The Washington union., 1858-02-06

SENATOR HALE ON THE COST OF TIE ARMY
The honorable senator from New Hampshire, in
his speech on the army bill short time ago. laid II
down fact that it cost the government over
81 500 per annum for every man in the army. As
that senator has widespread reputation a wit,
this assertion may have been intended by him
one OF the jokes with which he frequently amuses
the grave body of which he is a member, and could
certainly have been viewed in no other light by
those familiar with the facts of the had he
fined himself to the assertion without undertaking to
give the data ON which he based it, Those data are,
however, far from sustaining hg conclusions. Mr.
Hale has very short way Of arriving at his conclu-
sion, which is simply to take all the appropriations
he can find for the entire service Of the War Depart
men in all its branches to assume the whole Of the
gross amount as expenditure on the army of
is 900 men, and thus deduce the cost of each man
This mode of calculation may have answered Mr.
Iiale's purpose but it s not fair towards the War
Department nor towards the army, nor towards the
Senate, nor il may be added towards the truth. In
this, in all other of error, nothing more is
requisite to refute the misstatement than merely to
give the facts.
In order to make out the sum of $26,O00,OO0
which is one of the essential premises of Mr.. Hales
conclusion it is necessary to take not only the APP
preparations for the army proper but also those for
the entire service Of the War Department, embra-
cling many expenditures not required for the support
of the regular army, but which necessary to
place and keep the nation in respectable condition
of defence expenditures which necessary to
maintain the dignity and safety of the country, and
which would have to be made, unless we intend to
regular army
The nation must have and maintain as all patriot
c and reasonable men will admit some of de-
fence against aggression its honor, its peace, or
its property 1t relies for this mainly on it's mill
tia force, composed of the people, and it wisely
makes provision, by regular annual appropriations,
for securing the Of bringing them into the field
in any emergency, with the best auxares for
rendering them efficient and counterbalancing
their want of military experience-well informed
officers, good arms and munitions, and strong
and well-planned Notifications. Thus, of the APP
preparations which Mr.. Hale seizes upon to swell
his aggregate army expenses to twenty-six millions
large proportion really for the de-
fence irrespective of the number of men in the reg
uar army. Such the appropriations for fortify-
ing seaboard cities, and the most exposed places
on our coast for the establishment and mainte-
nance of public armories and arsenals, where
fabricated and kept up supplies OF arms and war
like munitions not sufficient only for furnishing the
regular army but to enable the country at short
tice to make efficient militia, and to put into
the field if necessary, armies counted not by
thousands, but by tens or hundreds Of thousands
Such, also, are the appropriations for maintain
ing War Department 10 supervise and control
all matters connected with the national military
service on hand, and for public academy to mpart
scientific and practical military education, and to
Hale will take the trouble patiently and fairly to
separate all these appropriations from the Jumping
aggregate he has assumed he will find his twenty
six millions per annum for the maintenance Of the
regular army dwindled down to scarcely half that
sum. It is not proposed now to do this for him in
detail for it is but fair that he shauld be allowed
the opportunity and privilege of correcting his own
errors. The task will also offer him good exercise
in arithmetic branch of exact science which ardent
may have led him to neglect. If he really wants
TO know how much per per annum the
regular army costs, he readily obtain that
information by resolution Of inquiry. The War
Department, no doubt will furnish in an accu-
rate and reliable manner, and with as much mi
nuteness of detail as may be called for. His mode
Of reaching conclusions is manifesty wrong and ulr
fair He might with as much propriety undertake
to assume as the cost per annum of each man en-
ployed in collecting the by aggregating the
entire expenses of the Treasury Department, incu
ding the cost of all its customhouses and other
buildings and dividing it by the number of its en-
the national Legislature by the quotient of all the
Legislative expenses, including the expenditures on
the Capitol building, when divided by the number of
senators and representatives.
THE MAJoRTY-We all ought to know just what
these two little words signify but six months ad-
ditional controversy in Kansas about their meaning
we much fear will overthrow all past conceptions of
their proper place in the English language. The
word majority in reference to elections, signifies the
greater of two parties, or one party exceeding all
others in numbers The poll-liss must be consulted
to ascertain who the side of the majority In
all political affairs the rule of the majority is ac-