, 1861-12-20
ARMY CONTRACTS IN ST. LOUIS.


ALL about Beef.
Editors Chlcago Tribune:
Much has been said in the journals Of the
country about speculation and ext1aYagauee
in the army; but in most cases the items Sc t
1ected for expos and comment haye been of SO |
triaing character, that it has been amusing |
to us in the West that the public benefactors |
and argus-eyed watchers Of the press have |
seemed satisfied to chase the NOTES in the bud
atmosphere crested By the corrupt men who
follow in the wake Of the army, while whole |
sale spectators and grand plunderers, who
make fortunes in single month, are serenely
let alone, to langh and grow 1ieh at the s~1n-
dies which they dignity by making ponder
Gus. Let me i1lustrate:
On the fifth day Of October, 1861, con-
tract was entered into in the city Of st. Louis,
"betBeen E, J. Haincs, Commissary Of Sub
sistence in the service Of the United States,
Of the one part, and Albert Pearce, of the
county of st. Louis, Of the other part which
provides as follows: stThat the said Albert
Pearce, aforesaid, shall receive, for the beef
delivered BY virtue OF this contract, at the
following rates, to Wit: For each hundred
pounds, live or gross weight, the sum OF $3.50,
three dollars md fifty cents.)
this interesting contract, signed, sealed and
delivered ut st. Louis as aforesaid, that the
parties Of the second part receive from our
honest Uncle Sam, through the hands Of his
agent at ST. Louis aforesaid, three dollars and
fifty cents for every one hundred pounds Of
beef, GTe or gross weight, furnished by them
to the army in this department, This is equal
30 seven dollars per hundred for butchered
beef, the loss being On the class Of cattle used
for the army in Missouri at least one half
This, at the first glance, will, think, strike
| mnst men as being little eztrayagant in a
con&fF celebrated for its cheap beef, and sa-
| vorzg somewhat Of Il bly, swindle.
| tHFirst Impressions, Messrs. Editors, arc often
| times correct, and noT I propose to show, and
| viii DEFY successful contradiction, that this
same contract has given to the parties partici-
| pating therein profit Of s2,970 per day, or
days, $780, $50. In addition to this, knowing
| ones say that the value Of the fifth quarter Of
| beef and the large profits on cattle that fool
| tsh7y 1rant7cr snto the droec as It is passing
| through the country, adds another very i'm
portaat item to the grand total Of profit afore-
t said.
| In another revolution, when the doctrines
| VIC are now perilinE our lives and fortunes to
sustain we're first Promulgated and iuaperiled,
men we're not wanting who followed our bleed
| ing army and raised the cry Of tspay us for our
| beef" The names Of these men have passed
into history and become infamous For Gods
sake, Mess1s Editors, see to it that this dis
| grace upon our sacred cause that have above
al1uded to may no longer 60 une1posed-
ONE WHO IS IN THE ARMY AND KNOWS WHERE
! OF HE spEAKs.
| ST. Louis, December /, 1861.
| a War with England to be Avoided.
Editors Chicago Tribune:
The old adagc that ttpasson is blind" is
strongly Illustrated in the rcck1essness with
| which portion OF the American press and
people now talk Of war with England.
A small amount Of reflection is sufficient to
convince all cauaid minds that the question Of
the seizure Of Mason and Slideu on the Trent
is one that should be determined purely in the
light Of international law To such law our
Nation is but an individual party, and cannot
claim to have its own way, irrespective Of other
nations. If We arc in the right, it will appear
a11 the more clearly from dispassionate and
d1gui1ed discussion, and We shall be sustained
all tho more surely by other nations, and by
England herself in the end, If we manifest 8
calm reliance on the right, instead Of putting
on the airs Of defiance and braggadocio.
Probably there WIS not u thinking man in
| the United States who did not, on first learn.
ing Of the Trent seizure, feel apprehensions
| that trouble might gToW out Of it. 1t will be
remembered that Captain Wilkes himself was
reported to have informed. General Wool that
I" he thought he Was right, but right or wrong
he WIS bound to take tile rebel cmissaries. u
A month followed Of onc-sidcd discussion o1
the affair, in which NC thoroughly convinced
ourselves, in accordance with Our inc!lnations,
that Wilkes WIS right, and that England would
neekly pocket the affront to her flag, regard
ing us as highly forbcaring and naggnanimous
people in not having seized her mail packet as
4 prize!
