perceive that capital has
conquered labor and that those who turned out have
been compelled to resume their work the reduced
prlceS and the owners chucklng that their fac