The Chattanooga Daily Rebel. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1862-1864, 1863-02-21

THE SITIJATHoN.


III
The question Of Taiisipg the ras Of sol
diers was before Co1greEl at its hast session
The House passed 4 Hill increasing the pa,
Of soldiers TO fifteen Idoilars Rodsh Thir
bill was defeated IN The Senate IThe sam,
subject, Se see, Is 4gaih befaEe sCongress,
and we hope. 4t thissessipn, sdmeEhing may
be done We arc decIdealy ID favor pf IN
creasing. the payIof Bfiyates hnd non com
missioned officers Wsintena id this arti-
Gle to give our reasons and alEp sto snswer
the Objections which hFe urgti against
such a measure t.lthd time ejobgress
passed the pay Of sslkiers eFdrJshirlg was
comparatively cheap. Now prices have
risen fifty, ono hhndrs45 and En=euEc IN
stances three or felt huaaalrell PHI c@ht.-
The soldier cannot. buy with tlHvep dollars
what he could have BohElit with sydyein when
the ratelof pay vas fktd Eiifseen dollars
viii not buy as much nov aseleyea would
eighteen mont ssgo. Many dfIItIe soldiers
are men of small In ez4s And .lArs lClIhilies.
and what liktls they ed szill loH 10 mueI
towards supporting thdIirl faEbEE4s The
truth is, the present. p4ylof 3 Soldier IS not,
enough to furnish him with al tha comforts
he needsin camp 1T s4I true ltAe Gorern-
ment furnishes him with a cdrtaih arhount
of food aud lclothi1 q, i Frequently ID long
and heavy MARCHES be & tonp9llRd to Ihrow
away portion fof his clgthes, beHsass BIC. s.
not allowed to garry hisahIbag4ase lie 81
50 frequently HantsFs9nie other skinEls Of
fbod than the &otern nisht faaraislscs. But
above all, he nects sbIle snbns5 To send
home to his wife and ahildfeu4 I've acain
say. fifteen dollars 4 niohth.wEii bot be as
much as eleven was eighteen months ago,
and is no more than shk soldisrik entitled
to. But it s'said soldiers will feckiessly
speaa what you pas them Chi nay be
true in some few instances butt We hope
moi in many sad If tt aFgrrnsrt Is good
for anything Il proves that soldiers ought
not to be paid at all II Is SAIL tla5 sol
diefs. when thby have money lcceule de-
lnoralized, engage 10 sanibli1g,a ad other
species of vice Ifsone sol diers do these
things all should not suffer for what some
do-the good should npt be punished as
well as the bsi Lct vice Of q cry kind
be sterEly prohibited id camp, an d let the
rules be strictly enforced but do not in order!
to prevent some soldiers from Rambling
aad extravagauce, deprive Others of what
they need The main objection i. that it
viii greatly increase on debt ana injure
our currency This IS the most plausible
objection urged, bat We think this can
be announced FatisaetbFiIyl That there
should be reform ID our money matters, we
have again and again urged. But the re-
form should be iii pthe4 things besides the
pay of soldiers. Let the Government Acc 70
it that large rohtr4ctorg are not making i'm
mense fortunes, that HFticles Of food and
clothing are not bought 1t one price and
then sold to the Goyerhmeut at Another-l
that Government sficiaHs and their agents
are nor accommodating Immense sums BY
specializing. with governments funds These
are the things ID which reforms should he
introduced, but where things are really mel
eessary for the public service they should
be furnished without regard to eS4tl The
increase of pay tOItha soldiers. weula not
amount to more thaR twenty millions of doll
lars, per annum This would W a very
magnificent part Of our national sHbt, and if
our currency s in such aIconditi9h that The
issuance of twenty millions Of dollBrs would
destroy its value, it nustlbs ID aFrecarious
condition indeed We say save she| twenty
millions in some other rnanncr. Let some
s of these contractors thAt are making enOr
mons profits |abate soms be their profits, but
that investigators be hAdHas to what is done
with Government money by thoFswho han
dieit then the IPay ofthe soldisHs viii not
befelt If, h9we3ar, the i6cFeassd pay Of
the soldiers win. ipereAse the psblic debt,
lett pc dops. ILetItbose for whom they
are fighting be Wiling to pay for their ser
49,