Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1862-04-30

his government that he would bear to II
true allegiance" aud he stood pledged
by the most solemn Of human sanctions 10
support that Constitulionwhich, when 4"
tho people of the field" places at their
head" the President of the United States,
and not any general holding a commission
under him. With confiding fondness
he had been summoned from the obscuri'
ty of private life and, preferred above the
veterans and whole army OF patriots, he
was made major general. Scarcely has
! he girded on his sword, TO whose honor
the best interests Of the nations had been
committed, when he says TO his subordi-
mates and followers that he draws II, not
in the name OF law or Of the government,
but in defiance of both, to enforce such
measures as, in bis judgment, "the people
expected him to carry out" These words
were spoken, as it were, in the very sick
chamber Of the puolio, and had the tone
of the undertaken while the patient was
yet struggling for life. They were utter
cred sgainst the government ofa country,
not then tranquil and strong ard able to
battle with all assailants, but of country
distracted aud humbled, and bleeding un'
/ der the stabs of traitors. Tbcy came from
no flush of excitement springlng from
triumph of arms, but were the solemn and
oft re peated enunciations OF general Just
entering the field for his future opera
tions. and serving for the first time the
strength of his gathering army. They
were addressed to officers ofhigh rank In
tho service, and were intended TO impr ess
them with obedience 10 his revolutionary
programme. General Fremont already
held the sword and il was most important
for his purpose that Colonel Andrews, the
the head of the pay department here, and
! Major Johnston, paymaSter under nm,
should not interfere with his free use OF
tho national purse. In respecting his own
official oath and the law, by resisting un.
warrantable transfers of public money, the
colonel had already given offence, ind he
was therefore visited and thus startlingly
warned, that he might not offend again.
His noble and patriotic reply, though sub
dued by tle presence of his superior otfir
Ger, proved him TO be worthy OF the sword
be wore, and that his courage and loyalty
had nothing to lear from the menaces by
which he was a.sailed.
The line of policy thus resolved on was
openly pursued us his apparent conclous'
ness that he was "the State" grew moro
and more vigorous. He created large
number of Offices and filled them with
. friends and fayorites, TO whom ne assigne d
| fall salaries, power which he had TO
more right to exercise than mad any sol
diel in his ranks. About two hundred of
these appointments were made, and of
which some forty,two were allotted to a
body of but three hundred men, which he
had recruited and organized under tho
somewhat regal designation Of "The Fret
mont Body Guard" Initiating yet further
imperial rule, he sought to 5estow upon
many possibly all his appointees-what-
ever their duties, a military prestige
| Thus Castle, his superintendent of rail-
rood transportation, was honored, by his
letter of appointment, with 1.-The lay OF a
colonel"-and the title, of course, follow
while the Office of musical director"
creation of his own, was filed by mu-
sician from one Of the theatres, to whom
was given the rank and pay Of captain
of engineers in the regular army.
When the Secretary OF War visited this
deuar,ment in person and inspected the
forts which Gen. Fremont was then build
ing for the defence of ST. Louis, under the
auspices of Beard, he at once decided that
they were useless, and ordered that they
should be discontinued, and that the
funds of the government in the hards OF
the paymasters and quartermaSters here
should be applied exclusively to meet the
current expenses of the army. Yet, III
defiance of the Secretary's authority, the
work upon the forts vent on TO their com
nletion, while $50, 600 of the funds thus
sought TO be protected by the Secretary
was paid to Beard or the 10th October -
and on the 10Th Of the same month an
imperatlye order was given by the gener.
al for the payment Of 100000 more. In
lis administration he virtually ignored
the existence OF a quar- termaster's and the
commissary's departments, and of the
Ordn ance bureau, and necessarily that OF
the government at Washington. The
most stupendous contracts, involving an
almost un precelented waste Of public mo .
ney, were given out by him in person to
favorites, over the heads Of the competent
and honest officers appointed by law. II
seemed to be his purpose to present him.
self as the embodiment of political and
military power, and TO show alike by his
words and his conduct how little he des
pended upon the government Of his couns
/ try, and aow utterly he disregarded its
laws, Its regulations and lis policy. Of
course, such an example could not be
otherwise than contagious. The whole
framework of the political and military
systems, as organized by law, was unbrao-
! ed. and disorder and criminal insubordi-
nation everywhere prevailed. There could
be no obedience when the general OF the
department openly taught and praciiced
resistance to the laws rs right, If not u
duty. There could be no economy where
the general exposed himself continually
to imputaiions of laboring in hl' great of'
flee to feed the gre 'd of his followers for
gain. He occupied with his family and
severa! members Of his staff a marble pal
ace, and lived amid its luxurious furniture
and gltterng wares at astipulated ex'
pense of $4,000 per anun' TO the govern
ment, at a time when the homes of MILL
ions of our people were darkened by the
horrors ofcivil war. Could it he expect
IL Il Il, xppnlI fntxplny a