The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-07-30

War and Finance.
The Union, with political omniscience
which detects at a glance any erroneous man
agement in the Departments of Government,
came to dead point few days since against
the Department Of War. II declared that
there was an "unexpended surplus" of some
four millions on the first day Of the fiscal year,
and rallied at the Department for having dis
banded unnecessarily portion of the light ar
tillery at time that the Indian depredations
were so serious, and in the face of the early
and earnest admonitions of the Union that
such measure would be erroneous.
Now, having small pretensions to know
ledge of military matters, it scarcely becomes
us to speak In the presence of such profcients.
But it would really seem that artillery is not
precisely the arm of the service best calculated
to reach mounted Camanches; and though ar
Vista, where the enemy fought according to
the tactics of civilized nations it does not follow
that its employment would be judicious against
savages, whose known rule Of warfare is to be
in ambush, to make sudden inroads upon the
unprotected citizen Of the frontiers, or to sepa-
rate when attacked, and show as little front as
possible. Against the Camanches and Apaches
it has heretofore been thought that cavalry
would constitute the most efficient reliance
But we proceed to make detailed reply to the
article referred to.
The Union, of Sunday last, publishes an ar
tIcle from National of Ca+,r
day, giving statement of the financial condi-
ton of several of the Departments, including
the War Department. The inference which
the Union draws from this statement is, that
the assertion, several times made by this paper,
that the appropriations for the Support of the
army" for the fiscal year, which terminated on
the 3Oth of June last, were insufficient, was
unfounded; and that, while the Secretary was
complaining of a deficiency of money, there
was large surplus on hand, and, consequently,
that the reason assigned for dismounting several
companies of light artilery-to wit, that the
Department was slaughtered for means-had
no foundation in fact. The Intelligencer says,
that at the commencement Of the current fiscal
year LIST instant) there was on hand, over and
o. -....-- 44,UfU,SI0 Ok
Which, with the appropriations
for the present year. ...... 1884 1874 l9
Making total of. ....... 81 1905, 467 II
Are styled 'the resources of the War Depart
ment;" and the Union proceeds to argue from
this that the Department was amply provided
with means to supply all the wants of the ser
vice.
The Union is either wonderfully deceived
or is seeking to deceive its readers. The facts
are simply these:
The balance stated to be in hand is the bal
ance of all sums in the Treasury subject to the
order of the War Department The fact may
not be known to many of the readers of the Union
(though we suppose its editors can scarce be
Ignorant of it, that the appropriations for the
War Department, as for all other Departments,
are not made in gross, but are subdvided into
various heads specifying the objects to which the
money is to be applied. Many of these appro-
priations are for objects which have no connex-
ION with "the support Of the army" such as for
building lighthouses, making surveys, con-
structIng Notifications, erecting arsenals, the
manufacture of arms, the support of the armo-
ries, and of the military academy, &c., &C. The
Department has no right to apply money APP
propriated for these objects 10 the Support of
the army" nor has it, generally, the right to
apply appropriations made for one branch of the
service to any other branch Of the service. For
instance, it has no right to apply money appro-
priated for the pay of the army to the sub
slstence of the army, or to the quartermaster's
department. If, then, there be deficiency in
the appropriations for any essential branch of
the service, the Department is effectually Grip
pied, however literally every other object may
be provided for. That this is the case at pres
ent, we proceed to show.
The balance subject to the order Of the De-
partment remaining in the Treasury at the
close Of the last fiscal year is stated by the In
telligencer to be $4,070,S73 81, but, taking !,
from another set of books, in order to obtain the
details, we find it somewhat more-viz., S4,-
089,l53 SIS.
OF this there were of appropriations
/. For surveys, lighthouses, roads, rivers hnrbors,
and similar works. ............... S235, 92l so
2. For expenses of the Mexican and
Indian wars, northern frontier trou-
bes, &c. (being old appropriations
liable for claims now under and still
coming in) observation-disclosures. l,l65,652 10