, 1859-06-10
Reply Of QuarttrWaSttr General W. W. Miller,
to the Report Of the srd Auditor Of the
United States Treasury.
Editor Pioneer and Democrat

ing the war debt of Oregon and Washing
ton Territories, beg leave, through the
columns Of your paper, to briefly review so
much of said report as relates to myself.
Before l have DONE think shall be able
to prove that the Auditor has been impos
cd upon by the person whom he has caused
TO examine the accounts; or that he him
feIf has deliberately falSifed the truth
BY the statement annexed, copied from the
original books and accounts, and which is
full exhibit of the three principal arti-
clcs purchased by me, "a similar
copy of which was furnished to the Com
mission who sat at Vancouver, and the
same the Auditor had before him when he
made his report it will be perceived that
nearly all of the purchases made by me
were from the citizeus Of Thurston and the
adjoining counties, and if there is any er-
for in the statements made, call upon the
citizens themselves to rectiGy it. 1t will be
seen that horses were purchased by me as
low as $T5, and none higher than $3.50, and
therefore, when the Auditor states that
"Gen. Miller purchased horses at from 5000
to $400" he made statement which the
least examination OF the accounts he says
he caused TO be e1anincd, would have shown
him was totally false. Again he states
that oxen were bought at from 5000 to
$3.50 per yoke, when the very accounts he
had before him show that some were pur-
chased at the extremely low rate of $l25
per yoke, and many Of them as low as $3.50
per yoke. | only instance these as two Of
the many gross errors he has made in his
report
In proceeding 10 reply to the main
charge made against my accounts, l will
da so as briefly as possible, and am salts
fed that after a careful examination, the
reader will conclude that the Auditor, in
making his report has wilIfulIy and deliJer-
ately made miS.statement of the factS, for
the purpose Of prejudicing Congress against
the payment of the just debt due the citi-
zens of our Territory; and while the Audit
or selects single case TO eudeavor to sus-
tain himself, lay before the reader my
whole account, and leave it for him to
Judge whether the prices paid were not as
low as the market rates at the time the
purchases were made.
On page 81 of the Official copy Of the
report, the Auditor commences his review
Of my accounts and at once falls into an
error by making u parade OF the fact that
he discovers an excess over the amount re-
ported by the commissioners of $44, ,63S 32,
thus casting imputation upon them. Sdre-
ly most wonderful discovery! Did not
the Auditor know that public property, to
A. o,,,o,,,, ,f eIC0 mn L,,I I,,o,, e,IJ ,,d
the scrip, received in payment, cancelled?
Certainly he did, for by referring to bis re-
port, it will be seen that he gives the COM
panies credit for the amount Of scrip so eau
celled, but neglects to do so in the general
summary of the accounts of the Quarter
masters, at once showing his utter incom-
potency for the performance Of the duty
assigned him; and if The reader will take
the trouble to go over these accounts, he
will at once see tho falsencss of the Aud
itor's statement, the prejudice that has act
uated him throughout the whole OF his re-
port, and the correctness of the statement
made by the Commissioners in reporting
only the actual amount due our citlzens.--
On the same page the Auditor goes on to
say
Quartermaster Miller's purchases, as indicated by
his accounts, were very large, and at prices which
In some instances to be very high. Horses, ttUm
3lz5 to $40O; oxen, from $2n0 to $3.50 per yoke;
wagons, from slS7 70 $3.50 each rifles, $50; pistols
tl00; powder, from 81 to 81 80 per pound; blankets
from s. TO 81 each; coats S25 pants, from S. to S9
boots from 81 so to slO; Shoes from 50 to al shirts
t3 each; saddles, from $50 TO $40 each; tents SIG
each; pork $40 per barrel fresh pork from l2i to 30
cents per pound beef 20 cents bacon, IS cents ouI
tl 95 TO SIG Sc per bare sugar. from Is 10 Is cents
per pound; coffee from 2j to 81 cents per pOund bce
cattle from 81 to $3.50 each; oats from 81 so to 81
per dozen sheavesi wheat, 81 per buSlel.
Now, let the reader mark well the above
If the Auditor wanted to tell the truth,
why did he not say that the prices, though
seemingly high in one or two instances,
were, on the average, very low. How
could he come to any other conclusion
when he reports the Quartermaster Gener.
al Of Oregon as having bought go head
of horses at an average Of $325-whilsl
the average price of &C horses purchased
by me is only $l72, probably the lowest
price paid for any during the war? Aad
the horses for lrhih I paid The highest price
eanMOt be bought, today, for any less IN CASH
than The prize paid for them IN SCRIP at Laa
time The horse for which | paid $3.50 tc
Capt. G.. II. Eaton, is now owned by Mr.
WIN. Mize The large brown horse pur
chased of Mr.. L. Sylvester for $3.50, i,
now owned by Mr.. Goodell, and, although
these animals are now three years Older
than at the time l purchased them, an
told, on good authority, they cannot bt
purchased for any less than the prices ther
paid; and so on, might refer to every ar
ticle enumerated, but will not weary the
reader, but refer him to the statement.
hereto annexed, and to which l invite hi!
particular attention.
1t is true that l paid $50 each for a few
No. Kentucky rifles, and 81, to 81 sc
per pound, for rife powder, and some &C
or 20 snddles of Mr. Nathan Eaton. al