Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-04-30

These accounts, and the remarks OF the Nash
Vile Gazette, call for few observations.
| The Gazette, without seeing the accounts
asserts, "hey ,oere all fully authorised by the lag
and in conformity 10Th lhecharyss Of other c0cess'
This controvert seA
In the first, place, insist that there is no law
authorisiag payment ofextra rations in fhe CIR
Icnmstances under which they were charged oy
Gen. Jackson. The 9Th section OF the act Of
March 16, 1912, provides that there may be al
lowed "to the commanding officers OF each Sc
parate post, such additional number Of rations
as the President Of the United States shall from
time to time direct, having respect to the special
circumstances of each post"
When the plan was adopted Of laying the
United States out into military divisions, it
seems that the President, regarding each divi-
sion as separate post" allowed TO the COM
nandant double rations under this law. The
charge must be made under some such gene
raj order founded upon it. | can find none O.
Their that gives the least color TO IL. "Havins
respect 10 the special circumstance" the law GER
tainy did not warrant this allowance, where the
commandant Of the Post resided at his own
home. If there is any other law that warrants
it, call upon the Nashville Gazette 10 point IT
out. &M
In the second place, the charge for forage, I"
in the years III, 'le, 30, instead Of being 'ful
iy authorized by la,o,' is in direct violation Of
positive provision. The 18th section of the
law Of April "a, 1916, provides, that "when
forage is not drawn in kind by officers Of the ar
my entitled thereto, eight dollars per month for
each horse, not exceeding the number autho-
rized by existing regulations, shall be allowed
in lieu thereof Provided that neither forage nor
money shall be dracn by officers but for horses 40
TuALLY kept By them IN SERVICE.
The charge Of 672 dollars for forage, in these
three years, is the full amount Of seven horses,
at eight dollars per month. 1t cannot, surely,
be pretended that General Jackson kept seven
horses ACTUALLY IN SERVICE" in these years.
And the charges for forage in 1916 and 1878,
approach so very near the same amount, that
they too are good deal suspicious. a
In the third place, the law allowed the Major
General four servants, with the Same pay, sub
ss.ence, and clothing allowed to private SOL
dier, and il provided that this should be allow
ed in money ~ the officer, at the rate OF pay,
,atons, and clothing. Did Cen Jackson, IN
fact, employ any other than~his own Servants,
when no, from home in actual service! My IN
formation is hathe did not If it is erroneous,
it shall be corrected whenever respectable man
shall so assert.
In the fourth place, I can find no law war
ranting The charge for money paid TO physi-
cian-none for paying an Indian Commissioners
eight dollars per day and his expenses into the
bargain.-And call upon the Nashville ia
ze,te to specify them. if any such exist. .''
1t will not do to say that these charges are
Sin conformity pish the charges" made by, and al,
lowed TO, other officers The same apology is
made for the various allowances to which the
opposition make such vehement objections; and
their validity is not admitted. We expect from
the friends Of Gen. Jackson, other vindicalion
for charges q agarnss the
| am advised that there are commanding gene
rails who do not make their charges upon the
model here presented.
The Editor of the Nashville Gazette will per-
ceive that it was not with the Chickasaw, and
Choctaw nations that Gen Jackson held trea-
ties, in 1916, but with the Chickasaws and Che
rokers. He will perceive, too, that for this SER
vice Gen. Jackson made a separate charge "a
gainst the government Of S8l5 rs cts He
will also perceive that, although Gen. Jackson,
in 1915, "ren,ed house and established his
head quarters ir Nashville" NJ charge is made
for rent of Quarters and fuel upon that account.
There is another fact worthy of his observa-
ton: the charges for rent Of quarters and fuel
are em2hatically for periods Of time, when the
General occupied his own house. This charge
commences in 1916. The general was then,
the Gazette says. inspecting posts on the south
ern frontier and Gulf Of Mexico, until June or
July. The charge for Quarters and fuel is but
200 dollars. In 1917, il is AS. In 1918. when
engaged in the Seminole war, is exclusive of
Office rent, bnt $500 81. In 1919 & ls2o,i is562
624. This is singular enough. The charge
for rent of quarters and fuel, at home is more
than double, what is charged in service.
The Nashville Gazette says: "Although by
h,D he was authorized to make these charges,
even while at home, and was no, dependent on
the discretion Of any officer of the government,
for their allowance, we are SO convinced that he
never made charge of the kind, while residing
on his own property, that we challenge Mr.
Hammond to procure and publish it, if such &C
count exists"
deny that there is any law authorizing any
charge for quarters and fuel-and, in my turn,
call upon the Editor of the Gazette, If one
exists, to name it, when passed and where 10 be
found. 20
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