SPEECHES.
57
making a difference between the two years, in the aggregateexpenses of the army, of $1,522,397, and $185 66 per man.There was, it is true, a great fall in prices in the interval;hut allowing for this, by adding to the price of every articleentering into the supplies of the army a sum sufficient toraise it to the price of 1818, there was still a difference inthe cost per man of $163 95. This great reduction waseffected without stinting the service or diminishing the sup-plies, either in quantity or quality. They were, on the con-trary, increased in both, especially the latter. It was effectedthrough an efficient organization of the staff, and the co-ope-ration of the able officers placed at the head of each of itsdivisions. The cause of the great expense at the former pe-riod, was found to he principally in the neglect of public prop-erty, and the application of it to uses not warranted by law.There is less scope, doubtless, for reformation in the armynow. I cannot doubt, however, hut that the universal ex-travagance which has pervaded the country for so manyyears, and which has increased so greatly the expenses bothof Government and individuals, has left much room for re-form in this, as well as other branches of the service.
In addition to the army, there are many other and heavybranches of expenditure embraced under the military head—fortifications, ordnance, Indians, and pensions—the expendi-tures of which, taken in the aggregate, greatly exceed thearmy; the expense of all of which, for the reason to whichI have alluded, may, doubtless, be much reduced.
On turning to the navy, I have not been able to obtaininformation which would enable me to make a similar com-parison between the two periods, in reference to that impor-tant arm of defence; but I hope, when the information isreceived which has been called for by the Senator fromMaine (Mr. Williams), ample data will be obtained to ena-ble me to do so on some future occasion. In place of it, Ipropose to srive a comparative statement of the expense of