Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-08-23
MASSACHUSETTS,.
MIR EFFoRrs TO INDUCE EVERYBODY But HER ows'
PEOPLE TO 90 TO THE wAR-ExPEDIESrs TO
FILL HER cUoTA-NPoETATIoS or 4 CARGO or
MERCENARIEs.
From the New Yok Journal q Commerce.

From the New lOk Journal ~ Commerce.
There is something inexpressibly ludicrous in
the efforts that Massachusetts, is now making 10
induce everybody but her own people TO go TO
the war. The same indomitabe energy that
sends her ice to Calcutta and her Merrimac
prints to the FIJI Islands, is now concentrated on
the great problem of getting recruits. We have
heretofore alluded to the lsbors of NaSsachu
sets agents among the freedmen" of New
bern. and the pauper population of New York.
There and here she has distanced all competitors:
by her superior 'cute0ess bagging two negroes to
other peoples one in North Carolina, and exer-
csing some strange fascination perhaps by
larger show of greenbacks) upon the sturdy
grants of this metropolis. by which they are sc
duced away from the very embraces, so to
speak of the County Recruiting Committee and
our sharpest substitute brokers. In this as In
everything else, Massachusetts, is great
But no pent up New York or Newbern con
tracts her recruiting powers. The whole world
is her field. Wherever there is a man there is
possible chance of her obtaining a recruit. If
Massachusetts, knew of Robinson Crusoe and
Man Friday on an island anywhere, she would
open a recruiting Office next door to them, and
try to enlist both of them-preference being
given to the negro Friday.
lreland's difficulty is Massachusetts opportu-
nifty. Whenever Queenstown vessel lands at
Boston, deep mysterious chuckle runs all
through the radical press of that CITY. mingled
with congratulations to the people of Massachu
sets. that their quota is fast filling up We can
always tell when a cargo Of wild lrshmen has
been safely landed in Boston by the signs of gen
eral contentment pervadlng the local radical
press. The satisfied cucking of a hen not more
surely betra eth that she hath laid egg The
poverty and general discomfort of the Irish peo-
pie have been most adrotly turned to account by
Massachusetts, in effecting substitution of belly
erent Hibernians for the peaceful and home-lov
ing denizens of the old Bay State.
Much of this work is carried secretly
so as not to direct the attention OF other States
to the same line of business-that cannot, at
this time, undertake to give any history of Mas
sachusetts' operations in this new sphere of CON
mercial enterprise We believe, however, that
like the drum beat of old England, the crafty and
persuasive voice of her recruiting agents may be
heard all around the world
The place where it has last been heard with
great effect is Belgium The State agent, who
seems to be of uncommon ability,
ceeded, according to the reports which have
leaked Out) in gathering together the 600 raga
mullins in three weeks in the city of Antwerp
He told this shabby collection of Dutchmen that
they would be sent TO America free of expense
Nothing said, it appears. about recruiting
for the Federal army, but the poor fellows were
obliged to sign bond that "when they arrived
in the United States they would do whatever
might be required of them d" This they did, ex-
pectng probably TO find some means to break
the legal bond when they got here Ii is not
surprising that crowd of hungry paupers Of Ant
werp should have been willing to accept "A free
ride to the United States. Nor are We aston
ished las some of the Boston papers seem to be-
that Antwerp should have let them 60. without
inquiring too curiously. into the nature Of the
service to which they were bound. The mags
trates of Antwerp, like the sagacious persons
that We have always taken them to be, were, no
doubt, glad to get rid of so much surplus popula-
ton.
Well these 600 substitutes in disguise were
put on board the steamer Bellona at Hamburg.
Here they made the acquaintance OF that delight
full parsonage, all army contractor, from Massa
chusettsl) who gave them such bad food that
they couldn't stand il, unaccustomed as they
were to provisions of any kind. Not only the
stomachs of the men revolted but the men them
selves swore in Dutch that they would not put I'D
with such treatment. Some of them started TO
leave the steamer. Boston about TO be be-
reft Here stepped in the agent and paci6ed The
disconnected men by a mastery stroke. He
pitched the worthless food overheard, and gent
out for an unlimited supply of the best things in
the market, and promised double rations all
round. Thus appealed to, the Dutchmen Welded,
and the Beona, big with the fate of Boston.
sailed.
Here the history Of this remarkable affair,
brief misty and unsatisfactory. ends. Ii is only
known that the men were landed on Deer Island,
near Boston, that they were examined by
geon, were all enlisted, and arc now duly credited
to the MASSACHUSETTS quota. and that that Conr
monwealth feels considerably easier. There are
many other things that We would like to know.
if the Boston papers would only tell them For
instance: Were all the Antwerpers perfectly will
ling to enlistf Was there 10 hocus pocus about
it? Did they know that they going into
the army, when they passed the mastering off
Ger? Suppose any Of them objected to soldering
and wanted to go ashore. were they per United tot
Was the agent--was MISUNDERSTANDING to
lose the amount that she had invested in passage
money and double rstionsl" Is it not little
remarkable that out of 600 men Of peaceful
and philosophical race. there should not be one
who did NOT prefersto 20 ashore aud take bis
chances of a living in Boston. rather than enter
the army at any Dricel We trust these ques
tons are not impertnent, but we cannot help
asking them
There is al honorable and wholesome rivalry
between New York and Massachusetts, in some
lines of enterprise. but Massachusetts is perfectly
welcome to all the profit AMI glory that she can
make out OF this sort OF business