The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1861-05-29
The State Supplies for the Volunteers.

For week or two past complaints OF
all sorls of abuses in furnishing supplies to
the troops of the State have been frequent
and emphatic. Some such things were TO
be expected, ard, in general, allegations OF
the kind referred 10 have been pass
ed over with but brief comment Within
few days, however, the subject has as
sumed an aspect TO command more serious
attention The whole atmosphere is now
vocal with charges of favoriteism, jobbng,
abuse and corruption. What has heretofore
been vague rumor is reduced TO demonstra-
trust is concerned. There is not the slight
est room for doubt that the State has been
defrauded and the poor soldier grossly
pundered and in the public indignation
which Justly attaches TO the agents and par
tcipators in such scandaous wrongs we
hear persons freely censured, from lowest
subordinate to those highest in authority
from The m,ddlemen who figure so strangely
in this business clear up TO the Governor of
the State himself
been laid before the public on the subject,
is communication from Gov. Curtin, da-
ted May 8th, in response TO resolution of
inquiry from The House of Representatives,
dated May Sd. This is document Of fifty
pages. The most careful examination of
the bare figures and details would itself
fail to expose the enormity of some of the
charges, and hence we have procured sam
Piles OF some of the supplies, which are
open 10 the examination OF the public al
this Office, among which are the rickety
shoe, soled with white pine shaving and
the mi mserahle pair oil panialoons, elsewhere
referred to this morning both of which
went utterly 10 pieces in a service of two
days.
II is not our purpose in this article TO an
alyze the particulars of The Governors com
municalion. Our immediate object is 10 di
rec, the attention of the public TO few
points suggested by the bills detailed on
pages forly-six and forty seven of the Gov
ernor's message, which happen TO be the
pages at which our copy of our document
first opened up. These bills are among
those repubished on our second page. The
first is an account of Lambert & Higgins
for boarding at Harrisburg and putting up
tents, amounting 10 Is 94) eight dollars and
ninety four cents. This is qui,e a small
bill, and we have not The slightest doubt a
perfectly honest one, We: member OF the
firm was required 10 strear 10 u and the
Quartermaster.G General 10 certify it; in fact,
il is shingled over with endorsements, and
Lambert & Higgins, for their petty bill for
boarding, appear to have been put through
the utmost rigor of official formalily.
Immediately preceding this bill is one
from E. Fronenfeld & Bro, for uniforms
and panialoons, amount 10 ts22, 5S5ltwenty
two thousand five hundred and eghty-fve
dollars Now we dsciam all personal ref
erence to this firm. We do not know who
they are They are neither in the Phia-
delphia Directory, nor in Boyd's Directory
OF the State, so far as we have been able TO
discover. There is, therefore, no personal
feeling in our reference TO their bill, but
we take ii as part of a public record. This
large bill, coming as it does in immediate
connection with small one sworn and Ger.
iifed, challenges scrutiny in search Of simi-
lar forms OF care and caution with reler-
ence 10 itself But we do not iud that f.
Fronenfeld g. Co, were compelled or re-
quired TO make affidavit to their account oi
over twenty-five thousand dollars, as Lam
bert was TO his of less than nine dollars
Nor do we find the certificate o: the Quar-.
master General; but in place o. these rigid
forms, our lynx-eyed examiners Of petty
bills appear TO have been satisfied with the
endorsement OF Chas NJ. Neal. agent.
Let us pass this ogent for a moment :o
look closely a, the bill. 1t is for
2,0s5 uniforms al SO $50 $50
347 pairs OF pantaloons al SIS I,73s
S22, 5s5
The first remark Of a business man upon
this account, will be lis gliuering gener-
alites' in the item of uniforms" The
uniniiiated would suppose that this embra-
ced every article, from the brass letter on
the soldiers cap TO his rickeiy shoes, inclu-
ding sack, pan:aloons and overcoat. But
there is internal evidence in the other bills
that it does not include either shoes, caps,
or overcoals. II comes down, then, 10 the
bare sacks and pantaloons, and we are LEFT
in some doubt, by separates charge foI
panialoons, whether il even includes The
latter. Let it be conceded, however, thai
it does, and there is exposed charge oI
ten dollars each, for two thousand uniforms,
which should be furnished OF good quality
for seven dollars each. If they are of the
kind which have come generally 10 the no.
tce of the public, FIVE dollars would be a