Cost Of The Florida War

In Borne of tny late addresses,"! have referred to the menner in which the two eucceasive administrations had proceeded, as evidence tdnt no proslavery partios could gov.ern thé country w ithout iuining it. One of my illustralions of the Jast administration was tbeir conduct of tlio Florida war. Ae a part of the cnse I refetred to the building of bnrracks for tli? troops, There were eix of these - bepun in 1836, and not all finished till 1841. The most expensive was at Tompa Bay, and cost $286,277. Thot at Gary's Ferry cósl$158,881. The whole six cost the enorruous sura of $665,210, Not a dollar was ever appropriated by Congress Jor these buüdings,lhe purpose for which they were wnnted by the government W8S nierely u-mporary, only during the hostihiies' in Fl rida. and all the erections mcessary might have been made by the soldiera themselves at leisure hours. The Congressional committee Pay that "troops liove always been requirerl to erect their own barrncks," and "not one of these depots would havecoet one twentieth of thcir present coet." It ws in th3 reckless way that the resources of the gov ernment were exhausted,so tha, if the party so conducting had continued in power, and been rompelied to meet the èiforts of their own mismanrgement when tíie chnnge of times cut off" the revenue, ond goyernment could neithor raiee money by tax or diitiep, nor borrow a dollar by loan, they would have been irretrievably disgraced. That party was saved by its dofeatin 1840. Let those who helped to take this ernshin burilen oft the slioulders of the Van Buren nartv takü what rnmn.