New-York daily tribune., 1861-10-30


oats, and that these were forwarded in
haste, where it was to be presumsd-but
only, noi Enopp-they were to be
had in abundance. Now, armies cannot
20 upon presumption, and when forage
must be had in hurry, it will not DO
to haggle upon the price, even though several
cents more per bushel 10 paid than would be
necessary under ordinary circumstances. In
moments of great exigcncies it will not do 70
stop army supplies on questions OF prices
There is complaint here also about males, by
which it seemed that somebody wished TO hurry
these animals forward very rapidly. 1t may
have been an instance Of fraudulent dealing
and forcing of contract; but when wc turn to
another part of the report, and read Gen.
Hunters bitter complaint that ne could not
obey orders for want Of mules, there seems to
be an irrecoucilability about the two charges
that might lead to satisfactory explanation.
In providing beasts of burden for our army, it
sometimes happens, as it has elsewhere in this
war, that animals have been bought when
were tit only for carrion. But it does not al
ways happen TINT such cases are cases Of fraud
| So Capt. Davis, il seems, has supplied war
/ blankets, and he roo an aid of Gen. frcmcnts'
/ But we cannot help remembering that ~ scarce
are blankets tho Government has been compel
led to appeal to private charity to supply our
Esxtert4cldicrs; we remember also that all
cheap blankets are partly cotton, and it occurs
to us whether it is not jast possible that Gen.
Fremont ordered Mr.. Davis, who has been all
his life a merchant and is Assistant Quarter
master. to send or go to the East and get the
best blankets be could to meet an emergency
And we all know very well that he best
would be bad enough. for the article $ very
scarce one. and the Government did iot think
II worth while. when urged to do so, three
months ago, by far.seeing and thoughtful mer-
chants TO enter into contracts for The supply
of the blankets which patriotic citizens are now
stripping from their own beds for tie use OF
the army. Even bad blankets, il must be
confessed. are better than none at all.
That q pontoon bridge was erected across
the Ohio, whore ferry-bOat would have done
as well, is another charge. But isn't II, after
all. better TO have such means Of trin'porta-
ton sometimes provided, even by an excess OF
|. caution, rather than to suffer such consequences
Of being without them, ns we did the other day
on the Potomac But heavier charge stlli
ia that which imputes TO Gen. Fremon: pecula-
ton or carelessuess Ia the purchase OF arms
in Europe. Is not the evidence, however,
"a little defective A gentleman recently
arrived from San Francisco tells Gen.
Thomas that another gentleman in that
city ha. lately received q lottcr from still
another gentleman in Europe whose assertion
is that he made large sum Of money m has
share OF the plunder in the purchase Of the
Fremont arms. In this transmission OF hear
say evidence, through three or four channel',
even on 50 important point, where men are
least likely to forget a mistake Is not impossi'
bic. Then also the guns themselves are de-
iective, nnd men are act f" 10 he the nipples.
If that will remedy them, We may not have
made a very bad bargain after all, as gun, Sc
in there times; aud even il we had, il is quite
possible that tho fault may net be Gen. Ere.
moni's, who bought guns in Europe when arm.
OF any sort that could be fred at all were
very welcome TO us--welcome if only for q
I" grand parade" But we belieTc that many
of these guns are In use elsewhere. Have
they proved equally bad creryH here else The
fact, if we recollect right, in regard to thi.
purchase was, that il was sanctioned by Mr..
Adams, our Minister to England, and Mr. Day.
ton, our Minister to France and while the
price for them was considered exceedingly low,
the arms themselves were supposed to be OF
unusual value. Is il lot possible, not only that
there may bs some mistake about this story
from Europe by the way Of San Francisco,
but that Gen. Thomas, in his hurried visit,
may have mistaken some OF he poor arms
with which Fremont has been supplied for
those imported from France We hope so for
the credit of all the parties concerned in that
purchase.
! But, after all, the more serious charges are
those Of mismaDagement ia the command of
the army. The loss Of Lyon was grieTOus
loss, and we do not at all know what reply
Gen. Fremont will make to the accusation
that he might have reinforced him and did
not. Our own impression is that as he could
not defend oil points for want OF troops, and
as he supposed the enemy were approaching
Cairo as well as Springfield, and meant to
take Birds Point, which commands both Cairo
and the mouth of the Ohio be had to choose
between them. He chose Cairo and Birds
Point, not because he underrated the strategic
position of Gen. Lyon at Springfield. but be-