Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-01-11

are all cases in point The claims on the treasury
for the first continued to be presented for numerous
and large sums for period OF forty years alter lis
conclusion those for the war OF 1917 came ior'
ward in an unbroken stream for almost an equally
long period, and have even not yet ceased, though
thirty-6ve years have elapsed since The close OF
hostilities, and the experience on this subject as
TO the Florida war is OF course fresh IN the recol'
lection of eyery one. There is no reason 10 sup
nose that the recent Mexican war will form any
exception to the rule for the future, it certainly
has not done during the short interval which has
already elapsed since the peace, during which pc.
riod numerous and large claims have been present
ed and settled besides those still in course OF set
dement,, and others which are daily being present
ed. and will continue 10 come forward Tor many
years to come.
In thus attempting to make an estimate of the
cost of this war, only alluding TO the expen-
ditures and liabilities chargeable directly to 1t, which
it has actually drawn from or entailed upon the public
treasury, but have taken no count of the vast injury
has inflicted upon the country by the destruction OF
SO many thousands of valuable lives the great sub.
traction from the wealth Of the country by the
loss of their labor the heavy private expenditure
Of thousands besides their pay) who entered the
public service and were engaged in the campaigns in
Mexico, and the consequent losses by the derange-
ment or absolute destruction OF the regular en-
ployments and business pursuits OF those who thus
engaged in the war. The aggregate amount from
all these causes, if properly estimated. would pro-
baby fall but little, if any, short OF the actual
national expenditure.
whole additional annual and permanent expenditure
which this war has entailed upon the National
Treasury, no portion of which, actual or prospec-
tive, except the war debt and the pensions, is in
cluded in the estimate made by Mr.. Corwin be-
yond 1852 !; and when we come to figure up the
amount of these extra burdens, and reflect on the
immense aggregate they will form during future
years, it will present formidable and rather start
ling array, in which the Union will find there is as
little fancy and quite as much fact in the reali-
ties already presented on the subject.
had intended, Messrs. Editors, in this commu-
nca.ion to have taken up the charge alluded to at
its commencement, that Mr.. Corwin had magnihed
the increased annual expenditure which the Mexi-
can war had entailed on the Treasury, but find it
must be deferred until my next, when we will
endeavor to ascertain what portion Of the present
budget is justly chargeable to that war and its
results. G..
Messrs. GALES & SEAToN: Having replied to
the Unions charge of extravaganza against the pre-
sent Administration, and shown by the official
figures that in the first complete fiscal year Of its
rule it had reduced the expenditures eleven mil
lions of dollars below those of its economical De-
mocratic predecessors in the preceding year of
peace, and having likewise more than justified the
estimate made by Mr.. CoRwIN of the cost of the
war, by showing that instead of over.esimating it
at s2l7, 100000, he had greatly underrated the
actual cost and liabilities, etus now, Messrs Editors,
proceed to consider the other charge of the Union,
that Mr.. CoRwIN, in his report, has endeavored
to reconcile the country to his estimates of ex-
spenditure by an argument which is based on an
attempt to magnify the cost which the Mexican
war has enlailed on the Treasury"
If the Union does not say so in express terms,
it at least labors very hard to convey the impres.
sion iha, the increase in the national expenditure
beyond tha. which existed previous to the Mexican
war is unnecessary, and is 10 be attributed to
" Wing extravaganza" though in The course of its
remarks it is true that it does generously admit that
the indemnity to Mexico, and the interest on the
war debt, are items which might Justly be charged
to the war, and that the party in power" is enti-
tied to have those items placed to the credit side Of
the account, against the heavy passed to its de-
bit, for the increase in the present expenditures
over the amount Of the annual budget as it exist
ed previous to the hostilities with Mexico. Let
US, then, Messrs. Editors, hold on to these two
items, and ",ake note of them," as Captain
Cutie says, whilst the generous fit is on the Union,
or it may deny that the present Administration has
any just claim for even such credit to its account.
The amount Of them is, for the annual instalment
to Mexico, S3,3S6,6l6 81, and for the annual in
terest on that portion of the existing debt created
| by the war $1,000, 1879. Having thus secured
these two snug little sums to reduce the debit ba-
lance figured up by the Union against Wing ex.
travagance," let US "peep about" to see what else
we can find wherewiih to make a still further re-
duction.
That the increased expenditure in every branch
OF the War Department is owing principally, if not
altogether, to the with Mexico there can be but
little doubt. Gen. Jesup, in his letter to the Sec
retary of War, which accompanies the annual re-
port Of the latter, makes "round unvarnished ale'
on the subject, so far as the Quartermaster' De-
partment is concerned He states that the present
force of the army is greater by nearly one half than
it was previous to the war, and the "larger portion
Of the increase are mounted" The whole expendi-
ture of that department Gen. Jesup states was
$4, ,295 900 during the last fiscal year, being five
times as great as in l845. Gen. Jesup says:
Tn 1874 our extreme outposts the whole western ne
from the Gulf Of Mexico 10 Lake Superior were Fort Jesup
in Louisiana, within twenty -four miles of steam navigation
on Red river Fort Towson and Font Washita Rec
river above Fort Jesup; Fort Smith the Arkansas river
Fort Gbson about fifty miles in advances Fort Scott
southwestern frontier Of Missouri Fort Leavenworh on th
Missouri river on the frontier of the State Of Mis-
sour Fort Atkinson twenty -four miles west of the Msss
spp rve in Iowa and fort Smelling, at the mouth Of th
ST. Peters river, the Mississippi river The Rio Grande