.. At length quite another tale is told. Eng
lind fails to see the propriety Of having pms
sengers forcibly taken out Of her mail ships b.
a nation proyerbial]y hostile to the right 0
/ search against her OWL ships. as nearly every
body at first expected she would do, she de
: mands an apology and the restoration Of th
prisoners.
: Nov come b1uster and defiance on our part
T It is not little to be feared that members 0
, the Cabinet are disposed to practice it, and i
is very cEidcnt that u portion Of the press ant
numerous demagogues throughout the countr,
are disposed to seize upon the occasion Us ON
emincntly favorable to a ventilation Of thei
, sublime courage ind their disregard Of conse
t qucnces, provided England does not compl
. with our terms. It is surely time fo1 Us t.
! pause and count the cost, and this is 8 juno
ture in which all the discretion and enliglten
: ed prudence Of the country will need be calle
/ into actire exercise to prevent the nation fron
!. drifting into mae1strom Of difficulties, if no
Q into absolute wreck.
IN tho Grst place, let Us remember tha
n the detention Of Mason and Slideu, though
capital thing in its way, is altogether an inse
9 nilcant matter to cause 3 Waz under any ciz
! cum5tances. We ought not to allow two sue
= traitors to be SO greatly ~magnided in thei
!, OWL estimation and that Of the world IS to b
y the cause Of wasting much life and treasuR
b that might otherwise he employed in crushi1a
Q | out giant slave rebellion. Let us not be OF
k liyious to the hint of the London Times, tha
+, s'the voices Of these Southern Commissioner
d | sounding from their captivity are q thousau
d times more eloquent thrn they would haT
&C been if heard at St. James and the Tuiler1cs,
and if we let the old rebels go this time, let
L hope to catch them when they try to CON
d. home ogain.
= In the second place, let It not be- forgotte
d | that whatever diplomatic complications ma
r arise, there is no xaottst for war between tt
+ United States and Great Britain. All the be-
a interests Of the two countries VIII be promt
+ | ted by tho continuance Of peace. a confiit
e between two such countries can only result i
\ | first good result
d Third !; some Of the evil results TO ourselve
b ought to be distinctly foreseen, although it
e impossible in advance fully to conceive
IS | their destructive consequences.
$ One Of the most probable results Of 4 war ,
b | this time with Great Britain, would be the 81,
g cess OF the Stare rebellion and pcrmane1
&c division Of the Union. Flatter ourselves Z
d We may, with great words and pleasing hope
J I We have just as much on our bands now as r
e can accomplish, and unless our future succes
d shall exceed the past, it will be q long time b.
q | fore we can v1ndicate our supremacy With
b our own borders. AS Mr. Sumner his jnstl
y said, the world has never befere known q r
4 bc1lion Of such gigantic proportions. Let {
d be content to show our prowcss by putin
this down before ws aa ht IT, 1ish III foreign natiop
Y fore ne, without the slightest apprehension
o the Invasion Of the Free States.
1t Let our whole Eastern coast and our who
e Northern line, from the Atlantic to the Pacih
ID become liable to the attack OF powerful fl
.e st this moment, floating 600 war ships an
e. having o large and disciplined army, mud H
rs must necessarily leaye the rebels to thcmse1rs
n and fall back upon attempts to defend OF
Is cities and our fresides at homo.
i Already in onr civil war more lives ha,
L. been lost than in the whole war Of 1879.
c, Estimate who can the terrible. destructio
10 which must fall upon life and property, shonl
lc we actually 60 to w1r with a nation like e.
gland / Will not dwell upon the horrible d
a. tails Which the imagination pictures Us tt
ID very least Of the evil consequences VIC mn
Of expect; but call attention to the fact that
ae nent ean 1e made tch:ch soi1 not inco1ve great
% cS4c3iGNS fh1H E52f1dy3f 4JiU Demand of ne 41o