Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-09-09

war for French readers, whom the New York
Helalds confidently assumes to be the Prince
Napoleon himself. The first letter was writ
ten at New York, July 81, soon after the
arrival of the princes party, and before the
writer had been TO Washington, or had seen
the body of the federal army. 1t is devoted
mainly to an explanation of the mystery
of our military organization, with the writer's
speculatons on the causes, objects, and
probable results OF the war. He states in the
outset that he has seen very little as yet of
men and affairs here-a fact which would have
suggested itself readily to the reader without
50 frank confession He was in New York
while the three months volunteers were in
considerable numbers on their way home on
the expiration of the term of their enlistment.
Rejecting upon it, and hearing much conflict
ing conversation, he says
1t was foreseeing that result-quite in keeping
,cith american hdbitS-and consequently of the
lengthy character which the war has come to
assume, that the federal government took
measures to have permanent army. There
was one of two things to choose; either in
crease enormously the regular army by means
of an active recruiting, aided by heavy boun-
ties, or to call for volunteers. President Lin
coin inclined to the former measure; congress
adopted the latter and, not to do things by
halves, voted five hundred millions of dollars
and the raising Of five hundred thousand vol
unteers. livery much doubt whether the gov
erument can fill up by volunteers the contingent
of five hundred thousand men; but what is
certain is, it could have done so still less by
! f..s., .
! which, FROM their formidable erdggeration, are
of nature to throp some rIdicuie on the DEGREES
of the federal government, | think congress
| has been more right than the president
-. OUR MILITARY ORGANIZATION.
! In the United States the individual initia-
tive is everything, Just as in France the gov
ernmental initiative is everything. And so
even the military organization rests naturally
among Americans on principles entirely at
variance with those On which we act l con.
fess that on this respect the system of self
government reaches almost the extreme limit
OF the possible. Up to the present the enroll
m. 1t Of volunteers goes on pretty well, but it
cannot be expected tina; four hundred thousand
fighting men can be raised in that way. You
know better than any one that four hundred
thousand fighting men is no small affair when
they have to be raised, supported, paid, and
made to fight But yet do not see why, at
the rate at which things go on, the Union
might not resemble sixty thousand volunteers,
which would be quite a respectable force. AT
present, or within few days, " hen the last of
the militia regiments shall have Withdrawn,
there are not, or will not ne, any but yolun
teers under the standard of the Union and in
the positions that protect Washington. You
will probably inquire, among what classes OF
the population volunteers are recruited, and
what is the motive that impels the volunteers
to enlist-patri0tsm or the eleven dollars a
month? l confess l have not seen enough
volunteer regiments to hazard an opinion on
that point. 1t is certain, on one side, that it
/ is not the. millionaire bankers of Philadelphia
and New York that become simple ZouaYes /;
and, on the other, that foreigners prevail in
the ranks of the new corps.
HE SEES WEAK SIDE"
The weak side OF all this organization is not
matter of appreciation it is matter Of
arithmetic The weak side the very weak
side, is the eleven dollars. For 100000 men,
haff mftfiohs q francs per month"; or sixty-six
millions per year For 100000 men the ex-
pense is quadrupled-two hundred and sixty.
four millions per year. And recollect that this
enormous figure represents only the soldiers
pocket money; that the provisioning of Amer.
lean soldiers is more abundant and expensive
than with us by nearly double; that, in fine,
the most frightful dilapidaton and disorder
confessedly reign in what is called the military
administration, and which is really only con-
tinuaton of measures adoptedsfrom day TO day
by localities for the account oil the federal gov
eminent for the purpose of supplying the
prime necessities Of the troops. So the North
Americans estimate the cost of the war at over
a millions dollars a day. That is enormous
for country reduced to about twenty millions
spbo 10,
commerce-cotton-an enjoying a doubtful
credit.
HE SUMS UP THE ARGUMENT AND DECIDES
THE WAR.
There is no question about peace or con.
Citation, and the public mind in the north is
more opposed to 1t than ever. The hate be-
tween tue two parties is driven to an extra.
ordinary degree. 1t must even be said that
the northern states have completely forgotten
the original motives of the quarrel-tariffs,
negroes, &c. They have but one thing at
heart-that is, the honor of the confederation,
the insult ione to the flag of the Union. The
south has trodden it under foot therefore the
south must be subdued. Negrophilism has
always had an inconsiderable place in the
| quarrel, and has been only pretext; today
| the word abolition" is not even heard pro.
nOunced. 1t is war purely political, war
of passion; and it is really strange to see
| people SO pOslllVct 50 attached 10 tnelr
material interests, SO foreign TO our tradition
al errors and to our Old World prejudices,
if you choose, fight each other only for senti-
ment for point of honor, and almost through
a chivalrous spirit But there is nothing save
contrast, or rather inconsequence, in the United
States They vote hundreds of millions well
knowing that they willnot pay them; they vote
soldiers, well knowing that the soldier will not
come; and in spite of an apparently very pa
| cifc disposition, they continue with an unqualI
fed obstinacy war which ruins them-a war
without object for all this affair can have
but one issue-the political separation of the
north and south, and the resumption of CONNER
cial affairs between them on the same footing as
in the past. Prodgality and avarice, enthus
asm for the war, enthusiasm to stay at home
| political fanaticism and egotistical specula
tions-there is the incomprehensible melange
which l have found here. l close my letter tc
| profit by tire departure of the courier
KENTUCKY.-Some correspondence recently
passed between Gov. Magoffin and the pres
ident, relating to the armed occupation of por
tions of kentucky by federal troops. The