Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1862-01-17
BEDFORD. PA. FRIDAY. JAN. II. 1862

ties requires change as proposed, tie debt
due to the Commonwealth ought to pe FIRST
paid or fully secured.
| suggest that the Act passed. 8th
of April, 1861, entitled, can Act coaeerBing
the sais of railroads, canals, &c." shalld be
modified so that iu all cases ia which debt
may Be due to the Oommon wealth by thl com
pany as whose property public work my be
sold, the purchasers thereof shall not b en-
titled to the benefits and privileges conferred
by the Act unless they shall have frst paid
the debt due to the STATE, or secured thassme
by their bonds to the Commonwealth secured
By 8 first mortgage on tie work ITSELF
camnend the subject to the Immediate
consideration Of the Legislature, as an siIcrt
may be made at an early day to enforee a
sale of the canal, and some provision by law
to protect the interests of the State wotld in
that case be necessary.
Ths wicked aud moastrous rebellion which
broke out many months ago, has not yet beea
quelled. Every sentiment of loyalty atd pao
triotiam demands its efsotaal suppression.
In my messages of the 9th and 30lh ofiApril
last, set forth at length views Of thaehar-
acter and objects of the contest which is still
pending. Subsequent reflection has confirmed
me in the correctness of the opinions thea ex-
pressed and to which | refer In addition it
ought to be understood, that licking to tde
variety and character Of her products aud IN
dnstry, her material Interest alone would rem
der the preservation of tie Union from the
present assault upon il, indispensable TO Psan-
syiyaoia. She cannot afford to have foreign
power below or above or bounding her on tha
Delaware, The Chesapeake or the Mississippi,
and she will never aequiesee in such ressiF,
whatever Iuay be tue cost in men aud money
of her resistance to it.
0n the 9th Of April Of last I directed the
attention OF the Legislature to the necessity
which existed for an improved military or
ganzatioD, aud on the 18th of the same north
tue act entitled 'sAn Act for the better organ
izatiOn Of the militia OF this Commonwealth"
passed, appropriatiug the sum of S600,010
for fha purpose OF organizing, cqujpping and
artning the militia. On the 18th of April
the President, By proclamation, called for 3
military force Of 5000 men, of which
the quota assigned TO Pennsylvania was at
first sixteen (afterward reduced to fourteeul
regiments 70 serve as infantry or rihemen for
the term of three mouths unless sooner dis
charged. This call was enthusiastically res-
poaeed to By the people of Pennsylyania.-
Tue first military aid from tho loyal States,
which the Government received at Washington,
was Pennsylvania corps which arrived there
prior to tue 10Th of April. On that day the
passage Of other corps from this and other
States through Baltimore was impeded by
force, aud during nearly two weeks afterwards
the communication between Washington and
the loyal States was almost entirely cut off,
0u the l9tnl received request from the War
Department that the troops preparing IN this
State should be clothed, armed, equipped,
su0sisted aud transported by the State IN con-
sequence of the then inability of the United
States. This request was, Of course, complied
vita, &id twenty five regiments, (beiDg eleT-
en- regiments beyond our quota,) comprising
20,l7 men from Pennsylvania served for the
term Of three months under the Prssident's
proclamation above re feFred 10. As the furs
nisbing those volunteers with supplie9 was, ne>
cessaFIiy, under the circumstances, hurried
operation, and as complaints we're made 10 re-
gard to them, aud frauds were alleged to have
been perpetrated, | appointed board of COM
mssI0ners to investigate the whole subject
A copy of their report with the evidence ta-
ken by them has been already laid before the
public. II is the intention Of the Auditor
General TO open the accounts of such parties
as appear BY the testimony 10 have been over
paid, and this course has already been taken
in two of those cases.
On the expiration Of the term Of the three
months men, in July last, some eight or ten
thousand discharged Pennsylvania volunteers
where throwa into Harrisburg without notice
and detained here, waiting to be paid, for an
average time of some ton days. Their tents,
camp equpage aud cooking utensils had been
taken from them at Williamsport, Nd, aud
they arrived here destitute of all means of shelf
er and of preparing their food. The Commis-
sary of the United States furnished uncooked
rations, and under the circumstances of emer-
geneY deemed it necessary to make arraDges
ments for aiding 10 the cooking aud baking OF
the rations, and also fer furnishing meals to
such of the regiments as arrived during the
night, or under circumstances requiring instant
relief, The expenses attending these opera
tiens amounted, so far as aseertained, 10 S744-
20, and | Recommend thai the Legislature
make an appropriation to pay them2 1t ought
10 be stated that these expenses would have
beon much larger, but for the liberal and pa
iriotie efforts of the citizens, and especssily
the ladies of Harrisburg; their free-haaded
hospitality and generous aid TO our waarloa
hungry soldiers deserve rememberance aud graf
itade.
At the special session Of the Legislature
which cowmencsd on the 30th of April last,
I recommended the organization of a reserve
corps, to be armed, equipped, clothed, sabsis,
ted and paid BY the State, aud drilled in camps
of instruction, 10 anticipation Of the exigenv
cies Of ths country, and by the act of the 10th
of May last, such corps was directed to DC
raised, and loan of $3,000,000 vas author
izea to defray the expenses OF that and other
military preparations. DIen more than sufi-
cient 10 number to form some ten regiments OF
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