Lincoln telegraph. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1836-1846, 1841-09-09
ophy,-Where the political pot 6Oils, the ris
TO the top. A. s. c.
S1S,645 Thrown Avail!

| PartiZans.
The extract from the speech of Mr.. Morse, on
the Estate Debt and Civil Posse, " published two
weeks since, has had the effect IF bringing some
of our opponents to consider upon the facts there
in stated; we therefore embrace this opportunity
of publishing another extract from the same
speech, from that portion of it relating to the
extraordinary expenditures for subsistence, &c.
We invite special attention to this extract
"The first cost of subsistence to feed this posse,
including So ,432 worth received from he Quarter
Masters Department, when the Militia was with
drawn, amounted to hirty-ttree thou.and screen
hundred and seventy flee dollars. 64T28 days
service, the number allowed, gives 10, l04 weeks
board for the posse to pay for. The raw provi-
sons, sometimes purchased at wholesale before
they were moved from the place of pur-
chase, cost, according to the bills sent in,
1888 IT'S, tao dollars and seventy nine cents per
,oeek for each man. Is it possible that this enor
nous quantity of provisions was consumed by the
posse That posse composed of men-ofl
individuals with human stomachs not of raven
GUS animals, continually IN the condition of half
famished wolves. The Land Agent must have
been most unaccountably imposed upon, for the
cost of raw provisions to support gangs of men
rarely comes higher than one dollar per week
for each man. Many consider a less sum amply
sufficient. But to be sure and get it high enough
we will allow dollar and quarter per week
for each man. At this sum the whole cost of raw
provisions would have been fifteen thousand sir
hundred and forty. five doltars instead of thirty
three thousand seven hundred and seventy five
dollars and the State would have been saved
eighteen thousand sic hundred and forty.fue dol
lars-rather too large sum to be lost, especially
in the present condition of our Treasury. Wheth-
err this sum was lost by incompetent manage
ment, or in some other way, we have not yet the
positive means of ascertaning; but have been
informed by those who know, that some men who
served in that posse better off than they used
to be of one person in particular who entered
the service pennyless and came out worth his
thousands. Add $l0,399 the cost of transport
ing these provisions into the woods, with the ex-
pense of cooking, and the bare food, in an eatable
condition, cost about four dollars week for each
man. In addition to this, Mr.. McIntire in his
last report says, " the expenses of the Posse at
Fort Fairfield and Fish River have been much
lessened by their employment in raj sing produce
for their support "The constant employment
| of the men in securing crop and preparing
for another, will go far to pay their expenses. -
| 1t is quite uncertain how much this constant
employment of the men" has lessened, is like
| to lessen the expense of feeding them, but it is
quite certain that proper management of bust
ness in the right quarter would have reduced the
expense one half If the Land Agent designed
the posse for band of agricultursts-ifh intend
ed by their constant employment in cultva-
ting the earth, they should raise produce enough
for their own use, why did he sell twenty five
acres of cleared land at Fort Fairfield which he
did on the ninth of January last, just before he
left office, to one of his favorte clerks This
land was Just cleared and in readiness for tillage
| Surely if there any such design as keeping
the posse in working order by little exercise
at farming, and at the same time enabling them
to contribute something towards their support,
selling the land prepared for their crops was
novel way of doing it. Notwithstanding the
agricultural labors of the posse, the fact of his
selling off their tllage land, and that the citizens
| of New Brunswick were hired to thresh out the
| grain raised there last year, shows conclusvely,
that without change we have nothing to expect
in that way.
| But let us look little further into these pos
| Sc expenses
The amount paid for labor was $S7,009 Al
The amount paid for subsistence in
Guiding $7,432 81 worth received
from the Quarter Masters De-
partment, 1915 SO
| The amount paid for transportation, l0,399 SO
" for forage, SIPS SO
for quarters, GIG %
| Balance of stores from Quarter Mas
ters Department, 7,171 20
| Errors in settled accounts, 500 81
Outstanding claims, 5000 90
$15O,664 30
| No one would suppose that very large sum
was wanting here to make up the sum total of
the posse expenses to the beginning Of the pre-
sent year. The men are all paid oft, the subsist-
ence bills, transportation bills, forage bills, NC,
all settled. What is there left unpaid What
can come next? Only small amount hand
somely to close up with, of forty thousand eight
hundred and torty-sight dollars and t'centyztour