Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1859-09-10
WHOLE NUMBER 5O7.


falls on the Treasury, the residue on the
troops individually Their position here
is an irksome one; their comfortsfew home.
family, friends are far away. II the policy
now pursued is 10 prevail, they cannot be
needed in this Territory. WHY. then. arc
they kept heref Brigham Young viii con-
tract. aud make money by contracting. 20
put down all resistance to this policv at
oHe.teptlplhe. cost Of keeping the Army
here Why then not withdraw it9
] have not so bad an opinion Of the
Mormons as that entertained by the Army:
while | consider the Mormon religion, 50
called, dclusion and blight, l believe
many Of its devoted adherents, including
most of those have met, TO be pure-mind-
ed, wel-meaning people; do not believe
that Mormons generally delight ia plnnder
or MURDER though the Testimony in the
Mountain Meadows, Parrish, and one or.
two other cases. is certainly Staggering
But concur entirely in the conviction Of
the Army that there is no use In its retep.
tion here under existing orders aud circum-
stances, and that three or four companies
Of Dragons would answer every purpose. OF.
this large costly concentration Of troops.
The Army would cost less almost anywhere
else and could not anywhere be less useful.
A suspicion that it is kept here TO answer
private pecuniary ends is widely entertained
here. It is kaowh that vast sums have,
been made out Of its transportation by fn-
yored contractors. Take sagIe instance
already quite notorious Twenty-Five cents
per pound is paid for the Transportation Of
all provisions, munitions, DC, from Leaven-
worth to this point. The great contrac.
tors were allowed this for transporting
this years supply of Flour BY little
deXterous management at Washington.
they were next allowed to furnish the Flour
here. being paid their twenty-five cents
per pound for transportation, in addition 10
the prime cost on the Missouri As Utah
has better soil for growing Wheat than
almost anything else, they had no difficulty
in sub-letting this contract at seUen cents
per pound net making clear profit Of
$40, 600 on the contract, without risking
a dollar or lifting finger. OF course, /
expect contractors to bargain for them
selves, not for the Government bnt soTse.
body is well paid for taking care of the
public's interest in such matters Has ho
done his duty
Again Pursuant to q recent order from
Washington, tile Assistant Quartermastcr
General here is now selling by auction some
1000 mules-about two-thirds of all the
Government owns in this Territory. These
mules cost $l15 each, and are worth to-day
S125 to $3.50. attended the sale for an
hour or SO this forenoon the range of pri-
ces was from $50 to $II5 the average Of
100 slready- sold about SIS. Had these
mules been taken to California and there
/ nrOpnrlv ad ID IL
have brought nearly cost even at Leaven.
worth they must have sold for at least
500, 900 more than here where there IS
practically no demand and no competition
for such an immense herd and, after eve
ry Mormon who can raise a 500 OF
over shall have supplied himself With
span of mules for half their value, one or
two spectators viii make as much as they
| please, while the dead loss to the people
will be at least 5000 000 Nobody here
has recommended the sale Of these mules
they were being herded under the care OF
detachments of the Army, at no cost but
for herdsmen, aud they could have been
kept through next Winter 10 secluded
mountain valleys at cost Of abouL $40
per head (; whereas the Army can neveS
move without purchasing an equal number:
and they can neither be bought here nor
brought here for 5000, 900 more than these
animals are now fetching. .Somebodys in
terest is subserVed by this sale, but il is not
that of the Army nor of the People. The
order is to sell seven hundred wagons as
WELL but these would not bring $50 each.
while they cost at least $l30, and could not
he replaced when wanted even for that.
%hile the Army canF1L moye without them.
and keeping them costs absolutely nothing.
Who issues such orders as this, and for
whose benefit fs
Look at another feature Of this transac-
ton: There is at this moment large amount
due to officers aud soldiers of this Army as
nay, in sums of $40 to $500 each. Many
Vi those to whom this money Is due woald
very much like to take mules in part paw.
ment, either to use while here, to sell again,
or to bear them and their baggage 10 Cali.
fornia, or back to the Missouri on the ap-
preaching expiration Of their terms Of enlist
meut. In many Instances, two soldiers
would doubtless club to buy mule onwhich
to pack heir blankets, &c, whenever their
time is out. Hundreds Of mules would thus
have been bought, aud the proceeds Of the
sale considerably augmented. ifthe Govern.
I mtnl, Of Us IuuctlohdIltsI uAu tou1tAltd 10
to receive its own honest debts in payment.
But 10 on some ridiculous pretease OF III
blood between the Pay and the Subsistence
bureaux of The War Department. this is 70.
fuSed-it would be too much trouble 10 take
certificates Of soldiers pay actually due 10
payment for these mules so the officers and
soldiers must purehace Of spectators at
double price or go without, aud The mules
he sold for far less than they would have
brought if those who must have them had
been enabled to bid directly for them. Two
or three spectators reap a harvest here at
the sore cost Of the soldiers aud the Treas-
ury
But II will be said that Forage Is doar
IN Utah. 1t would suffice TO answer that
idle mules obtain, save IN Winter, o1Iy grow.
ing on the Public Lands. which may as we'll
be eaten in part by Government mules
as all by those Of the Mormon squstterB
But let us see AoD ID costs so much. There