Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-06-22

and the public debt. This statement shows that |
the EXPENSES of the government during the four |
years Of the war administration Of Mr.. Polk exclu-
sive of payments on account of the public debt
were SI64, 909, 49, SO. The expenses Of the Gov
eminent during the four years of Mr.. FILLnoRE's
peace administration, exclusive of payments On &C
count of the public debt were Sl65, 262, 449 W.
Difference in favor Of Mr.. Folks administration,
for the four years. $3.50, OCT o.; or an average Of
SIS, 267 per year. Gov. HARRIS stated this excess
at S75 OOO-bis only error being slight one against
himself, and in favor of his opponents.
These figures are official and iupregnable. They
entirely sustain Gov. HARRIS, and should cover
the Opposition with confusion.
The paper to which we have referred in the open
ing of this article after having exposed Itself By
a contradiction of a statement thus easily demon
strsble attempts to escape frcm its gross and most
/ inexcussble errors by confusing the figures and
making statements which the official records do not
sustain II had impudently called upon Gov HAIR
Rts to retract statement thus demonstrated By the
f0ures and now after it has had the opportunity for
weeks of learning the truth, it sdheres to its con-
tradiction, and has the hRrdihood to ask Gov HAIR
RIs 10 adopt its owH outrageous blunders!
We purpose, in addition to the demonstration,
In brief, of the accuracy of the statement of Gov
HARR1s and the inexcusable error Of the OgpOs-
ton, as shown, to show the faacy of the statement
on which the attack on 6oV. HARRIS is based.
l. The Opposition says:
"If the UNION AND AMERICAN viii turn to q
! speech which it exhumed and re-published
few days ago, of the Hon. GEORGE W. JONES, de-
liyered in the House Of Representatives the l4th
of February, 1851, it will fnd
s'That in the statement published by it. the ex-
penditures of collecting the revenue from she cus
! stoms and the public lands not iHcIUdsd in the
expenditures charged TO the TAYLOR and FILLMORE
| administration"
We have been unable to find, in the speech Of Mr..
JosEs, any thing to bear out this statement. He
oondenses the table and statement which he intro
duces in his speech and says they show
First the total cash expenditures for the first
period of three years, commencing July l, 1912
and terminating June so, 1S48, under the admins
tratioB of Mr.. Polk, being the three years of the
war with Mexico, we're $l3S, 643 OSl o.; annual
average, sac, 2l4. $50 &c.
| The sexual and estimated expep ditures Of the
| second period commencing July l, 1850, and ending
June so, 1852, under The administrations of Gener
al Tsylor and Mr. Fillmore, being after the close Of
the war with Mexico, were Sl4l,2l7, 500 81 aRnu-
d. average SAL 0T2 COB Il; exceeding the aggre-
gate expenditures of the first period s. 574 728 49,
| ana an auuudI 6ACt5o ONrA INC VI sAO
first period of 1855, 242 &c.
The tstal expenditures of the first period, exclu-
sive of payments on account OF the public debt as
! have already shown, we're Sl25, $50, 1856 20-sn
annual average of Sal, S5l, 452 o..
The total expenditures actual and estimated, for
the second period, exclusive of similar payments,
as already stated, are Sl2S,O74 CSC 80; annual sv
erage, S42, 69l $50 10-exceediDg the aggregate
expenditures of the first period 81 $40 800 II, and
an annual excess over the annual average expendi-
| ~. 4 &c
The total expenditures of the first period, exclu
| sive of payments on account of the public debt,
Mexican hoslilities, - volunteers and militia Of
States and Territories, increased expenses Of the
Army proper during the war, under the treaty with
Mexico and expenses of collecting the TerenHe from
customs and from lands were 81, SO; annual
average S23, $40 17-excesdng the expenditure
under the peace establishment for the year ending
with June I845, as statedby Mr.. Secretary COrwin,
only s., 324Sl7 AS
The expenditures for the second period, exclusive
of payments on account Of the public debt, and other
items specified in The preceding statement, actual and
estimated for are SOS, 24l, SOB OF; annual av-
erage of $50, AIS, 967 69-exceeding the aggregate
expenditures of the first period $38, l27, 293 Sc,
| and exceeding the annual average expenditures of
the fret period Sl2 700 097 62-being sn increase
in the ordinary expenditures of the Government
under Wing rule over the expenditures under
Democratic administration Of more than fifty per
cent. Il will require something more than the in
|
With Mexico, to induce the people-the taxpayers
of the country-to believe that these enormous and
eztravsgant expenditures which are being made
and estimated for under this good Wing administra-
ton, are right and proper. They will think that
all is not sound in the financial department Of their
Government They will require reasons for the ne
cessity Of such expenditures.
The reader will see that this statement, SO far
from sustaining the position of the Opposition, ex-
pressly cOntradiCts it.
2. We sgsin copy from the Opposition:
az That in comparing the expenditures under
the two administrations, Mr.. JONES recognizes the
prOpriety and necessity of deducting from the
amount Of expenditures charged to the TAYLOR and
FILLMORE administration the expenses of collecting
the revenue from the customs and the pulic lands
during that administration, and that in partial
comparison which he, Mr. JONES, makes, he himself
deducts those expenses from the amount which he
charges against the TAYLOR and FILLMORE admin
istrstiop.
He deducts those expenses from both adminisra-
tralious. Why not hare said so2
g. The third point raised by the Opposition is thus
stated:
3. That Mr.. JoNEs's statement Of the expendit-
ures under Mr.. Folks administration, exclusive Of
payments account of the public debt and the col
section of the revenue from lands snd customs COR
respond precisely with our statement, he aud our
elves having both gone directly TO the annual Ifed-
! S1ry Reports for our figures
An answer to this will be found in reply to pals-
graph numbered 4,
And which is as follows
"a, That the total aggregate Of expenditures I'M
/ der Mr.. Folks administration as stated by MIR.
JOKES and ourselves, the authority Of the Treas
ury Reports, was Sl66, 732, 75l, which is more by
81 S22 367 than the total aggregate set down in the
statement published by the UNION AND AMERICAN,
| We insist that the Treasury Reports as officially
! p blished, are the highest authority in the case
| and we insist that the figures taken by Mr..
JoNES aud ourselves from these reports, precisely
corresponding they do, are, and must be held to
| be, correct"
The statements ref, rred TO, taken from the an
nual reports Of the Treasury, are evidently par
| tial estimates. The exact figures are found in
the official report of the Register of the Treasury,
to which we have above referred. This official re-
port, prepared By the Register of the Treasury, is
The highest authority the This statement, TO
which we again refsr the conductors of the OPPOsi
ron, shows that the expenses OF the four years of
Mr.. Folks administration we're SlG4, 900, $3.50,