The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-02-16
CONGRESS AND THE ARMY.

CONGRESS AND THE ARMY.
Depressed as the modern idea of craftsmanship
may be, We do not kaow that il has yet come to toll
crate in senatorial debate, the habitual misrepre-
sentaon of readily ascerainabe facts one of the
in,munities of the senatorial character Where official
documents contain full expositions OF the facts of any
given subject of government procedure, we doubt
whether the constant perversion OF these facts on
the floor of the Senate of the United States will be
excused to senatorial ignorance, TO the senatorial
imagination, even by the lenient idea which pre-
walls of modern craftsmanship
We make these remarks with reference to several
passages which have dropped from the lips OF sena-
tors during the last week in regard to the expendi
lures of the army. We shall quote from those of
Senator Wilson on Saturday last to show in what
entire ignorance of the subject these declarations
are made, especially the general tone OF that sen
ators remarks was liberal and more sincere
than those of other senators from whose personal
clndor and intelligence at least to say nothing OF
their political relations with the administration,
more fair and enlightened treatment of the subject
might have been expected, Among other things
Mr.. Wilson said
eve want army, but we want that army organized
and conducted in the best and most efficient and cheapest
manner. OR expenditures for transportation, ta',ts oaom
10 eight millions annually We have large
country. Under the most economical arrangement that
we have, our transportation expenses, covering so
much unsettled and uncultivated country must be very
large 1t is the vast expansion OF our country and the
extension of settlements into the INTERIOR which have IN
creased immensely the expenses OF the army
III think these expenses be reduced several million
dollars but do not believe they can be reduced fifty
per cent Fifty per cent is an immense reductions re-
ducton greater than the interests OF the service Will al
low but do believe we can reduce the expenses OF the
army at least thirty per do believe can reduce
the expenditures from $4,000 900 to si3 900 O0oa re-
duction Of So, 600 600
The profundty of Mr. Wilson's wisdom ON the
subject upon which he thus discourses will be APP
parent when we state that the expenses of the
transportation of the army-great, indeed, for the
obvious reasons which he states not much more
thana third of what he charges them to be- His idea
that it would be wholly impossible to reduce them
fifty per cent on the ''seven or eight millions annu-
ay" which he mentions is unfounded Tor such
reduction IS the most practicable thing in
the world The appropriations for army trans
p prtation for the year ending June, 1899, were
100000 and deficiency is or will be asked for
The estimate for army transportation for the fiscal
year 1859 GO now before Congress is $3,00O0OO
At the opening of the session it was submit
tie at 50 400 900 but in consequence of the
d ace treaty made with the Navaoes, the pa
c Rcation of the Indians in Washington, and
the modification of atfirs in Utah, the Secre-
t,ry Of War has reformed his estimate submit
ted at the opening of the present session, and IT
now stands at three millions. Thus it is not only
not impossible" that the army transportation ex-
penses will be reduced "ffty per cent. below Mr.
w q alleged sum of "seven eight millions, but
entirely possible that they will be reduced sixiy-ive
per cent below that imaginary figure.
As to the "Sl9O0O,O 900 of annual army ex-
pendturesn spoken Of by the enlightened SEN
ator from Massachusetts,, it will indeed be quite
impossible to reduce them from aiaefeen, though
it is probable they will be made to approx
mate thirteen millions. They cannot be re-
duced from nineteen millions, for the simple
reason that they have never reached, since the
| Mexican war that figure Even in the fiscal
year 1878, when three thousand troops were
marched land every mouthful of their food and for
age transported) twelve hundred miles to Utah. the
actual expenses of the army were but Sl7 1926
! TSee Report on the Finances, 1878 p. 29 And
s far from their being "now" nineteen millions, as
alleged by the senator the appropriations for army
/ expenditures for the year 1882 were but $I4,-
| 1855 C65 while the estimates for the year 1859 go,
now before Congress, submitted by the department
at the present session. las reduced by the reformed
estimates already alluded to- are but sl4o4s 1856
in fact we should not be surprised il the desirable
point of thirteen millions should be reached and the
hopes of Mr. Wilson realized in another year for
the army expenses, except as 70 the extra charge Of
shs Utah war during last year, have been diminish
ing for several years past
4 Now, we have derived the facts above given from
halfhours examination of the proper official docu-
ments--documents which are even more accessible
10 senators than ourselves. What is more, we did
not feel competent to write for the public informa-
ton this subject until had made that easy
animation though we should have been justified by
conspicuous examples if had gone into the sub
ect pemell, drawn upon our imagination for facts,
and blurtcd out prejudiced conceptions at ran
dom, reckless Of misleading the public mind.
Nothing could be more persistent thanthe attempt