Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-08-09
Northern Corruption.

In the ordinary times of peace, the Repub-
Iican party of the North, wherever 1t attained
tn mower in the State governments, disclosed
an irrepressible propensity to peculate and
nlnnder the public. They, of course, graft
fed this base propensity up to the full mea-
sure of the means at their command. The
Republican members of the Federal Con-
press. in several instances that were detect
ed and exposed, aud ia a great many more
tb,t were never found out, displayed the
same disgraceful prccliyities. The feats per-
formed in this respect, however, in past years
dwindle into utter insignifcance by the side
If those perpetIated since the war commenc-
ed and now going on The war, so far, has
basn q wind-fal to all those engaged In
suindIing enterprises, and has given the bust
ness 8 SANDING, scope and comprehensive
ness never before known. From being
small retail matter, pursued in by-places and
uuderhand, 1t has risen to open wholesale,
and occupies the chief corners and avenues
of the great thoroughfares of expenditure
In his Report to Congress on the 4th of Ju-
IL. Mr.. Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury
called for two hundred and twenty-five mil
lions of dollars to pay the expenses OF the
war for three months, up to the 3Oth of June
1861. This was the deficiency to close the
accounts I'D to that date Most OF 1t has
gone or is to go into the pockets of rsscally
contractors. who have made 1t point rom
the beginning to obtain the highest prices
for the poorest work that could be DONE
For exsmpIe. a heavy shoe contractor put
xoodeu stats in the bottoms OF the shoes
covered with thin coating OF leather, which,
after few days wear, it is stated, made the
so,diers look as If they had their feet stuck
tuII of spIinters. Blanket contractors In
some instances furnished blankets made OF
cov hair and cotton. The commisariat was
snnpIfed after the same general fashion,
Eighty thousand of their three months Volun-
teers have now returned home, and an al
most universal complaint goes up, that they
are not paid. In numerous cases it has leaked
out that the pay4zzterz of regiments have
received the money due their men, and have
EMPLOYED agents and furnished the means to
buv the soldiers' pay at 10, II and Is per
cent. discount. 1t has come to be game
of-science and skill, without regard to con-
science or duty, to defraud, swindle, peeulate
and steal. Men having the custody and con-
troll of public funds who would by such ar
tihces apply them to their own purposes
would not hesitate to retain them aud forge
vouchers to any and every possible extent
The general rule, so far as we learn from
Northern publications, is theft, while honesty
Is the exception
Now, this is no particular concern OF ours.
Tt matters not With us, except for the honor
of human nature in general, what or how
much the Northern people place before their
roUues. or what or how much they steal
from and amongst themselves. 1t is none OF
onr business Its mention, however, may
serve as a warning to the South to beware of
the cursed infection. If it should gain foot
hold amongst us, even in the mildest form,
IL should be met with the penitentiary or hal
ter, according to degree. and exterminated
wherever discovered. We have no especial
apurehensicn on the subject, but we don't
see that the temptation and statute by the
Confederate Congress- standing side by side
around the .-strong box" would do any
harm.