Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1851-01-03
From the Washington Union.
The Treasure u portrhc r expenses Of the Mexican

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The Treasury n port-The Expenses of the Mexican
We hare already presented few remarks on the
heavy expenditures of Gen Taylors administration.
and the extraordinary estimates JUST pressh1eu Dy
Mr. Corwn of the expenses OF the current Hsc'i year
and of the year ending June 80, 1857 we nave al
so alluded in general terms the line OF argument
adopted by Mr. Corwin in order to reconcile the
country to his estimates of expenditure argument
which is based on an attempt to magnify the cost
which the Mexican war has entalied on the country
We have heretofore shown that the expendi-
of the three years preceding the wa" 80, M ,eo CT
The expenditures of the years of the war 90. -
averaged 7o,'o W
The expenditures of the three years-aetn ,a
and estmated-commencing July l, lo49 40 600 o,o -o
40,"1O0IS 20
The data from which these results are obtained
may be found in Mr.. Corwin's report The results
themselves show not only that the annual expenses
of the government now exceed the annual eXpend-
ture before the war by twenty millions of dol
lars but that the annual expense OF the present peace
establishment is within a fraction as great as the
average annual expenditure during the war when
we had to maintain armies in the heart OF the enc
my's country But this is not all. Mr. Corwin $
report presents the following view of the actual and
estimated expenditure for the current fiscal year:
Actual expense for the LIST quar- 600 100 90
Estimated for 3D. Sd, and 4th
quarters. &c, $40, 164 81
Total for the $50, SIS, 597 so
Average annual expenditure during 48705,3SS So
s5,14s, 1853 81
Here we have more than five millions of dollars as
the excess of the actual and estimated expenditure
of the current year over the average annual e1pendl
ture during the war. From this fact it would APP
pear that war, when democrats rule, is moro eco
nomcal than peace, when wings control our public
affairs. With all respect for Mr. Corwin, we must
say that all his ability advocate can never
make it appear that the extravagant expenditure OF
the administration is justly chargeabe to the war
with Mexico Mr. Meredith when he was the, head
of the Treasury Department. had every means OF as
certanng the amount of liability growing out of the
war which would be met during the current year.
He estimated those liabilities including interest on
the debt the instament to be paid to Mexico; and
his entire estimate OF expenditure tor the year end
ing June 80, 1851, was S44 997, 092 10. 1t will be
seen that Mr.. Corwn exceeds that estimate by S.
8565O4 II and we think it will tax his ingenuity
to the utmost to show liabilities to that amount just
ly chargeable to the war, which were discovered and
brought to light between the date of MIR. Merediths
estimates and his own. An examination of a few
corresponding items of Mr.. Merediths and Mr.. Cor
wins estimates will throw more light the subject
than any vague and general estimate of the labili-
ties entailed the country by the with Mexico
and the acquisition of new territory.
In Mr.. Meredith's estimate VIC find, among Others
the following items:
Civil list, foreign intercourse, and miscela-
neous OSS72d Oh
Fortifeatons ordnance arming militia &c.. 2O5446 90
F WaraI aspTih9me ~ IA 40 10
s34, 666, 1914 25
The items stated above are for the entire fiscal
year commencing July l, 1880 and ending June 80,
1851. Mr.. Corwins estimates embrace only the
three last quarters The expenses of the first quar-
ter, amounting to s6983, 432 90, had already been
met, and the returns received The items in his
port corresponding with those taken from Mr.. Mere
dhs report follows for three quarters of the
fiscal year:
Civil list, foreign intercourse, and mscella-
neous a9 eSi 81
Army proper. &c SO99a!6 u
Fortfcations, ordnance armng militia &C. $40 &c
Indian department. 4363S67 81
Naval establishment 9,50S,S59 80
$50 952 9o5 OS
Thus it appears that in the five items enumerated.
MIR. Corwn intends to exceed in nine months the es-
Inmates made by Mr.. Meredith for twelve months.
by the sum Of 81 2S6713 SO.
But we have said enough with regard to MIR. Cor
wins attempt to shield the magnitude of his estimates
by arraying before the country extravagant state
ment Of the Mexican war liabilities We will now
anayzc the process by which he cndeavors to make
good that attempt.
Mr.. Corwin takes the expenses of the year ending
June 30 1915 and stating the amount to be S2l $780,
O49 81, he calculates the aggregate expense of the
government that basis for seven years at Sl49,-
660345 SO.
Mr.. Corwin then gives the expenditures. actual
and estimated, for the seven years commencing July
l, 1915, and ending June 80, 1852. He places this
aggregate at .'......' S294SO7 ,407 IS
Deductlng 149, G6O,345 81
1911 ,0G2 43
This sum Mr.. Corwn calls the excess of expendi-
ture over the peace establishment anterior to the
war. Now the actual expenditures for the year end
ing June 80, l845, did not include items which are
included IN some of the subsequent years We have
means of stating what the &C ual cost of admin
istering the government during that year, and we
therefore take the average of the three years ending
June 80, 1913 A and As, we find them in the
treasury report Assuming it at that average, S25,