The Portland daily press., 1863-01-14
BY TELEGRAPH.
TO THE
Portland Daily Press.
FROM WASHINGTON.
Reasons why the Army has not
been Paid.
Report Of the Commissioners for the Abol.
ishment of Slavery.
Letters of Marque and ReprisaI.
The Mcdowell Court Of Inquiry.
WASHINGTON. Jan. IL.

WASHINGTON, Jan. IL.
Secretary Chase, in answering a resolution
! from the House, says the soldiers have not
been paid because he is not authorized to raise
loan by practicable methods under existing
laws, and that the 500 bonds have not been
sold because they could not be under restric-
lions imposed by Congress. He says the ar
rears of army pay amounts to treble the
amount he can raise by the existing act, exclu-
sive of that providing for the 5-20's The
original act providing for their issue provides
also for conversions into them of any multiples
of fifty dollar United States notes. at the
! pleasure of holders, and permitted sales only
at market rates. ascertained from daily quota
tions of New York sales. Had the supplement
tai act been passed emitting the conversion
and market rate clauses, the difficulty would
have been avoided. As it is, acting in accord
ance with the letter and spirit of the law, he
| (Chascl has made no sales excepting to the
amount of s25,500,000 in that mode. Had the
expenditures been less, or the military success
greater, more might have been sold There
has been obtained since July LIST, from all
sources, $2S7 ,304,61S, exclusive of receipts
from customs, etc, making the total 1925, O60-
600 in round number. There has been paid
TO the troops SI0,S25, 5S3,67; to the Quarter
masters Department S30,617 40, SO; miscella-
neous S3l ,S36, 209,22; total S243, 76l III 80.
The Commissioners, under the act for the
adjustment of slavery i'm the District of Co.
lumbia, having concluded their labors. will
make their report to the Secretary of the
Treasury tomorrow. The number of appli-
cants for the benefit of the act was about
1000 for nearly 5000 slaves, who were duly ex-
amined and valued by slave dealer of Balti-
more. The law appropriates Sl.000,000 but
only 100000 of this sum will be paid, the au-
thorized average for each slave being $500.
Some of them are judged worth nothing, such
as infants, the aged and invalids, and the
amounts withheld for them has been added to
those esteemed of higher value than $500.
A number of prominent gentlemen have
been discussing the propriety of urging the
authorization of letters of marque and repr-
sal, in view of the belief that arrangements
have been made, especially in British quarters,
to run the blockade and 10 prey upon our
commerce. They express the opinion that
some action of this kind is absolutely neces-
sary to prevent the destruction of our mari
time interests from those sources.
In the Mcdowell Court of Inquiry to-day,
Gen. Pope certified in relation to the battle of
Cedar Mountain and matters in connection
with that campaign. He gave with particu-
larity the disposition of his troops ON the 9TH
of August and subsequently. 1t appears that
he reached Culpepper Court House early on
the morning of the Sth, his whole force being
about 10000 it having been considered by the
authorities in Washington not iudicious to re-
move Gen. Kings division from Fredericks-
burg. His instructions required him to be
very careful not TO allow the enemy to inter-
pose between him aud Fredericksburg, to
which point the forces from the Peninsula
were to be brought. Gen. Mcdowell was in
no wise responsible, but in all respects carried
out my instructions faithfully and zealously.
Gen. Pope stated that Gen. Mcdowell was
under his immediate observation until near
the close of the battle, when he put his troops
into action on Gen. Banks right. His con-
duct throughout was gallant and efficient
Gen. Mcdowell did all he ought to have done
in regard to Gen. Sigel at Waterloo.