Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-08-02
RESOURCES AND EXPENDITURES OF THE
WAR DEPARTMENT.

DC C"sos o ounoay last publshes an article from tno
National inteAgency Of Saturday. giving statement Of
the financial condition Of several Of the Departments, nclud
ing the War Department The inference which the Union
draws from this statement is that the assertion that the sp
ProPrisons for the "suppo of the army for the fiscal
year, which terminated the 30h Of June last insult
fcen was unfounded and that, while the Secretary
complaining OF deficiency of money, there large
surplus on hands and consequently that the assigned
for dsmoun'ing several companies of light arteyto wit,
that the Department was sraitened for mesns-hsd no
foundation in fact The Integencer says that at the COM
mencement Of the current fiscal year list nssn there
hand and above expenditures an unexpended ba
lance Of. ,070 s73 SO
Which, with the appropriations for the pre-
sens year. T,s5a,o94 ~
Making totai oi.. ..Sll 800 ,46I 7l
styled the Of the War Department :; and
the Union proceeds to argue from this that the Department
was amply provided with supply all the wants of
the service.
The Union is either wonderfully deceived or is seeking to
deceive its readers. The facts simply these:
The balance stated be in hand 10 the balance of all sums
in the Treasury subject to the order Of the War Department
The fact not be known many of the readers Of the
Union hough we suppose its editors be ignorant
that the appropriations for the War Department as for
vded into various heads specifying the objects to which the
money to be applied Many of these appropriations
for objects which have connection with ,he support Of
the army such for building lighthouses making surveys
constructing focatons erecting arsena the manufacture
of arms, the support Of the armore and of the Military Acad
emy, &c. The Department has right to apply money
appropriated oi these objects the "suppor Of the army"
has ii generally the right apply appropriations made for
branch of the service any other branch Of the service
For instance has right to apply money appropriated for
the pay Of the army the subsistence of the army the
Quarermaser Department IT. them there be deficiency in
the appropriations any essential branch of The service the
Department is efscuay crippled, however literally every
other object ma! be provided for That this is the
present, we proceed to show.
The balance ect the order Of the Department remain
ing in the Treasury the close of the last fiscal year stated
by the teAgen to be S4O7Os7 So; but taking it from
another set Of books in order TO obtain the Details find
it somewhat more4 wiz. S4,0s9, 1853 S.
OF this there woe Of appropriations
l. For surveys lighthouses roads, rivers harbors, and mi
lar works. S235, 92l 30
?. For expenses Of he Mexican and Indian wars,
Northern frontier ftronbes, &c. (being old ap-
propriations liable for claims under and
still coming in) ll55,652 IS
8. For fori6cationa magazines, arsenals, and
other works Of ornament character, and for
the manufacture oi arms cannon, &c. 1853 903 50
4. For the Military Academy. s4,752 OF
Dsducng these apounts, (Which have no application to
tho expenses of the personnel of the army support the
6eld there remains the Of 35s s23 95 for the sup
port Of the army proper that is for pay, subsistence cloth
ing, medical supplies, transportation, and generally for all
that necessary sustain army in the field and supply
the for its when engaged in active opera
tons. Among these objects that sum is thus distributed