The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-02-14
our Federal Expentiitures--The Question OF
Retrenchment and Reform.

on "the Mormons, the War and the Army Con-
tractors" The first embraces some useful sta
tistics; but the second In answer to the opinions
OF the NEW York HERALD, concerning 1.-The in
trigues of army contractors, in the creation of
these Mormon and Indian wars, is somewhat
vague and unsatisfactory explanation.
| According to the last annual report of the
Secretary of War, the expenses for the fiscal year
OF the Quartermaster department amount to
the round sum of ten millions of dollars the bulk
of il chargeable to the Mormon rebellion. 1t ap-
pears that ''when the government determined TO
| adopt measures to enforce the laws in Utah an
tclpating Il large increase of transportation over
Che Plains it advertised for proposals in the usual
way, and took special pains to invite various
parties to put in bids TO do the work required"
But no volunteers could be found willing to un-
| deriake this service, requiring an outlay of two
| miihons OF dollars. And so ''the department
closed an agreement with Messrs. Russell, Ma
iors and Waddell, the old contractors, at rates
which were deemed fair and Just to 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 may be so. We do not pretend to deny
! it. But we should have been better satisfied
| with some of the figures of the expenditures
made by these contractors ris-i-pis with their
| bills against the department Without, how
ever, duplicating these contractors or any other
parties specifically in our original opinion,
we here repeat it, that this Mormon war, and all
our frontier Indian wars, have. to great extent,
been ipstigated by the intrigues of contractors,
iobbers, spectators, lobby operators and needy
politicians. From these sources of frontier in
formation. we apprehend, the War Department
was drawn into more formidable military
movement against the Mormons than would have
been attempted had all the facts been known in
season concerning the deienceless condition of
Brigham >oung. Next, we should like to know
bow many additional thousands or millions of
transportation were required in consequence of
hat mistake Of the contractors in sending on
he supplies of Gen. Johnston's corps in advance
OF the troops. Those supplies, we know, were
thus seized by few prowling Mormons and
destroy ed-a loss which caused the detention of
Gen. Johnston all winter at Fort Brdger when
the middle OF November should have found him
in Salt Lake City
but, as the contractors and the department
challenge the scrutiny of Congress upon this
whole subject and as there is evidently fine
margin in the gross expenses of the army for re-
ueDchment, we trust that this most expensive
item Of transportation will be sifted pretty
thoroughly The Secretary's estimates for the
military service for the ensuing fiscal year
amount to eighteen millions of dollars. But. con-
sidering that the Oregon Indian war is ended.
and that one thousand men are fully competent
to keep the Mormons in order. it strikes us that
this aggregate of eighteen millions for the en-
suing year might be judiciously cut down to ten
or twelve millions We dare say that the SUBJ
ssteDce of every soldier in Utah and Oregon
costs the department as much as if he were
boarded at any of our first class New York
hotels At this rate, as far as practicable, it is
The manifest policy Of the government to bring
the troops near their supplies, instead of trans
porting their supplies Thousand, fifteen hundred
or two thousand miles over inhospitable deserts
and mountains.
With regard to other retrenchments we think |
that in the expenses of Congress. (ncludipc an |
important item omitted by the Unioa-the public
printing! and in the reorganization of the
several executive departments, and in various |
contingent and miscellaneous expenditures in.
dicious savings might be effected, which. in
Guiding the indicated army retrenchments, would
present an aggregate Of fifteen millions less than
the total estimates of the heads of the several
executive departments for the ensuing fiscal
year.
But here the question recurs What are the |
chances for these or any retrenchments from
this Congress? The prospect is dubious; but
considering the intense opposition of the South
ern democracy to any practical tariff scheme for
The treasury, they have no other
alternative before them than the reduction of its
expenditures. We fear, however, from the
Presidential divisions Of the democracy and of |
the opposition upon every important question
and from the pressure of the heavy business of
the session at the eleventh hour, that this Con
gress will adjourn without providing the needed
relief to the treasury, either by retrenchments or
increased receipts In this event, the whole duty
Of inauguating new epoch of retrenchment and |
reform will devolve upon the President: but
fortunately, he possesses the power to make the
movement practical and effective
The programme we have already fore
Swallowed. 1t is simply a reconstruction of his
Cabinet and of the whole personnel of every de-
pariment from Washington to the extremities of
the Union; the call of an extra session of the |
new Congress, and the submission to it Of his
new appointments and his new policy of re-
trencbments, as embodied 10 special message
and IN the new arrangements and estimates of
the heads of the executive departments Thus
in default of any satisfactory financial ways and
means from this Congress, grand coup detat,
q wholesome revolution of re-