National Republican., 1873-11-14

'HE WAR DEPARTMENT EsTIMATEs. u
Many Of the opposiN pSpers have COM p
rented with some sdscfIty and Agood deal n
4 Ill nature upon the estimAtesof the War {,
department. for the fscai year cnding June a
o, 1875. 0ac or two OF thc Journals, dis b
inc,ively Republican, have fov some reason
NJ another seen a. to puruo ths ssue course,
,otably the Cincinnati GdrSi4 fhe WASH /
ngtoh correspopdcnt Of thAs p4pcr, who is
rsuaily wen informcd, and, q o general /
hing, docs not make many blunders, writes
\ letter from this city, which is prefaccd with
lhs startling headline, "Fifty.scven mil
lions for war;" lie says ''the estimates
Of the War Department fQr the
next fiscal year arc over ytwsrl
millions. The appropriations for the current
year were something over Joriy.t,ro miNionsi
With an lncrcrsing national debt, auda d.
crcasing revenue, aud proportionato M
crease In nearly all tho annual estimates,
such figures arc startling" Tho first sen
tencc Of this extract Is strictly true. Tho
estimates for the next year are hfty-six MIL
lions, and the appropriations for the present
year arc only forty-two; but there Is no
ground whatever for alarm. The trouble Is
that the correspondent OF the Gdsetis did
not take the time or tho trouble to analyzc
the estimates and appropriations. II he had
his editor In the home once would not have
had the opportunity or the excuse to write
the "alarmlng" headline We have quoted Of
"afty.sevcn millions for war;"
Before entering into an analysis Of the csti-
mates which have excited so much terror and
drawn forth so much adverse criticism II IL
necessary to explain one or two facts which
have been entirely ignored In the prcscnta-
| tion Of the figures by our contemporaries and
In their comments upon them. Since the
close OF the war, and down to 1870, the War
Department, as well as the other Depart
ments Of tho Government, was allowed 10
use the balances Of old appropriations In car
rylng en- the current expenses oil the fiscal
year, so that tho Department asked for ap-
preparations only under those heads whore
the balances had been exhausted. In that
year Congress passed law covering oil the
balances Of uncxpeudcd appropriations Into
the Treasury, and prohibiting tho use OF any
money during the fiscal year which had not
boon specifically appropriated for that year.
This action upon tho part Of Congress placed
the estimates upon an entirely different basis
from that which had hitherto existed, and tho
Department Of War Immediately began to
make its estimates ns close ns possible. In
some particular itsms, such as the amount Of
lpsy, tho cost OF clothing, subsistence OF the
army, &C., II was possible to do so to afrac'
tlon, but In other matters, ns, for Instance, In
the case Of transportation and the expenses
required on the frontier, which has become
the principal scat Of operations for the army
, the Texas, Arizona, Pacific coast and North
ern boundaries, and the Indian country, th'
estimates cannot bo set down with precis
accuracy.
d So far rs the military expenses are con
I cerned, the estimates this year are betwee
y Eve and six millions In excess Of those q
v last year. The estimates for strictly multar
a purposes for the ascal year ending june q
1874, wero e33, sec, 37S. 78. The estimates fo
strictly military purposes for the year ondin
q June 30, 1875, are S34, 40, 722 80, or onl
o s5s4, ,3i4 II in excess OF those for 1874. Her
: Is where the opposition journals have falle
IA into their great mistake. The estimates fo
the army proper for tho coming fiscal yea
arc only little over half Q million NOR
10 than they were for the current year cndin
'c June, 1874. The additional estimates Nhic
N have so alarmed our contemporaries includ
=, the items OF sl, ,449, $50 to begin the armt
n ment Of fortinca tions along tho soaboar
which havc been so far completed b
V the Engineer Bureau as to bc read
a for the mounting Of heavy guns. Tn
. additional Item Increases the army estimate
: proper to the sum OF $50, as, ,ol7, an increas
l. specially directed by acts Of Congress. This
\ the entire amount Of the estimates for n
army, or for war" as our cotemp0rarit
will have II. Looking outside Of lcgitimai
'' expenses for tho army proper, we come
70 the expenses Of the Engineer Bureau,
p which are included the building Of forts, c,
"A penscs Of river and harbor improvement
. Ipublc buildings and grounds, &C. 1t wi
be seen at glance that these arc not appr'
y priatious properly chargeable to the arm
. although they arc under the general exec
IN tive control Of tho War Department, and Il
Is ciuded In its estimates. Tho estimates Il
IN engineer purposes for the year ending Jur
!. 80, 1874, were $3.50, ,se4. For the sau
~ purpose for the year ending juno 80, 1877
d tho estimates are 0,450, 800, showir
e an increase In the estimates for th
al purpose for tho coming fiscal year I
ca s3,8lp,572. The appropriations made
Nm Congress for tho Engineer Bureau for u
= fiscal year ending June, 1874, were ss,ST
~ 174. .S8-showing difference between the o
d. propriations and the estimates for that ye
as 10 the Engineer Bureau Of sl2, $50, 22l.4i.
a. look at II fairly and squarely: The total q
mt preparations for the War Department for Il
a.. year ending June 80. 1874, wore o., &c;
sh ~o. Al, To-. sha I,,
' 30, 1875, arc s58, SIG, ,66s.S9, as against toi
ch estimate for the same purpose for the ye
Id ending June 80, 1874, OF s55, 400, sls2 %, ma
ing O difference between the cstimat
Nv for 1874 and those for 1875 OF on
e909, 5000. Tho difference between Il
appropriations for tho War Department
an 1874 and the estimates for 1875 Is sl3.69t
n 1915. OF that amount fl2, ,0S0, 22i.H a
ra- chargeablo to the Engineer Bureau ai
rst o. 328, ,355 80 to estimates not military In tn,
charactsr-such ~ for expenses OF obsery
tlons and reports Of storms, tho erection
no. monuments to deceased soldiers, the Free
w, mems Hospital and Asylum, tho rcfuuding
res States Of sums expended In raising volu
net teers during the rebellion, service on I
an, lakes, signal stations at lighthouses, &c.
a.. we nave pocn poIhcmsi ~ bNhb th'
" figures because Of the charges that ha
% been made. Gross extravagancc has DC
Of charged upon the Secretary Of War, and
II have been told that while the revenue v
,b. decreasing, while peace and tho methods
,,v peace were being accepted by the VIII
=, world, the expenses Of our military est
" lishment wero upon tho increase. Co
parsons have been made with the Brit
,us army. We have boon reminded that
m total military expenditures Of Great Brit
nj for her army Of l2s,96s are oily s7esi,t
larger than those Of the United States
Gu their army Of $1,000. The answer Is q pli
ual and obvious one. First Of oil, the army
Idy tho United States Is the best paid q
ain the best fed Of any In the world. CIR
Ind Britain pays her soldiers twenty-five ce
per day, or about s7.oo month, out
'' which they are compelled to provide ii
but own uniforms. The United States pay u
ise- soldiers between s13 and $l4 q month,
one nearly double, and In addition supply III
wo with uniforms. Then, again, tho army
=. the United States Is scattered over an
:, mensc territory, carrying on its operations
'no the most expensive portions Of the wol
The l .o., bat xy aav, tho pen fxf