Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1861-01-10

ShOJ Ia Harrisburg,
To facilitate the making OF allot.nents Of /
their pay. by our volunteers in the field for the
support Of their families at home | appointed
Hon Edgar Cowan, Thomas E. Franklin aud Is.
Q. Humes, EsQs., commissioners to visit the
camps of our men on and south of the Potomac
and also James Park md III W Beltzhooyer
Esqs., commissioners to visit those in Kentucky
and elsewhere in the western country. TO call
the attention of the troops to the system of al
lotment and TO encourage them in adopting a
practical plan for carrying it into effect.
The several reports OF these commissioners are
highly satisfactory
For details on the several subjects connected
with the military operations of this State, re-
fer TO the reports of the Adiutant General Sur.
geon General, Quarter Master General, Commits
sary General and PaymaSter General which ac-
company this Message.
The duties imposed on me were so onerous
that found 1t necessary to invite the temporary
assistance OF gentlemen on my staff to aid me
To perform them.
In this capacity, Coils. Thomas A. Scott. Gid
con }. Ball and John A. Wright contributed
! their valuable services from the middle of
April until they were called away by other du-
ties Col. Scott remaining until he became con
| nected with the War Department. Col Ball
until the lst of June and Col Wright until the
23d OF July; for the time thus devoted to the
service OF the State they have refused to re-
eelye any compensation.
Coils Joseph d. Potts A L. Russell j Brown
Parker and Craig Biddle were III service up to
the 10th of December. The Department OF
| Telegraph and Transportation was under the
exclusive control of Col. Potts The system
| and economy OF its management show how
| faithfully and well he fulfilled his office
| 1t Is but just to all these gentlemen that
| should bear testimony to the untiring Zeal
I Il IaIs 81. .s.A& q II
| formed
The quota OF the State having been more than
| filed, aud her military force organized, was
enabled on the twentieth of December last
| to dlsp nse with a personal staff, and the
| temporary arrangement which had been made
| for Its employment was then clio, ed.
| BY the 18th section of the Act of the 18th of
| May, 1861, | was authorised to draw my war
| rauts on the Treasury for a sum not exceeding
| so OOO for compensation to such persons as
| might be required to serve the counuy In
military capacity, SC. OF this fund | have
drawn from the Treasury So, 500 out of which
| paid the compensation of my personal staff
| also other expenses of the military department.
and the actual expenses of persons employed
| on temporary service, none of whom received
| any further compensation, and expenses of the
| commissions appointed to investigate alleged
frauds, SC, and the expenses of establishing
/
| hundred dollars on secret service. Ny account
is settled in the Office of the Auditor General
| up to the lst of December. On that dav |
| had expended Sc, 400 and except some incon-
| siderable payments made since, the balance
| remains IN my hands.
The report of the Auditor General will exhi-
! bit the items of the account.
| An account of military expenditures by the
State on behalf of the United States. as far as
I had a
by the accounting departments here. was made
up TO the lst day of September, 1861 and pre-
! sented on the 18th of that month at the Trea-
suTy Department of the United States for settle
ment and allowance. The sum of 5000 900 has
| been received from the Treasury Department on
| that account. The repayment by the General
| Government OF the expenses attending the organ
| iZation and support of the Reserve Corps. may
not be provided for by any existing act of Con
greSs. As these expenses were incurred by the
| State for the benefit of the General Government
and have been productive of results most i'm
pOrtant TO the welfare and even safety of the
country, it would be right that an act of Con-
| gress should be passed providing expressly for
| their Repayment. 1t lies with the Legislature
| TO adopt the proper means for directing the
| attention of Congress to this subject.
| Assurances have been received from the
| Treasury Department that the examination Of
| the military accounts of the State will be pro-
| ceeded In without delay, 50 that the State may
| receive credit for the balance due in time to
apply the same towards the payment of her
quota of the direct tax. Assuming the completion
OF this arrangement, if the State shall assume
the direct tax for this year, saving of fifteen
| per cent will accrue to her, and no present in
crease of her taxation will be necessary.
Whether this credit be given or not. | re-
| commend that the payment of the direct tax
be assumed by the State.
| In case the State assumes the payment of this
| tax there should be such revision of the
! tax laws as will hereafter equitably apportion
| the burden among the various interests now
subject that can properly be made subject to
taxation. The saving of fifteen per cent. to the
| people of the State by the assumption is a mat
| ter worthy of thought but more important
consideration is that it will enable you who re-
present all the varied interests Of the Common
wealth to apportiOn the tax in such manner as
| to bear equally upon all Our revenue laws
| had imposed on real and personal property as
| its full proportion but little more than one
| third of the taxes needed for the ordinary ex-
pendirures of the government. By the act of 10th
! May last, the tax on this species of property
| has already been increased one-sixth. Should
| the State refuse to assume the United States tax
| the whole burden of it will fall upon these in
terests, interests too, most unfavorably affected
| by the war, whilst other kinds of property and
other sources of revenue, judged by our laws
able to pay nearly two thirds of the present
revenues of the State, would not be called on
| to contribute one dollar of additional tax
The militia system of the Commonwealth is
very imperfect / recommend the establish
ment of q commission to frame and report a
system more adequate to the cxigency of the
| times.
| 1 earnestly recommend to the legislature that
| provision be made tor the military instruction
OF youth. The appointment of a military in
structor In the normal schools, would il short
period give teachers to the common schools
who would be competent to train the boys in
attendance on them. 1t would in my opinion
be wise also to provide for the purchase or
leasing by the Commonwealth of a building for
military school, and for employing competent
instructors at the expense of the State requiring
the pupils to defray the other expensys. No
pupil should be admitted to this school without