Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-08-21

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-,~UMnNn VA &
RICH MOND, VA.
Friday Morning, August 2i' 1916.
faE LOUISIANA VOLUNTEERS.

We have shown that, While !,
doom regret that the matter should nave iesu'eu
.s;,d;d The Secretary, under the solemn oolisa-
a,,;ons NJ the law, could not have acted DINER
r;ss He had no discretion IN Inc anaii-'ne
-,.;, rrov;s;ons of The law stared him IN Inc
60 These volunteers had been Illegally en-
listed for sx months. Inc laws u II
States did not recognize a term longer 'nan @'e'
mon,hs The law Of last May, passed aller their
.n,;s,ment authorized an enlistment lot f~ete
no,,bs The only alternative, then, was 'f
,h.so ,o,pn,eers 10 be disbanded al ibe end Oh 'e
legal term of three months, or to be eniis'ea lo'
Twelve months. In order to allow them 10 Pei'-
c;ua,e in The glory and dangers Of the camPa's"'
Inc Secretary OF War offered 10 enlist mem lot
Tho twelve months. This they declined-ano' OF
coprse. theirdisbandment was The lnevha0'
The Secretary had done all that the law a''o"s
Odd mo been allowed a discretion IN The mauef,
=. mo,,d ba ve reioiced 10 extend q favor 10 then;
hn, he was bound down by the laws ei Tue ia".'
and The result. however much be lamen'eo' co"''
-, have been different, under all the cifcum-
e,.nces Is there a true Republican, who wou"
hau. excused The Secretary for passing py Inc
n,.;o nropositions of the law, and substituting ms
nrn "discrelion ~ Admit this principle ana
there is no safety for the Constitution or Inc rish's
Of The people. A public officer IS under Inc mos'
solemn obligation 10 obey The laws, Whatever NC
the consequences. Unforeseen contingencies
NAV arise aud temporary mischief enSue-ou
this is a lighter evil than a violation oil law d.
tho discretion of any officer Of Government. In
The first case, the evil falls upon a iew-in The lat
Ter. the welfare Of the whole Republic is enoan-
sered. because The popular respect for the laws Is
shaken by the disregard OF their explicit requ'-
s;,ions for expediency's sake. We are glad 10
see these views maintained by The less violent pc
li,;cal journals Of the country, and by The lead
ing neutral press.
IN, other charges against the war department
have sprung up, and have been reiu'ed oy the
Union. The following complaints are made:
"First. The State oil Louisiana furnished the
volunteers with clothing for SIX months, out IN
asmuch as they could not, under Inc act OF li9o,
he retained in service longer than three months,
and were discharged, and, as appears BY Generas
Tavlor's letters, published in The Union yesleI-
day. at their own request at The END OF three
months, il is said The Secretary OF war has dl-
roc,ed The pavmasters 10 deduct three months clo-
thing from their pay.
aSecond. The State OF Louisiana offered and
paid a bounty OF ten dollars 10 each volunteer,
and il is said that the Secretary Of War has d.
recred that this sum also shall be deducted from
their pay.
aThird. 1t is alleged that the Secretary has al
so issued orders 10 the pay department not 10 pay
The two additional regiments sent to Gen. Taylor
r. r.,...n. MT opnhrorod in his rP0uICltlOn
sFourth. IL is said that the clothing furnished
to The volunteers was miserably bad, and charged
al double its fair value"
In regard 10 the first and second allegations,
il appears that, on the rep.a'ed and urgent ap-
plica,ions of the Secretary Of War, Oo---nss
passed TWO Joint resolutions, OF July 10 and Au-
..f.na u. Sia,r> and individuals ex-
pen.es incurred by them under calls ir ...:i:.:.
and volunteers, made by Generals Gaines ard
TAYLOR. Under these resolutions, the Secretary
of War, as it is stated by the Paymasier Gene
raj. extended 10 volunteers the extra allowance
directed to be made to the State OF Louisiana, viz
stsiz months clothing for three months servics, ana
a bounty of ten dollars TO each non-eommissione
officer, musician aud prirate-an excess OF com
nensation never before made under similar cir
CumStdDCSS. u jaw 'aA 0"S 49,"
nav and Ten dollars bounty TO most, if not all lh'
officers. the whole of which was refunded to TIL
State. but directed TO be deducted from The officers
there being no precedent Of officers receiving boun
" as an inducement to volunteers"
Unfortunately, the last instructions for paying
the volunteers did not reach The Paymaster a
New Orleans until some of the volunteers hat
returned to that place for dis~charge-hence th
complaints Of injustice done to The volunteers b.
deducting three months clothing from their pay
This evil was met by the promptness and sner
~ of Governor Johnson; and every thing va
made straight by the orders from The War De
partment, subsequently, received. In regard t
the two first charges, then, the War Department
has shown itself 10 be blameless.
The third charge, the Union says, is who'll
untrue. No such orders have been given by tn
Secretary Of War-and the two additional regi
ments sent to Gen. Taylor, from Louisiana, no
embraced in his requisi,ion, will receive III
same pay and allowances as the other regiments
In respect TO the fourth and last allegation, ,ha
"lhe clolhlng furnished TO the volunteers was mi
serably bad, and charged at double its fair price,
the fault, says the Union, is with the State auIho
rites, by whom the volunteers were thus fur
nished, and not with the War Department. Th
allowance Of clothing TO each man is fixed b.
law in dollars and cents. Where the Slate az
thorities provide the volunteers with clothing ii
kind, and the cost of lha, clothing is refunded L
the State, il needs no argument 10 prove that 10
amount thus refunded must be charged agains
the men and deducted from their clothing pay, j
proportion to the amount which each has recelV
ed, they having credit for the full amount au,hc
rized by law in lieu Of clothing.
In Justice to the Administration, We hav
thought proper TO present these facts. For SIMS
Ter purposes, the events in New Orleans hav
been perverted by the press. On 50 grave a CUES
ton, it is important that the people should have
clear conception Of The truth.
THE RIVER AND HARBOR BILL.
The Wing papers have republished, with III
keenest zest, the strong terms OF condemna,io
employed by the Ohio Statesman against III
President for his veto of the River and Harbo
bill. Their object is plain. Many Of them
heart agree with the President in putting a so
10 The extravagant, unjust and demoralizing sys
tenn Of Internal Improvemenls-but they have
political game to play, and, disregarding toe i'm
portant principles involved in the Presidents &C
lion, they rejoice in the prospect OF the mischie
inflicted upon the Administration by The hands
one of ii. leading supporters. But let us look q
ahe Justice of lhe Slatesman's extraordinary as
sault. While avowins no hostility 10 the vet
power, which il resards as one Of the most whole
some provisions Of the Constitution, il calls up
on every Western Democrat p%ointedly 10 con
denim the conduc, of President Polk, in vetoinl
the River and Harbor bill. 1t characterzes III
veto message as a shallow performance, vulga
in Its language, ridiculous Tor lis false logic, an
paltry as the treatment Of a thesis by som hair
splitting and wire-dra wing schoolman OF the mid