Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1861-12-14
MistcIl
From the Baltimore Daily Clipper.
INJUSTICE TO PUBLIC MEN.

loose processing Tue bhW6 ReutTtt po''o"'
principles. Republican journalists do not
hesitate to assail, in language OF vulgar vitu.
peration, the President they were actively
instrumental In eleotipg. The slightest di'
vergence 10 political views is visited with
charges. little short OF treason, against the
highest officers of the Government; and
statesmen and generals share alike 10 the tor.
rent OF abuse and calumny which is poured
upon their beads.
An especial mark for the shafts Of envy and
detraction has been the Secretary Of War,
who is charged at one time with gross favor.
tism, at another With downright cerruptioos,
ard iucspacity for the discharge of the duties
Of bis Office.
Some of these charges are made 10 ignor.
snce OF the nature and extent Of the duties
devolved by tie war on this distinguished
public functiouary. whilst others are the off.
spring of sheer malice, resulting from disap
pointed expectations. So far from having
proved unequal to the discharge of bis duties,
Gen. Cameron, in the estimation of intelli.
gent and and honest men, has merited the
highest encomiums for the able manner 10
which be has conducted the vast and compli.
Gated machinery OF the War Department du'
ring the present contest. When the portfolio
of this Department was committed to his
charge, its organization involved the conduct
and management of an army scarcely exceed.
ing 10000 men Of regular troops, recruited
and offcered under laws and regulations long
systematized and perfectly understood.
Since he came into Office the army has
swollen to more than half million of men
a new organization, with new rules aud reg
uistions for its government, has been success.
fully adopted. Under this organization, sub.
jet to these rules and regulations, this vast
- L., - h,a Loo i,tA ho EulA
fed, clothed. armed, and reduced effective,
with machinery, designed in the beginning
TO provide for an army hardly equal 10 nun.
bers to the present contingent of one of the
smaller States.
a comNssariat and quartermaster's de.
partment was mprovsed, and rendered in
stantly equal to the exigeucies of the alarm.
ing crisis, iuaugursted almost at the moment
he assumed tie direction Of our military al
fairs.
The capacity that organized and admins.
tered the War Department iD such manner
ss to enable it to provide, es it has doCe, for
the pressing ex!gencies following each other
10 such rapid succession, during the last eight
months, cannot be other than OF the highest
order. When it is recolected that the North
aud West had been designedly stripped Of
arms, and Of almost even means, both of Of.
fence and defence, by the traitor Floyd and
coadjuiors, il becomes q subject Of admiration
with candid men, how the present Secretary
was able too meet the almost awful emergen'
cy OF our situation, which met him OF the
threshold of his Office, with the promptitude
ard success which have crowned his eff ,rts.
Since the days of Louis XIV, and his
great ministers of finance aud war, Colbert
and Lonvois, the resources and energy dis.
played by Secretary Cameron, in creating,
feeding, clothing, aud eguipping such host
as is now 10 arms TO uphold the Uniou, have
bad no parallel.
1t is trne that Secretary Chase bore full
ebare Of the responsibility, and has been
largely instrumental in developing the fnau'
cial resources of the coun,ry, and providing
.Dr the emergency cast upon the nation by
the treason of Jefferson Davis and his co con.
spiratOrs. But, concedlng to Mr.. Chase ell
that is due to hin for purity of purpose. in-
tegrity aud tho trsnscendaut ability with
which be has administered the finances, it is
TO Simou Cameron spd Gen. Scott that we
owe il. that the Capitol was saved from the
degradation Of falling into the hands of the
Confederated traitors, who had contrived its
eezure. 1t is to Gen Cameron, also, it is
due that we now have an army on foot able
TO hold treason in check 10 every part Of the
,
origin aud power.
The chrouiclers Of the future when they
come to speak Of the treason of Cobb, Floyd,
Thompson and Toombs, aud the aid aud
comfort they received at ;he hands of James
Buchanan, through either weakness or wick.
edness or both, and tho destitute condition
Of the North n troops, munitions aud arms
iftrutbful, must over award TO the Secretary
Of War the credit due TO his great energy
great ability sud uncommon devotion to the
cause OF the Union.
But his detractors allege that bis admins
tration Of the Department was characterized
by overwhelming extravaganza, improvden'
Gee, favoritism, and, particularly in awarding
contracts. None Of these charges, involving
criminsiity, have eve. been established. Or
the coBtsary, wherever they have beer
specific, the charges have been traced tC
disappointed bidders for contracts, or t
personal hostility, and have been wholly
disproved. This has been tho case in ever,
instance.
But the charges OF extravaganza and i'm
providence failing those OF fraud and faVorit
ism, have been the more loudly insisted upon
Were we to admit those charges, it woult
hardly detract from the we'll earned characte
for ability aud patriotism achieved by tn
Secretary of War.
We have seen that when the administration
OF the War Department was committed t.
bis hands, treason was already intrenched il
its stronghoids, had organized large militar
force 10 advance, had removed the army an
navy from the points where the conhct va
10 begn, and had stripped the North at
West Of arms and munitions. whilst it ha
stored tee forts and garrsons of the Sout
with every kind OF military stores aud warlik
materials. A scheme to seize the Capta
bad been likewise projected aud organized
To meet the preparations Of the conspire
tors, the Federal Government was virtual
without an army, navy 0. military stores
Scarcely eight hundred regular troops coul
be got together to save the city OF Washing
ton from a coup de main, on the part of ID
Confederate traitors. Everything had to b
ss 1t were, created-for everything whc
could have ministered TO the salvation Of ii
Government bad been removed. The trea
ury was almost as void of money, through til
frauds Of Cobb, Thompson and Floyd, as II
public depots were Of arms and manition
The laws MADE for country at peace wei
lily adapted to a state of war of such magu
tuds as the one which treason had been loI
providing for, aud which it had now declare