Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1861-06-08

for sale regularly hereafter. Try. it.
Columbia co. Republican.
DR.. JOHN, through the Republican or
gan here, having emphaticolly endorsed
the Philada. Inquirer, as the "BEsT ofthe
Dailies," it is but fair to presume that its
yeracity is unquestionod, Democrats will
not doubt the correctness of its statements
Hence the "Jest" paper in the Republican
interest, makes the following astounding
disclosures, under this appropriate cap
ton /: ED. Col. DEMO.
The Great Outrage Of the Day.
The Philadelphia Inquire (Rep.) says;
Nothing short of judicial investigation
will appease the righteous indignation of
the people against the parties engaged in
defrauding the State, and plundering the
soldiers by imposing upon them the most
worthless supplies This is due alike to
the brave men who have gone out to fight
our battles, to the honest merchants who
have been compromised, to the people Of
the Commonwealth, and to the United
States, as a General Government will be
called upon ultimately to foot somo of the
bills.
No man of ordinary intelligence, who make
a critical examination of Governor Cur
tins exhibet of the disbursement of the mil
itary fund of the State can fail to detect on
almost every page such evidences of jobbc-
ryand malfeasance as lawyers are accustom-
ed to style "badges Of fraud" The prices
are exorbitant; some bills are so made out
as to conceal instead of to exhibit the par
ticulars of the purchase; petty bills are
certified and sworn to with great formality,
while large ones are hurried through the
accounting officers, and paid upon the bare
certificates of irresposible and inexpert ~
gents; middlemen are resorted to and a
large proportion of the supplies of clothing
would disgrace the common jails of the
country as clothing for folons. We merely
recapitulate these points here, as they have
been already referred to at length.
The parties who seem to have surroun-
de the military fund of the State in close
column, will remind naturalist of a gi
gantic mollusc, with unbounded stomach
lOl uUSOl pliOu1 Will uCEtuCuldC CAtCu-
ded in all directions, and rapidly revolving
in search of prey. The disclosure would
be humilitating at any time but when we
reflect that all this extortion, imposition
and abuse have been practieed not only
upon the State, but upon the gallant me n
who have left their workshops, their bust
ness, their families and their homes, to
fight the battles of the Union, it is calcu-
lated to excite, feeling Of ind ignation
and disgust.
| Among the many inquiries that have
been sent to this Office on the subject, is
one which asks whetherltho soldier is really
victimized, as well as the State We
answer, yes. Upon him the imposition, or
plundcr, or whatever it may be justly call
ed, is direct. His clothing is virtually, a
part of his pay For each year of ser
vice he is allowd specified number Of
garments; and if these, whether from ill
usage or bad quality, are insufficient, he
must buy others out of the small pittiance
he is paid in cash. Thus he is entitled in
his first year to two caps two coats, three
pair of trowsers, four pair of shoes, &c. A
pair of trowsers is, therefore, expected to
give an averag wear of four months, and
a pair of shoes to last three months-and
the excellent work turned out by the Gen
eral Government is fully equal to this ser
vice. But if the soldiers are furnished
with miserable apologies for shoes and
trowsers, such as has been sent from Camp
Scott to this office, which went all to pieces
in two days wear, the supply of clothing
for year would last bnt little more than
a week. In such case, the soldier is COM
PEELED to draw for further clothing out of
his pay, and if the additional supplies are
no better than the first, it is easy to calcu.
late how soon his eleven dollars month
will be exhausted, and his body left in 7ags.
From this the dullest mind can perceive
how emphatically true is the statement,
that this wretched business is plunder of
the soldier.
We repeat that the manner in which
these supplies have been furnished, their
quality and price, and the extraordinary
agencies which have been brought into
requisition, must be judicially examined.
The meeting of the Legislature is too far
off, and besides that body is itself corrupt
from centre to circumference. There is
business here for grand juries and district
attorneys, not alone of the State but the
United States, for Governor Curtin in
forms the Legislature that "the accounts
of the Commissary and Quartemaster's
Departments of this State will be mainly
reimbursed by the United States" We
urge it upon the attention of the grand
inquest of the county AID General Gov
ernment. While there remains spark of
the patriotism now burning so brightly
throughout the Free States such a gross
| wrong should not 90 unnunished