Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-05-03
THE FRONTIER AND THE WAR DEPARTMENT

/ THE FRONTIER AND THE WAR DEPARTMENT.
| Every arrival from CALIFORNIA, from TEXAS
and New Mexico, brings intelligence of some new
outrage perpetrated by the Indians. There il
every reason believe that, encouraged by the i'm.
punity with which these outrages have hitherto been
too often committed, they will make fearful nroads
into the white settlements during the approaching
| summer.
The War Department we are informed, is en-
ploying all the resources at its command to avert
these caamities, but those resources are entirely
disproportoned 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 General, in
their respective reports at the opening Of the last
session Of Congress, all united in earnestly recon-
mending an additional number of mounted men,
experience having shown that infantry is OF but
little service against enemy who is almost always
mounted. Congress paid no attention to these re-
commentators.
But this was not all. AT an early period of the
session the SECRETARY OF WAR addressed commu-
nications to the Committee of Ways and Means,
informing them that the appropriations for the
Quarermas,er's Department for the current fiscal
year lending 30th June next) would be insufficient
This deficiency arose in part from the fact that a
portion of these appropriations had been applied to
the payment of expenditures made or debts con-
tracted during preceding years. Such deficiencies,
in one Of the Departments, or in all Of them,
occur every year, and are provided for as matter
Of course; and yet the Committee Of Ways and
Means paid not the smallest attention to this COM
munica,on. The consequence is, that the appro-
priations for the Quarermasters Department for
the current year are already exhausted Impor-
tant movements are now going on in the army re-
quring heavy disbursements in that department.
Besides its ordinary expenditures, necessarily large
in countries singulary destitute of all he means
and appliances required for the support O an army,
services of an unusual character required of it.
Il An entire regiment (the mounted rifemen are now
on their way from Oregon to Texas; regiment Of
infantry has just been ordered from Jeffrson bar
racks to the Indian country west of Arkansas;
while the regiment now stationed in he latter
country has been ordered further west to establish
a chain of posts extending through the north Of
Texas, from Red river to the Rio Crane. Add
to this that the War Department has ben called
upon to furnish escorts to the commission for sur
veying the Mexican boundary, to the party engaged
in surveying the river Ga under resolution of
\ Congress, and to the Indian superintendnts and
agents created by recent acts to negotiate treaties
with the Indians in California, and the numerous
tribes that infes the vast plains and mountains on
the route to Oregon. All these operations require
large expenditures by the Quartermaster's Depart
ment; and yet, by most extraordinary omission
neglect, that department is left without adequate
means to discharge its important duties.
| Some time since we alluded to the fact hat the
Committee of Ways and Means of the House of
Representatives had assumed the responsibility of
reducing the appropriations for the supporter the
army far below the estimates, and that too in oppo-
sition to the unanimous opinion Of the Committee
on Military Affairs, the chairman of which Mr..
BURT) challenged the chairman of the Committee
of Ways and Means to point out single lem of
the estimates that could be reduced.
i We understand that the excuse fer this hapha-
zard legislation in regard to the appropriations for
the neat fiscal gear was that Congress would meet
long before it expired, and consequently in time to
supply any deficiency but what apology can be
offered for emitting to provide for ascertained
deficiency in the appropriations for the current
year-a deficiency, too, occasioned, in part, as we
have said, by the applications of the funds appro-
priated for this year to the payment of expendi-
lures Of previous years! We are far from wish
ing to impute improper motives to any one. We
cannot suppose it possible that the Committee Of
Ways and Means sought to embarrass the Admin
stration by Withholding supplies; we cannot be-
leye that party spirit could be carried so far to
trife with the lives Of the defeneeess inhabitants
of the frontier. We leave to others TO speculate
about reasons or motives. The fact, however, is
undoubed, and if adequate protection is not afford
ed to the people Of the frontier, wish them, and
we wish the whole country to understand where
the faul, and the responsibility ylie.-Republic.
\ ~