Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-02-11
GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES. y
Speech of Hon, :. A. Smith, of Tennessee,
In the House of Representatives, Jam
uary Bis 1853.

CONCLUDED.
Thus far have 1 spoken of the progress of the
country and the causes of increased expenditure
generally. l will now notice separately the three
departments Of the government upon which extrav-
arauce is mostly charged. / wish my time would
allow NE to discuss them fully, but will not.
And first the War Department. Our army, when
filed up, consists OF eighteen thousand one hun
bred aud sixty-f There are in actual service
seventeen thousand four hundred and ninety eight
men. Upon these troops deVolve the protection of
our whole frontier. Almost every fertilization in
the East has been abandoned; the troops have gone
10 the West. The necessities of the service have
demanded it. They went there for the purpose of
protecting settlers upon the frontiers, and TO
quelI formidable rebellion which occurred in the
Territory of Utah.
l know that the expenses of the army have in>
creased; but why have they increased? The cost of
the army is we'll defined when it is stationary, be-
cause the pay of the men is fixed by law, their
tions are fixed by law, and almost every item Of
expenditure is regulated by law for the maintain
ance of the army when in motion. But SIR,
the great item OF the increased expenditure of our
army is that for transportation. That increase has
gone up, within the last two years, millions of dol
lars. Previous to that time had, it is true, some
hostile Indians upon the frontier; but large por-
ton of the army was then in our barracks along
the Atlantic coast. Upon tho breaking out of In,
dian hostilities in Oregon, in Washington in New
Mexico, and in Texas large portion of our army
ordered there. More than year ago a fOrmi-
dable and dangerous rebellion threatened us in
Utah, which took the whole body of our troops to
the plains, except as many required to take
care Of the government property at the deserted
barracks.
In supporting this army every gentleman who is
at all acquainted with that country knows the diff
Guilty that had to be encountred. You have to haul
the entire subsistence thousand miles, you had to
keep your army in the Businesses of the Rocky
mountains in the winter, in order TO be ready for
the spr ng campaign. 1t must be supplied from the
settlements. There now in active service on the
plains about eleven thousand men, the subsistence
for which has to be brought either from the Pacific
or from the Mississippi valley. This transpOrta-
ton costs large sums of money. A little over
year ago the army was ordered TO Utah, without a
dollar Of money in the quartermaster's or in the
commissary's chest. Congress was in session for
three months before they furnished the Secretary o.
War with the Necessary means for transportation.
Under these circums' ances, provisions and trans
portaons naturally cost higher than ii they had
had the money in hand But, after the passage of
the deficiency BILL ventureto say, there has not
ccntIac; been made for subsistence or transporta,
tion or for any expenee in the quartermasters de
parlmen that would not, go fa7 prices are con-
cerued, command the approval of every member Of |
This House. Thus sir, however much the march Of |
the army to this wilderness country may have in |
creased the expenditures, it did not cost too much;