The Placer herald., 1862-03-22

Iney were Dilnu, spawned, rlngDOneu, uinicteu
with the heaves, with the glanders, and with
every disease that horse-fesh is heir to. These
four hundred and eighty-fve horses cost the
Government, before they were mustered into the
service, fty-eght thousand two hundred dollars,
besides more than an additional thousand dol
lars to transport them from Pennsylvania to
Louisville, where they were condemned and cast
off.
Mr. Mallroy (Union) of Kentucky. asked what
regiment those he rses belonged to, and who fur
nished them?
Mr.. Dawes-They belonged to Colonel viii
liam's regiment of cavalry, and they were pur-
chased in Pennsylvania, from which State they
were forwarded to Louisville, where they were
condemned. There are ei9hty-three regiments OF
cavalry to day thousand strong. 1t takes
two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to put
one of these regiments on foot before it moves.
Twenty millions OF dollars have thus been eX-
pended on these cavalry regiments before they
left the encampments where they were mustered
into service, and hundreds and hundreds of these
horses have been condemned, and sent back to FL
mira, and to Annapolis, and to this city, to spend
the winter. Any day hundreds of them can be
seen around this city chained to trees where they
are left to starve to death. Gangs of two hun
dred horses in various places have been thus left
to die and rot, till the Committee on the District
of Columbia have called for a measure of lcgis-
latiOn to protect the city from the danger to be
apprehended from these horse Golgothas. An
of another State five thousand dollars to get him
permission to raise one of these regiments of
cavalry, and when the eX-Judgc brought back
the commission the Ex-Governor takes it to his
room at the hotel, while another plunderer sits
at the keyholc watching like mastiff while he
inside counts up forty thousand dollars profit OH
the horses, and calculates twenty thousand dol
lars more upon the accourements and on the
other details of furnishing these regiments In
addition the army Of the six hundred thousand
soldiers in the field, there numerous OutstanG-
ing contracts made with private individuals, not
made upon advertisement not made with the
knowledge of the public, but made by eX-mem-
bcrs Of Congress, who knew no more of the diff
erence between one class of arms and another
than does Methodist minister. There are out
standing co ntractS for the manufacture of Spring
field muskets, the first one of which cannot be
delivered in six months from this day. There is
a contract for the supply of one million and nine
ty thousand muskets, at twenty eight dollars
apiece. when the same quality of muskets l.
manufactured at Springfield for thirteen and Il
half apiece; and an eX-member of Congress is
now in Massachusetts. trying to get machinery
made by which he will be able to manufacture in
some six months hence, at twenty -Onc dollars
apiece, these riaed muskets manufactured to day
in that armOry for thirteen dollars and half
Providence, before six months will dispose of
this war, or He will dispose OF US. Not of
those muskes thus contracted for will be Of the
SlBHIeet ScIF iCC Ill tulS DclOIc tuC
providence Of God, whether for good or for evil,
will dispose of it. | ask my friends from the
North and Northwest how they expect to benefit
by an armory ut Chicago, at Rock Island and at
Quincy, when a million and ninety two thousand
musliets will, according to contract, be thrown
upon the country, and that after the war is over
and at such an enormous price, in addition to
other outstanding contracts for the manufacture,
sometime hence. of two hundred and seventy
two thousand Enfield rifles? Besides these there
are seventy five thousand five hundred aud forty
thrce-sets OF harness, to be delivered by and by,
at the cost of one million nine hundred and sew
enty-eight thousand four hundred and iory-six
dollars.
| have not time to enumeratc all these contracts
When We appropriated at the last session OF Con-
gress for this purpose. twenty million Of dollars,
thirty seven millions and some thousand dollars
had been already pledged to cOntractors-not for
the purchase of arms for the men in the field,
not to protect them in fighting their country's
battles in this great emergency and peril, but
for some future use for some present need of the
contractors, | don't know which at this moment.
And not only the appropriation OF last session
has been exhausted, but seventeen millions put
upon it. The riot of the 18th of April in Bati-
more, opened this ball, and on the 2lst Of .April,
in the City Of .Ne,U Yorh, there ,oas organized
a corps Of plunderers of the Treasury. Two
millions of dollars were entrusted to poor, un-
fortunate. honest but entirely incompetent editor
in New York, to dispense it in the best manner
he could. Straightway this gentleman began to
purchase linen pantalOons, straw hats, London
porter, dried herrings, and such like provisions
for the army, till he expended in this way three
hundred and ninety thousand dollars Of the mon
ey, and then he got scared and quit. QLaughter0
There is an appropriation, also, for the supply OF
wood to the army. This contractor is pledged
the payment of seven dollars cord for oil the
wood delivered to the different cOmmands-wood
collected after the labor of the soldiers themselves
had cut down the trees to clear the ground for
their batteries, and then this contractor employs
the army wagons tu draw it to the several camps,
and he has no further trouble than to draw his
seven dollars for a cord, leaving the Government
to draw the wool. (Laughter.) 1t costs two
millions Of dollars every day to support the ar
my in the field A hundred millions Of dollars
have thus been expended since we met here on
the I'd day of December, and all that time the
army has been in repose. What the expenditure
will increase to when that great day shall arrive
when our eyes shall be gladdened with sight
of the army in motion do not know, Another
hundred millions will go with the hundreds more
have enumerated. Another hundred millions
may be added to these before the 4th of March.
What it may cost to put down the rebellion |
care very little, provided, always that it be put
down effectually. But FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS
DEAD, and am free to confess that my faith some
times fails mel mean my faith in men, not my
faith in the cause. When the history of these
times shall be written, it will be question upon
whom the guilt will rest most heavy-upOn him
who has conspired to destroy, or upon him who
has proved incompetent to preserve, the inst-
tutions bequeathed to us by our fathers. 1t is
no wonder that the public treasury trembles and
staggers like strong man with too great bur-
then upon him. A strong man in an air-exhaust-
ed receiver is not more helpless to-day than is
the treasury of this Government beneath the
exhausting process to which it is subjected.
The mighty monarch of the forest, himself, may
hold at bay the fierce and mightiest of his foes,
while the vile cur coming up behind and open
ing his fangs gives him a fatal wound, and al
though he may struggle on boldly and valiantly,
the life blood is silently trickng from his heart,
and he is mt the last forced to loosen his grasp,
and he grows faint and falters and dies. The