Arkansas intelligencer., 1848-03-11

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ance is not hairs breadth in advance OF total
failure TO keep The horse. To meet che require
ment of being .'serviceabIe,' in letter as well as
spirit. the animal must not only be kept, but
must be actually nSed, and that, too, in Tie serrice
Of The UnifeG States. To use him for the enemy.
or allow him to be used by them, would no. only
be failing IN duty, but be p0suire treason. Simply
TO have kept him, would be negative act--just
equal to losing him altogether. 1t follows, there
lore, that the keeping and using the horse. in
good faIth while personally able TO do 50, in the
service Of the United Stales-and ceasing to do
so, no. willingly, but only by compulsion, and in
obedience to lawful orders, was a faithful COM
plance with the Law, to the full extent of us
scope and contemplation.
When The mounted volunteers, whose terms o!
service had expired, and who had not been pris-
oners, presented themselves 10 receive their "pay
and allowances" did the Paymaser question
them. as to whether they, any Of them, had
failed, during any period of their service-either
while sick, or while under arrest, while dIsa-
bled by wounds-to keep '.serviceable horses?'
venture to assert that no such question was
asked; aud for the simple and excellent reason
that ii would have been irrelevant and wrong /;
and, however answered, could not have affected,
certainly not to diminish the pay Of those gallant
soldiers.
Why was this insult-this indignty-this
coward injury reserved for these prisoners! Was
it not enough that these sad survivors of I'M
fortunate band, having faithfully served their
country for seven months-passing an equal Pc
riod in a cruel captvty--leaving many of their
comrades dead or dying in enemy's country
themselves worn down with suffering and disease
had at last returned to their country; some
of them but to die? Had they not endured
enough of privalion, hardship, indgny, insult
and injury, al the hands of perfidious foe! No!
1t was for their own countrymen--the officers
OF their own army, to aggravate their affections,
to heap still higher the measure of their wrongs,
to fill, even to overflowihg, the bitter cup of their
misfortunes! When they applied for that--and
that alone-an humble piltance at most-to which
the Law entitled them, they put off with
less than third part of what they justly claimed;
and coIdly bdden begone with that-they
deserved no more,
Why ,cas this? My efforts, humble though
they may be, shall never cease, until that question
be answered, to the full satisfaction of JUSTICE
or 10 the disgrace of the Government.
Let me not be told that, in lieu of the Ticelre
dollars month, "for the and risk of their
horses" the prisoners will be paid for their lost
horses, in the sums al which they are appraised.
when mustered into the service. Not so. There
is no Law und.,r which this can be done. The
only provs; IN is for "horses actually killed in
action" But the horses of the prisoners
not "kIlled in action They, then, have no part
in the benefits of that provisions; and if not paid
.for their use and risk according TO the estab-
shed rule they will sustain the total loss of their
property.
Nor let me be told that, although no Law is
now in existence, TO pay for the loss of horses.
other than those actually killed in action" such
a Law will be enacted by Congress. That does
not and cannot affect the present case, the
justness of its claim, at all. For who needs to
be told that rights accruing under any existing
Law, cannot be aliecled-certainIy not diSpar
aged, by any future enactmentsl
Ii, therefore, as insist they are, the prisoners
be entitled, under the existing Law, to the Forty
cents a dag. or TiccIre dollars monih .'for the
use and risk Of their horses" they are, equally.
entitled TO receive it now, without delay, and
without reference to any other Law That Congress
may. hereafter enact.
In view Of these considerations, ! would fain
hope, for the honor Of oar common country. and
humanity. that there lives no man with intellect
so dull. or s'sou so dead" still TO deny, or
even question, tho rights claimed for these pris-
onors.
Editors who have published MY communication
of last week, will confer additional favor, by
giving place also 10 This.
SOLON BORLAND, late Major,
arkansas Volunteers.