Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-05-15

not responsible for the mode in which the none
is expended Could Congress- when it made the appro
pratons for the year l849 have foreseen and provide
against the fact that escort to be sent tn
plains to carry Mr. Collyer to Caforniato carry col
ector to his postal expense Of $34 900 or
with such cortege and equpage might have be6tted
Persian satrap going to his province Could Congress
when it made the appropriation for the quartermaster
department for the same year. 8i9 have foreseen tina
barracks would be put up in California out Of lumber
$500 thousand Could Congress provide against TIL
fact that the army New Mexico would be posted
where every thing expensive and difficult to be OBJ
taned instead Of being posted in places where they con
have easy to fuel and provisions and have the
means to obtain them upon cheaper terms? Could Con
gess foresee prevent the fact that quarermaste
in New Mexico should have expended in the fiscal year
ending June go 1851 for forage alone $685. 800? when
in the year 1884, believe the whole of the expenditures
for the not quite 5000
(See Quartermaster Generals Report for 1867
Mr. BRoDHEAD. What is the name of that quarter.
master?
Mr. HUNTER. His name, believe, though I am not
sure is Reynolds The not given but the amount
is He assistant quartermaster in New Mexico
not California, as stated, by mistake.
A SENATOR. Was it at one post?
Mr.. HUNTER. There about seven or eight posts.
will refer to the papers to get at the exact state Of the
find that this expenditure for forage in mill
tary department No. 8, New Mexico.
was asked what the entire expenditure of the
quarermasters department in New Mexico for the year
ending June 80, 1851. believe it was $SO6l5 But
i
frred to these items for the purpose of showing that it
is impossible that Congress be held responsible for
the mode in which the money expended and that its
sole responsibility was in appropratng money only for
necessary and proper Objects and in providing the sums
necessary carry them out although they might be
somewhat too large, owing to maladmnisration But
sir have been asked in private what is the remedy if
there has been maladmnistraon and how shall we hold
the Executive responsible? Why sir, we can do SO by
exposing the facts to the public But it is asked HOW
shall ascertain those facts? There may be abuses
and Congress may not be able to reach one In ten'
admit that fact and yet when there has been great ex
pense and extravaganza there will always be mode Of
reaching it. One method is to expose the total to
hold up the aggregate result and If be OF character
calculated to starte the public mind then the Admins
tration must explain how that expenditure is made
Another mode of reaching and correcting such extrava
gance is by going into specific items and showing that
these expenditures extravagant and improper as
may sometimes be done believe that, when we look at
the subject in either way, shall find there has been
extravaganza and maadministration Some Of these
raordnary expenses might perhaps appear to be
sary in the administration of the Government in distant
portions of the country and at all events difficult
for the Executive abuses but these abuses do
exist to fearful and alarming extent and propose pre-
senty call the attention of the Senate to of them
In the report made year ago last December for the
year $780, the Secretary of the Treasury for the pur
pose Of showing the expenses of the Mexican war; made
table, from which appears that the average expenses
for the years 1S4 1844 and 1915 taken in
parison, and then the years 1885, lS, and l84S and
then three other years The average expenses, exclusive
of the fund expenses in the Post Office Department
and the payment of the principal and interest Of the pub
lie debt, for the three first years $50 ,0OO The
annual expenses during the years OF the Mexican
war were S45 1t us see what is the sum total
Of the expenditures now.
According his statement there expended during
the last year $685. $50 80 after deductng payments
account Of trust funds and the public debt In the quar-
department there expended according to
statement furnished by its head Az for the
fiscal year ending in June, 1851. By statement fur
nished from the Registers office it appears that of
this $4 064 292 were drawn from the Treasury;
that the residue of ST $50 probably derived from
Mexican contributions and the civil fund in California
Now the statement of expenses in the Secretarys
port was taken from the Registers books must add
this ST 22l $50 to the S38 801 to find the real
penditure Of $50 Col for that year Such SIR were
the disbursements of year. and that in time Of peace
The estimated expenditures for the present year. exclu
sive Of debt and interest is Sal 000 and since that
statement and large additions have been proposed in
this deficiency bill Now, il will not do to say that this
expense was on account Of these distant possessions We
had large armies aoo during the Mexican war and ac
cordng the statements of the present Secretary of the
Treasury, the annual expense them appeared from the
Registers books, about $45 900, or about ten
per than the estimated for the present
fiscal year say, them that these results show some
thing which requires an explanation. = &
fnd comparing the expenditures for the army pro-
per for the year ending the Both of June 184 and the
year ending June 1851 that in 1S45 the whole expense
under that head 49, OFT and in 1851 the expense
Of the army proper was So $40 GOO When you to
add to that 81 221 $780, to be for expenditures in
termasters department not appearing in the register
books you have expenditure for the army proper Of
upwards Of $40 900 000 being than three times as
much in lS45 We have the estimate for 10000
troops the field and when to take the expense
for the department for the last fiscal year
find II very nearly $500 per man under that
head alone In the army proper the EXPENSE when the
Of 81 221 900 is added above TO the Secretsrys
statement Is about $500 per man And the whole miii
tary expenditures Of that year are as stated
in the report Of the Secretary Of the Treasury 00O
appears from the evidence 10 which have referred
and S2062 267 for military pensions would amount to
Sl4.32 per map. - LES eis -ssa
But the fair mode Of estimating these expenditures for
purposes Of comparison is to take those FOR the army pro-
per- and under that head have have
1866 per for the last fiscal year But when
to look at Of these items find they Of cha
rncter that must Of necessity stare During the last
fiscal year they spent in Texas alone 0i0 000 In Cali
fornia 1927 000 in Oregon Sls7 600; in New Mexico,
$806l54. And how does all this come about? Why it
results from the fact that there has been elasticity
hexbility In the system Of administration applied to
new and entirely different circumstances They persisted
in following old system, designed for an old and thick
ly-settled country and applied IL wilderness Every
other people, exhibiting any administrative genius and
having distant POSSESSIONS have adapted their system Of
administration the circumstances 20 which II was 70 be
applied The old Roman soldier marched with his nipple
mens Of labor well as with his weapons Of war design
ed To himself at night after the march of the day
The soldier Of the French imperial army, when
his object speed, dispensed with the cumbrous equi
page Of tent and found temporary substitute in the
FIRE Of the bvouac And il something Of this sort Of ad
minstrave genius and talent had been shown incur
vice, how much light have reduced the expenditure
of the army these distant postsj But nothing Of this
sort was done until very lately Nothing done TO-
wards making the soldiers help and subsst them
selves until very recently Now there is change Oh