Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-12-10
Army sutIers.

Wecopy the following from, the Cincinnati
Times, and commend it to the proper authori.
ties. There Is no doubt but that the present
system Of sutlers is great outrage, not to cal
it recognized sHindIe. Oar soldiers receiEs
but little, and TO have so large q portion Of thai
little taken from them by the suffers mt such
enormous profits. ia burning disgrace to the
sEaIoUs COMPLAINTS AGAINST ARMY suTLERs .
We learn from the Philadelphia Press thai
the enormous charges for goods sold by sutlerf
on the Potomac, has been o source Of complaint
by soldiers for months past. Each regiment
in the army has its sutler appointed by the Col.
onel, and taxed ten cents & month for each SOL
dier in the regiment. BY careful, inquiry among
the paymastefs, ! find that each soldier pays the
cutler an average Of FIVE dollars per month. =.
Allowing one. thousand men TO the regiment,
the sutlef 3 receipts during the month would be
five'thousand dollars. His profits are over one
hundred per cent, bat, to make 1t an even fig.
ure, we will say that be nets cent per cent.
profit, which would alloW him 20 pockettWo
thousand fy, hundred dollars, out Of which he
paws ten cents per head, or one hundred dol
lars, for the support Of the hospitals, His
teams, board, etc., will not exceed four hundred
dollars and he has then two thousand dollars
left as his net earn!Jgs in thirty days. This is
q fair average Of She suffers business, though
many Of them male nearer three thousand dol
lars, while d few boast Of pocketiDg Ave thous
and dollars. Now, what does the soldier receive
in return foT his money! One Of Che principal
items is stale pies--made principally ia New
York, and sent 10 Washington, where they are
purchased by the sutlersat eight and nine TO
twelve cents piece by the hundred, ,.and retail
ed in the camps at twenty cents apiece: :, N
Another principal item Of the suffers ner,
chsndiss is tobacco, cigars, and pipes, Cigars
thatar6 bought for s. per thousand, or two for
q cent, are fetaiied ht three 70 four cents each:
Letter.paper Is sold at ffteen cents for . half
gled out and sold at 81 so q bottle. Beyond
these articles, the suffers stock is made up
mostly Of gingerbread, confectionery, fgs,
raisins, etc., with q limited assortment OF
gloves, mistens, socks, ard underehirts Three
fourths Of the articles supplied By suffers are
not only unnecessary, but ipjurious to the health
Of the soldiers. Whisky and stale pies are
followed BY disordcred bowels and feyers; and
Il Il A reasonable estimate 10 say that drty pef
cent OF the hospital csses result from the
foolish expendfture Of money at the eutlerg
cribs or carts. The distan! render will ask Why
competition does not reduce the price, Of goods
to n reasonable tariff; but IL must be terhem-
bered thatno competition isallowed. y The pay
ment OF ten cents per head for each soldier In
the regiment gives the sufler the exclusive
privilege Of supplying the regiment. With the
exception Of newspapers, no other article is al.
lowed to be sold on the groupt By any one but
the sutlef. Wesgree with the Pysss, that the
whole system is wrong, and to day foar-ffths
Of thep0idiers would rejoice 70 have the sutlsf
driven out Of the regiment The system de-
mands the attention Of Congress- 6on ~