The Placer herald., 1862-05-24

bear to it "rue allegiance" and he stood pledged
| by the most solemn of human sanctions to sup
port that Constitution which. when "the people
are in the field" places at their head" the Pres
ident OF the United States and not any general
holding commission under him. With a confd
ing confidence, he had been summoned from the
obscurity OF private life, and preferred above the
veterans and whole army Of patriots, be was
made a major general. Scarcely has he grded
on his sword, to whose honor the best interests of
the nation had been committed. when he says to
his subordinates and followers that he draws it,
not in the name of law or of government but in
defiance of both. to enforce such measures as in
his judgment the people expected him to carry
out" These words were spoken as it were in the
very sick chamber of the republic, and had the
tone of the undertaken while the patient was yet
struggling for life They were uttered against
the government of q country, not then tranquil
and strong and able to battle with all assalants
but of a country distracted and humbed and
bleeding under the stabs Of traitors. They came
from no flush Of excitement springing from tri
umph of arms but We're the solemn and oft-re-
peated enunciations ofa general just entering the
field OF his future operations and surveying for
the first time the strength OF his gathering army.
| They were addressed to officers of high rank in
the service and were intended to impress them
with obedience to his revolutionary programme.
Gen. Fremont already held the sword, and it
was most important for his purposes that Col.
Andrews, the bead Of the pay department here,
and Major Johnson. a paymaster under him,
should not neere with his free use Of the ma
tional purse, In respecting his own official oath.
and law, by resisting unwarrantable transfers Of
public money the colonel had already given Of
tense, and he was therefore visited and thus start
ingly warned. that he might not offend again.
His noble and patriotic reply. though subdued by
the presence OF his superior officer, proved him to
be worthy Of the sword he wore, and that his
courage and loyalty had nothing to fear from the
menaces by which he was asstiled.
The line of policy thus resolved on was openly
pursued in his apparent consciousness that he was
"the State grew more and more vigorous. He
created a large number of offices and filled them
with friends and favorites, to whom he assigned
full salaries. a pawer which he had no more right
to exercise than had any soldier in the ranks.
About 200 of these appointments were made. of
which some AZ were allotted to a body OF but
300 men, which he recruited and organized I'M
the some what regal designation of The Fremont
Body Guard Initiating yet further imperial
rule he sought to bestow upon many-pos-
sby all his appointees whatever their duties,
military prestige Thus Castle, his superintendent
Of railroad transportation, was honored, by his
letter OF appointments with "the pay of Colo
nel"-and the title of course followed; while the
Office Of Musical Director, Il creation OF his own.
was filed by musician from of the theatres.
to whom was given the rank aud ply of Il Cap
tain OF Engineers in the regular army.
When the Secretary Of War visited this De-
partment in person and in pected the forts which
Gen. Fremont was then building for the defense
Of st. Louis, under the auspices of Board, he at
once decided that they were useless, and ordered
that they should be discontinued, and that the
funds OF the government in the hands OF the pay
master and quartelmasters here should be applied
exclusively to meet the current expenses OF the
army. Yet, in defiance Of tn Secret ry author.
ity. the work upon the forts went on to their
completion. while $4,000 of the funds thus
1f,l
to Beard onhe 18th OF October; and on the 9Th
OF the same month an imperative order was given
by the General for the payment to him OF S6O,00O
more In his administration he virtually ignored
the existence Of the Quartermaster's Department
and of the Ordinance bureau. and necessarily
that of the Government at Washington The
most stupcndous contracts, involving an almost
unprecedented waste of the public money, were
given out by him in person to favories. over the
heads of the competent and honest officers ap-
pointed by law 1t seemed to be his purpose to
present himself as the embodiment OF political
and military power, and to show alike ny ms
words and his conduct how little he depended
upon the Government of his country, and how
utterly he disregarded its laws. its regulations
and its policy. or course, such an example could
not be otherwise than contagious. The whole
framework Of the political and military system
as organized by law, was unbraced; disorder, and
criminal nsubordination everywhere prevailed
There could be no obedience when the General OF
the Department openly taught and practiscd re-
sstance to the laws as IL right If not duty
There could be no economy where the General
exposed himself continually to imputations OF
laboring in his great office to feed the greed OF
his followers for gain. He occupied with his
family and several members OF his stail a marble
palace and lived amid its luXuriOns furniture and
gittering wares at a stipulated expense OF $4,000
per annum to the Government, at Il time when
the homes of millions of our people were darken-
ed by the horrors of civil war. Could 1t be eX-
pectcd that his subordinates would display any
special sympathy with our national suf1erings, or
any mark ed soictude to guard the public treasu-
nv from plunder? Instead OF going to Cairo, us
he could have done for few dollars, on one Of
the vessels transporting his troops which accom-
panied him. he chartered a magnificent steamer,
at cost of 5 l,600 to the Government, to convey
himself and cortege alone. This steamer was
anchored ont in the middle Of the stream, instead
of living at the wharf, as all others did and do,
and when the General drove in his carriage and
four to the waters edge. yet another steamer-at
still further cost to the Government, as we learn
from claim presented for it was employed to put
himself and suite on board. foreign prince or
potentatc in season of national mourning,
might thus live. and thus enter his pleasure
yacht or his barge of State, but insenslblllty amid
the calan tiles of civil war, and wasteluness when
the public debt is being increased ut the rate OF
from S / .OOO 600 to 600 daily, when eX
bibited by a General Of the American army, is
spectacle from which the patriot may well turn
away in grief and humiliation.
As was to have been expected the influence Of
such an exhibition everywhere felt. High
officers did not it was true, dare charter
steamers for their own convenience, but they did,
needless Of the expenditure engage special trains
for the convenience of themselves and attendants.
while yet humber officers, dwaring their pseudo
pomp to the narrower sphere of their authority,
hired at the livery stables for months, buggies
and horses at the expense OF the Government, and
this although the law only recognized them on
foot, or as mounted at their own expense Thus
in every way. and almost everywhere, under the
malign influence of the declaration that neither
laws nor regulations longer prevailed, there was
manifested disposition to convert the natlonal
tragedy through which we are passing, into