Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1862-03-11
The Pretended Exposures by The Charles.
ION Mercpry aud Richmond Nhfg.

| Tns Pretended Exposures by The Charles.
TON Mercury aud Richmond Nhig.
The Richmond "Whig," OF the 6 b inst, has
attempted to sustain its assault OF the day be.
| fore on the Presidents standardization, by tho
reproduction Of an article from the Casries-
| ton "Me7crrr," which processes to give ''in!oc-
nation from o good source" ss 70 what "the
President has done or failed to d." in rclsticn
to certain matters connected with the pue!!c
| deieuca.
Wepropose to show, from information Thscn
We isfe received irem more reliable sources
than any % which the Mercury" has access
hat ali the allegations and thsi. various sPS'
elf eatiors made By Inc Mercury" aTe eoaf!tute
Of foundation in truth
We do this not merely in order to Feiute
the charges contained in this artitie, sut dlso
10 show The public uow utterly unreliable are
tho sources If Tie "Mercur!y's" information. Io
do this sfsctuslly, We propose TO roPuslish Inc
various allegations, asric::n il the ".asrcurs's'
own language:
"The Provisional Congress, ut ira lsst sesr
sion passed a bill g~Esniirg bounties TO the Set.
ting up and establishing Of manufacture o.
arms, s~.ltpe,re AID gunpowdeT. a certain
advance Of money was 10 be made 10 the naf1-
~facturer Of tht 50 articles, when no had al
vanced a certain stage in putting up Inc iacto
ries, which was to be returned 10 the ertlcits
msnufactured. The President veosd the Oil,
and it failed"
The bill hers referred TO ~as 80 loosely
drawn, snSd so completely Pr: the Government
in the power Of specnlstors. that Wien Inc
President gave bis reasons for no: approving
it, the body which had passed it sustained
the Presidents veto oy an sImcss unanimous
vote, and 10 this hour no Injury or incooTe-
nience has resulted from It's re- sction-
II. :'The Huper's Ferry machinery, for tie
manufacture Of arms, was turrsd over py gir-
r;nia 70 the Confederate States when Virginia
seeed.d from the Ulion. /; was sent, to be
cut into operation, to Fayetteville, North
Carolina; s month ego, and aot a gun had yss
bsen furnished 10 tho army. 1t md not yes
got into operation
This charge is utterly untrue from eeg'a-
ming TO erd, as a simple statement Of facts WILL
show. TIE Harper's Ferry machinery cen
sisted Of two psris-that for the manufacture
Of nuske,e, sEd that fer The manufacture q
1;ars. Tie nusket machinery wss, after
much negotiation, tu!rtd ever to the Coofede.
rate States, ia ice month Of July, IN the boxes
10 which it was cerveyedfrem HsIgel's Ferry
10 this city; was, as promptly ss possible, set
up AID tut IL operation, snd ms been for
several mouths furnishing IS many muskets
per month as the nrnbe7 CT Tolknen which
could be procured could make. TIE Iias me'
chinery, to which The Mercury" SPECIALLY
refers, has ne-ur been turned over to The Con
feoe;ats States. 1t ~es lent 10 he State Of
North Carolina ty Virginia, TO 70 put mp 81
Fayetteville, in tie ivIps7 State, aad vas trans,
ported .hither il June last, every aid being
given to the sgsntef North Carolina BY The
Confederate Government. When 1t was being
ppt ID in The Cent. derate States Arsenal al
Fayetteville, 1t WAS fyurd that the portion ior
m.kirg locks vas missing, and Immediate
steps ver5 taken to supply It's defect By manu'
facturirs tho necessary rathinerJ here. Ii
the meantime lccks Te,s made here and sent
to Fayetteville 70 90 attached to the rifles,
q number Of which ha7e beea made monthly
Tor several mcnthe-
III. ss'Threo manufactures Of arms Tsre n
Tennessee. Thar p-opr!osoEs sought 10 make
contracts :or ,as manufacture .! arms WIN the
Oon6t darats Government Nst being abe to
succeed, ore or more of them came to R.ce-
uond during me sitting Of the late Congress,
to interest the members Of Congress from
Tennessee in their behalf The War Office
declined 10 make contracts for tie purchase
Of arms manufactured by these %fsc:ories, on
.hs ground ths. IL had nc money. o. erqulEy
being made into the cause Why there was no
money, it turned CIT that the Treasury De.
psrtment could not have Treasury notes signs
ed fast enough. F.Ye and ten dollar Treasury
notes were Al C premium Of three and four per
cer;. st New Oiieane, !Cr currency. The DOE
tractors and creditors, Of course, demanded
| these notes, instead Of Ally or one hundred doi>
lar notes, and the TreasITy YES most iaoo-
| riousl7 trying to meet thtir demands. although
! bound by 80 contrsc: to do SO. hsnee Inc
Government could not meat It's engagements,
or contract to buy these arms. TIE Treasury
1ss twelve Eiilic2s il aTresrs 70 the War De
pa1tneat."
Tc this count OF .be "Msrcur7's" indictment,
we reply by the following narrative OF the cir
eunstances to which it mas reference;
A field efacer Of 9 regiment Of Tennessee
volunteers, which had just been raised, accom-
panied By Member Of Congress from that
State, applied to the Secretary OF War for arms
for bis man. Ga being informed that the War
Department could not then grant his request,
he asked ms Secretary, why the ordnance eli
nanufactories, referred to above, to furnish
arms, alleging tia. they were roady to 90 80
a: ss25 per piece. The Secretary replied, that
he su.hcrizsd him 10 make s contract With
them immediately snd TO ensure speedy de-
livery. faf.hev authorized tas payment Of $50
per pieo=. Theas fsc:s vera s:ssed By the
above mentioned Member Of the Provisional!
Congress, at = Meeting of'tha Finance Com.
mittee. This gerslenan'a statement was. sab.
sequently distorted Just ss the "MeFcrry" has
m:sco1st1uad it, and ne reiterated mis- s.atea
ment On thu a,or Of the House, showing that
The War Department had done everything in
i power to secure the purchase Of every arm
that could bs furnished. The other allegations
of the Mercury" in relation to Treasury
uotea, &c, fall with the charge which they ere
designed to s~usisio:
~. "When the first Congress Of the Con-
federate Stats NE, a; AortscmeIy,itw wa clear
to every one that war WINS not an improbable
event Prudence rta1;rs3 preparation. 81
the Constitution, Congress could make nc ap.
| preparation Of money but at The call Of the