Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1845-08-14
Navy nnd Army supplies.

There is penny wisdom and pound fooishness {"
in the management Of some of the Departments at
Washington, which is certainly the disadvantage
of the Government For instance i'm our "a )cr there
IS published about onethird Of advertisement from
the Supply Department. soliciting contracts for the
oeVery OF beef pork &C., al certain stations for the
use OF those in the employ of the Government Seve-
RAJ oil our capitalists, always the lookout for these
opportunities to invest and operate have called at our
Office during the last three DAYS TO ipoure if Govern
ment did not supplies at other places than those
speclhed IN the Enquirer and few other Western
papers In two instances we exhibited the adyer-
tisernent IN the Washington Union and the persons
there discovered that the very places where they would
bid to supply, had far the solicitation BY adver-
tisement concerned, been reserved for eastern
contractors.
Supplies, that can be drawn from no other section
than the lceS should be advertised for i the sresf-
the papers Of The rest There is not one eastern
paper circulated in the west in which this advertise
ment is published, to every thirty thousand people
Cincinnati Enquirer.
If should Judge from the facts, it would appear
TO be the intention of the Bureaus of Supplies Wash
lngton, to confne contracts 10 eastern SPECTATORS
The articles desired for the consumption Of the army
and navy Tre procured originally from the Wests and
by combining the advertisements almost wholly 10
eastern papers, the transaction appears TO be designed
solely for the benefit of eastern spectators, that they
may realize profit their sub-contracts with west
merchants This is not of the reforms desired
and expected The West has rights which viii re
urged boldly, and which will have TO be listened TO,
before many years, or even months have elapsed. We
notice that some Of the advertisements Tor supplies
published in cities where not one of the advertised
articles can be procured exceptby previous contract
with western dealers. If it is designed 10 afford pets
IN the East an opportunity to speculate OF the Gov
eminent expense, and TO prevent western bids for
contracts, happy scheme has been devised, for the
purpose, but doubt whether the people will approve
of such avorits, be grateful for the squandering
of the public funds to enrich the favore contractors
of any Department. There are men in the different
western and southwestern cities who would be glad
to take Government contracts at favorable rates
for the United States, than any eastern contractors
afford TO DO, but they not informed of the pro-
posals Besides the inspection is ordered to be made
principally in the eastern cities, which effectually
excludes western bids. The whole system, from be-
ginning to end, is eutrage not the West alone,
but the tax payers of the whole Union. If
Federal officer desires to give fat job or contract to
his friends, he is at liberty to do so in his private
matters but to squander the public funds
manage the public affairs entrusted to him, for the
purpose of enriching personal sectional vorites
Missouri Reporter.