, 1874-01-02


pose to cut down tho expenses Of the Govern
mont. as the bes. method OF odsctting the esti-
mated deficit in expenditures ioc the ensuing
fiscal year, it will find an admirable opportunity
for zotrenchment in the expenses OF the military
establishment. There ia no department OF tho
Government which is more extra1agantly ad-
.nnistered in tho very face OF the fact That this
wasteful expenditure is needless, and is money
litcrally thrown away. During the War period,
it Was inevitable that the expenses would DO
yery large, and the War also entailed IL
great increase in the pension LIST which
cannot be cut down and must re-
main for long tiuo source OF expense
But, when the Nar closed, there was very
natural expectation that tho military expenses
would be materially reduced. This is not the
case, however. rs the figures will show. Tho
expenditures for tho pass i've years have been
as follows:
lSG3. .s's!t ~
l5i0- $4,000 $1,000,
1871 .,.Sv'15a
1H11. .-"''''"''''''''' o"'o'-'
It will be observed that there is steady de-
croase in tie years 1869, 1870, and 1871. In
1879, however tho decrease begins to halt, and
is virtually unimportant. The expenditures fo1
the current year will considerably exceed
Ss5, ,00o, 900. The estimates for tho ensuing
fiscal year arc IS follows:
War Department. t........-.-..........-...$ BiG.3sG
Military establishment. IA, ,s3l 6l5
Ar!uor!es aud arseuAs sss'S>o
0tiittary Academy tep1irs 1850
Total. 3oo,9'9
This shows an increase OF over $5,C0o,00o
wLich might bo saved There is no valid reason
why the expenses next year should be any
greater than those OF this year. We are at
poaco with al the world now, and there is no
reason to suppose any different condition Of
things next year. Should such an emergency
happen, however, it will be time enough to spend
1nouey when there is 3 necessity for it. The
absurGity of this expenditure is we'll shown
by the Cincinnati Commercial, which
takes the trouble to make q detail
ed compuison, itom by item, between the mill
tarv expenses Of tha United States and Great
Hf1faT+ WHICH 1uIul6ueS aUWc ettA1 t44Ab Ahtsos
Including pensions, our military expenditure
foots up nearly s75.0o0: 900 per year, md our
army uambers 1854 men. Tue total cost Of
the English military establishment, including
pensions and the militia, per year, is but ittlo
over so, ,oo0,oo0 aud sho gets for it regular
army If 1923, 1868 men, besides the militia, volun-
,ntees, and reserve corps. While ne pay
s349to0 per year for West Point Great Britain
payssCG9, 500 per yenr, and has six schools Of
the highest Crude, averaging, therefore, buta little
oya 500 900 each. While our Quartermaster's
Doartmeut costa s15.G35, 600, Great Britain
PAS but s10, Coz, 900, with IA army four times as
lazo. While the British estimate for army
transportation is 8, 300, 900, the United States
esimate is 81, sol, ,0co. Summed up, the British
sidier costs his Government $543. per annum,
I'D the United States soldier 81, 200.
With such figures as these before them, there
no reason Why Congress should not effect
arge saving in the military expenses. In addi-
hon to this, they furnish rational hint that the
expenditures are not only e1tzavagant, but also
pro1igate and corrupt.