Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-06-12

S-f"-AC
medicines and hospi al attendance, ambulanees, bag
gage wagons, ammunition for cannon and rifles Ca
large item) and all the other Incidental expenses,
which can only be guessed at we foot up the yearly
totals as follows
Pay of 2l5 600 soldiers ..............$4 $40 200 600
g $4,000 sailors ..............-... 1882 600
Soldiers clothing 6 l60 900
Soldiers arms for the war-........... 3 $50 600
Rations for soldiers and sailors. Is 10000
Transportation and extra naval service
tor blockade. lZ,U00 OvO
Items omitted or contingent, including
pickings and stealings, commissions,
&c, &C.. &c, &c, &c..............-. so 100000
- -
sl9l, 032, 600
Then add $50 100000 for the ordinary expenses Of
government and we have q total OF Si8I 032 900
per annum Call it S2e0 100000 and we shall proba-
bly, be pretty near the mark. This is than HALF
A MILLION A DAY. Some have estimated our total
expenses at A NHIAoS a day; but this, we are in
cliDed TO think, is exaggeration
Yet large as the present outlay must necessarily
be- it is more likely to be Increased than diminished,
frem year to year so long as the war lasts. There
will soon be large body of men unavailable; such
as the disabled. the sick, and the lazy; whe must
be provided for quite equal TO that requir
ed for troops ID active service. In the present
dltion of the revenue, the necessity iaeyita
Die of creating large public debt to be discharged
| by the next or succeeding generations.
Nor is the Government expenditure the only bur
den which the people must bear during continu-
aBee OF the war Private subscriptions, donations,
and contributors. in one form or another, form no
uncomfortable item in the cost OF fitting out the
army and taking care of the families of those who
have enlisted in the volunteer force These sub
scriptions already amount to many millions OF dol
lars. perhaps in all the Northern States to nearly
| fifty millions, including State apprOpriations.-and
they must continue until the occasion for extraor-
binary expenditures shall have passed. or the re-
| sources of the country become so much exhausted,
that the people will no longer be able to bear this
leXtPaordnary tax upon their generous patriotism.
We suppose nearly the same ratio of expenditure
exists the Southern in the Northern States and
that in proportion TO their resources the people OF
that section OF will be taxed even mere heavily
than those of the North. The consequence of these
enormous public expenditures must be TO impover-
| ISL the country, ard to load it with debt which.
for many years to come, icrippe the energies and
weigh down the spirits OF the people. The very
causes which demand such vast sums OF money for
current disbursements operate to PROSTATE COM
mercial business and prosperity, TO discourage I'm
ports and diminish the revenue; so that with in
| reased burders we have almost extinguished the
usual sources of revenue, and are thrown upon the
very unsatisfactory mode of carrying on the Gov
eminent at a fearfully augmented cost, chiefly by
the proceeds of loas at exhorbitant rates Of inter-
ests. A eotemporary. in dscoursing upon the best
mode of conducting the war, urges large additional
levies of troops, and insists that the cost is of no
account, if public debt of fire ho1drtd millions
o. 0OtQTS IS incurred lnls Is not an encouraging
prospect to hold out TO the people of the country,
and we hope the picture will not soon be realized
The lessons to be drawn from these facts and con
siderations full of meaning aud of admoDiti0n.
Ii the war is necessary (Which in its present char
acter of invasion, coercion, &c we do not conceive
| it TO be) we by no means advocate other than a
| vigorous prosecution of il. But the hardships
which such outlay will impose upon the properly
and people Of the country, furnish abundant rea-
son tor insisting that the system of plumber and
cheating connected with the disbursement of these
| large Sums shall cease, and that the money con-
tributed borrowed fer defraying the expenses OF
he war shall be honestly and economically used,
and applied to legitimate purposes.
Will not the authorities make an effort 10 stop
| this extraordinary Treasury leak? We hear of the
army wOrG' preying upon the crops in some sec
tons of the country but we apprehend the damage
| is nothing compared with that done by this great
| army CORN TO which we have alluded.