Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-02-16
Our Pederal Expenditures.

According to the last annual report of the
Secretary of War, the expenses for the fiscal
wear of the Quartcrmaster's department
amount TO the round sum Of ten millions OF
dollars, the bulk Of ii chargcable to the Nor
mon rebellion. 1t appears that when the
government determined To adopt measures III
enforce the laws in Utah, anticipating large
increase of transportation over the Plains, 1t
advertised for proposals in the usual way
and took special pains to invite various par,
ties to put in bids to do the work required.
But no volunteers could be found willing to
undertake this service, requiring all outlay
,f two millions of dollars. And so ''the de-
partment closed an agreement with Messrs.
Russell, Majors and Waddcll, the old CON
tractors. at rates which were deemed fair
and lust 10 all parties" We are further told
that their outlaws have been immense, and
their profits, it is believed, not larger than
what Justice and fair dealing would have
awarded them"
This nav be so. We do not pretend TO
deny il, But we should have been better
satisfied with some of the figures of the ex-
penditures made by those contractors rtS-a-
riis with their bill against the Department.
Without. however duplicating these contrae-
tors or any other parties specifically IN our
original opinion, we here repeat 1t, that this
Mormon war and all our frontier Indian wars.
have. 10 a great extent, been Instlgated 10y
the intrigues of contractors, jobbers, specu-
lators lobby operators and needy politicians.
F-om these sources of frontier information, we
apprehcnd, the War Department was drawn
into more formidable military movement
AGAINST the Mormons than would have been
ottcmrtcd had all the facts been known IN
season concerning the detenceless condition
If BRIGHAM Young. Next, we should like 10
know how many additional thousands or mil
lions of transportation were required IN con
sequence of that mistake of the contractors
in sending on the supplies of Gen. Johnston
corps in advance Of the troops. Those sup
plies. we know, were thus seized by a few
prowlins Mormons and dcstroycd--a loss
which caused the detention Of Gen. Johnston
nil winter at Fort Brdger, when the middle
Of November should have found HIM IN Salt
Lake City.
But, as the contractors and thcdepartment
challenge the scrutiny OF Congress upon TINS
whole subject, aud as there is evidently fine
margin in the gross expenses OF the army Tor
re;rcnchmcnt. We trust that this most eXpen-
siye item Of transportation will be stted pref
" thoroughly. The Secretarys estimates
for the military service for the ensuing fiscal
wear amount to eighteen millions of dollars.
But, considering that the Oregon Indian war
is ended, and that one thousand men are
fully competent 10 keep the Mormons in or
der, it strikes us that this aggregate Of eish-
teen millions for the ensuing year might be
iudcouslv cut down To ten or twelve millions.
We dare say that the subsistence OF every
soldier in Utah and Oregon costs the depart
mcnt as much as if ne were boarded at any OF
orr first class New York hotels. AT this rate,
a. far as practicable. it is themaniiest policy
ofthe government TO bring the troops near
their supplies, instead Of transporting their
supplies a thousand, fifteen hundred or two
thousand miles over nhospitable deserts and
mountains.
With regard to other rctrrnchments. y"
think that in the expenses OF Congress, III
Guiding an important item omitted by the
Umion-the public printing! and in the re"r-
panizatiou Of the several executive depart
mcnts. and in various contingent and mis-
cclaneous expenditures, judiclous savings
might be effected, which, including tile mdl-
Gated army retrenchments, would present an
aggregate of fifteen millions Less than the to-
tai estimates of the heads Of the several "N-
ecutiyc departments, for the ensuing fiscal
ycar-N,lr York Herald.