American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1851-1863, 1863-02-13
How Spectators Get Transportation
Curious Developments.
From tie Richmond Di~patch.I

t'fili Li4t 4ttA liit'i.u ~ lhtt'iiI
One case among the thousand which are
occurring in the Confederacy have come to
official cugnizauce, showing how spectators
these pests OF soviety-use the government
for their own purposes. The grand jury OF
the Confederate district court, at Mobile. has
made Presentment, copy of which has
been forwarded to President Davis An ex-
tract from the Presentmeut will eXplaIu
ITSELF
The matter in question relates to the wide
spread pervCrsiOn aud abuses by govern
Ucnt officers. as these jurors believe, Of the
public transportation to purposes of person
al emolumcnt and speculation. They find,
among other facts of the same nature, aud
conspicuous among them, that George b.
Clithrral, resident of the city of Mobile, at
or about the month of March, 1862, after
having procured, through the agency OF A.
Il. Powell, of Montgomery, an order from
Major W. ). Ash, General Trans portation
agent at Richmond for the forwarding of
public supplies from New Orleans to Mont
gomery, proceeded to have transported there,
under large quantities, sugar and molasses,
which were to a very small extent, it any at
all, government army stores, hut almost en-
tirely the property of private spectators
and the subject OF enormous profits; the
amount whereof they cannot more accurately
define than by stating that they were not less
than one hundred and fifty thousand dollars
These jurors further find that while this
transportation of pretended public supplies
was mouOpolizing the railroads to enrich
few interested individuals, the whole com
munity of the State, together with the State
and general government themselves were
daily and deeply suffering the most serious
detrmeut by their almost complete exclu
sion from the use of said roads.
They further find that the goods in ques-
ton were several times arrested IN their
hN-f he Nir Of nHfr iat- -If1
doub,ed the pretensc that they were govern
4uent property, notwithstanding the same
were fraudulentlv marked = C. S. \ - and
that every such occasion, Mr.. Cltheral,
who sometimes verbally described himself as
government agent, but really the sal
Hried agent of the unknown spectators, rep
resented that they were pull supplies, and
abe authorities at Richmond having charge
of such matters when telegraphed upon the
subject, confirmed this erroneous statement
by directing that the goods should be per
1ntted to go on, or by referring to the orig
inal authority in the hands of Major Cal
houn, ct Montgomery, who, upon similar
application returned the same answer and d.
rectiOn.
All that is said above IS no doubt true and we
are satisfied that the one thousantth part is not
told or found ont aud perhaps never will be. The
spectators the Confederate ofice-holdsss md
and boats and monopolized the vehicles Of trans
4ortation. aud but little has been permitted t. 20
road, save their own goods under the name
of government property; bat when it ,eached
its destination it turned to prcafe parties
10 be sold for their benefit. Through the machin-
cry of government officers seizing railroads a Il
monopoizing the transportation of goods. immense
fortunes have been made out Of the people by these
spectators in and out Of Office. They have not
only controlled the shipment of goods on railroads
bat in Louisiana they have seized all cargoes landed
or near the Lake end of the n @. 4 Jackson
Railroad, and after keeping the eargoes for long
time, they would be returned with so much was
applied to government uses so much lost -
which nobody paid for yes, the people paid for
them in the enhanced price of what was returned
to the owner. In all these goods that have been
lost. we suspect whiskeE, champagne, cigars and
cogniae constituted rerg large item. Is it TO be
wondered when one-fourth or one-third of a mer-
chants cargo comes up missing. that he should try
to sell the balance for enough TO pay profit on the
whole? Under such circumstances can ANYBODY
wonder that sugar and moasses are high that -four
is out of the reach of the poor. that generous
hearted gentleman Of Jackson should advertise coffee
at three dollars and secentyrs cents per pound out
Of pure sympathy for the soldier and the POOR PEo-
PLE of the country,
We have been informed that one gentleman Wis
tied Richmond to obtain redress of great wrong
his goods having been seized and large quantity
was told by the officials he had better go
home-he would get redress. there so
many Complaints Of that character before them IL
impossible TO attend to correct amy of them
Hurrah for the ofice-holders! Up with the gov
ernmeut spectators. Down with the people and
tksir interests,