The secretary of the treasury has presented to us estimates for the current year, independent of permanent expenses, of a million and a half, amounting to about twenty-four and a half millions, which may be stated under the following heads, namely:
| For civil list, foreign intercourse, and miscellaneous | $4,000,987.85 |
| For the war department, including all branches | 11,717,791.27 |
| Naval service | 8,705,579.83 |
| $24,424,358.95 |
And here let me say a single word in defence of the army. The department of war comes to us with estimates for the sum of eleven million, seven hundred and seventeen thousand, seven hundred and ninety-two dollars, and twenty-seven cents; and those who look only on the surface of things, may suppose that this sum is extraordinarily large; but there are many items in that sum. I have before me a statement, going to show, that, of that sum, only four millions are asked for the military service proper—a sum less than is demanded for the naval service proper, and only double the amount at which it stood when the honorable gentleman from South Carolina left the department. The sum was then about two millions of dollars; it is now not quite four millions of dollars; while, during the same period, the army has been nearly doubled, besides the raising of mounted regiments, the most expensive, for that very reason, of any in the service. I think that the gentleman from South Carolina, if he looks into the subject in detail, will find that the cost of the army is not, at this hour, greater per man, than it was when under his own personal administration. So I am informed; and that, although the pay has been raised a dollar a month, which has very largely augmented the expenditure.
The executive branch of the government has sent in estimates amounting in all to twenty-four and a half millions of dollars, for the service of the current year, which, with the million and a half of permanent expenditure, makes twenty-six millions. How much is to be added to that amount for appropriations not yet estimated, which may be made during the session by congress, to meet honest claims, and for other objects of a public nature? I remember one item proposed by my friend near me, (Mr. Mangum,) for a quarter of a million for the building of a steam-ship, an item not included in the estimates, but for which the senate has already appropriated: besides which there are various other items which have passed or will pass during the present session. When the honorable gentleman from New Hampshire was at the head of the treasury, he made, in his communications to congress, constant complaints of this very practice. He well remembers that he was ever complaining that the expenditures of government were swelled far beyond the executive estimates, by appropriations made by congress not estimated for by the departments. I have calculated that we shall add to the twenty-six millions of dollars estimated for the executive departments, or permanently required, at least one million and a half, which would raise the sum for this year to twenty-seven millions and a half.
How then do I propose to bring this down to twenty-two millions? I have, I own, some fears that we shall not be able to effect it; but I hope that we shall so far reduce the estimates and prevent unnecessary appropriations, that the total expenditures shall not exceed that amount. The mode in which I propose toreach such a result is this; I suppose we may effect a reduction of the civil list to the amount of half a million. That general head includes, among other things, the expenses of the two houses, and, as I have heard, the other house has already introduced a report which, if adopted, will cut down those expenses one hundred thousand dollars, though I think that they should be reduced much more. I estimate, then, three and a half millions for the civil list, instead of four millions; then I estimate nine millions for the war department, instead of eleven millions and seven hundred and seventeen thousand dollars. In a conversation which I have lately held with the chairman of the military committee of this body, he expressed the apprehension, that it could not be reduced below ten millions, but I hope it may be cut down to nine. As to the naval service, the estimates of the department for that branch of the service, amount to eight millions seven hundred and seven thousand and five hundred dollars; an amount I think far too high, and indeed quite extravagant. I was greatly astonished at learning the amount was so large. Still I know that the navy is the favorite of all, and justly; it is the boast of the nation, and our great resource and chief dependence in the contingency of a war; no man thinks for a moment of crippling or disabling this right arm of our defence. But I have supposed that without injury the appropriation asked for might be reduced from eight million, seven hundred and seven thousand, and five hundred, to six million and five hundred thousand dollars. This would put the reduction in the naval on a footing with that in the military appropriation, and still leave a greater appropriation than usual to that department. The reduction to six millions and a half is as large as I think will be practicable, if we are to provide for proposed experiments in the application of steam, and are, besides, to add largely to the marine corps.
How, then, will the total of our expenditures stand? We shall have,
| For the civil and diplomatic expenses of the government | $3,500,000 |
| For the military service | 9,000,000 |
| For the naval service | 6,500,000 |
| For permanent appropriations | 1,500,000 |
| For appropriations not included in estimates | 1,500,000 |
| Making an aggregate of | $22,000,000 |
To this amount I suppose, and hope, our expenses may be reduced, until, on due investigation, it shall be discovered that still further reductions may be effected.
Well, then, having fixed the amount at twenty-two millions for the ordinary current expenses of government, I have supposed it necessary and proper to add two millions more to make provision for the payment of the existing national debt, which is, in theevent of the loan’s being taken up, seventeen millions. And then I go on to add two millions more as a reserved fund, to meet contingencies; so that, should there be a temporary rise of the expenditures beyond twenty-two millions, or any sudden emergency should occur which could not be anticipated or calculated on, there may be the requisite means in the treasury to meet it. Nor has there been a single secretary at the head of the treasury since the days of Mr. Gallatin, including the respectable gentleman from New Hampshire opposite, (Mr. Woodbury,) who has not held and expressed the opinion, that a reserved fund is highly expedient and proper for contingencies. Thus I propose that twenty-two millions shall be appropriated for ordinary expenses, two millions more to provide for the public debt, and other two millions a reserved fund to meet contingencies; making in all twenty-six millions.
The next inquiry which presents itself is, how this amount ought to be raised? There are two modes of estimating the revenue to be derived from foreign imports, and either of them presents only ground for a conjectural result; but so fluctuating is the course of commerce, that every one must see it to be impossible to estimate, with precision, the exact amount of what it will yield. In forming my estimate I have taken the amount of exports as presenting the best basis of calculation. But here let me add, that at the treasury they have taken the imports as the basis; and I am gratified to be able to state, that, I understand, on comparing the results arrived at, although the calculations were made without concert, those of the secretary turn out to be very nearly, if not exactly, the same with those to which I have been conducted. I will here state why it is I have taken the exports as the ground of my calculations, adding thereto fifteen per centum for profits. The exports are one means of making foreign purchases. Their value is ascertained at the ports of exportation, under the act of 1820, and the returns generally present the same value. The price of cotton, as an example, at home, is always regulated by the price in the Liverpool market. It follows, therefore, that by taking the value of any commodity at the place of its export, you reach its true value; for, if the price realized abroad be sometimes above and sometimes below that amount, the excess and deficiency will probably neutralize each other. This is the fairest mode for another reason: if, in any one year, more foreign goods shall be purchased than the exports of that year would pay for, a credit is created abroad which must be extinguished by the exports of some succeeding year.