Weekly national intelligencer., 1864-04-07
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
A CoNTRABAND TRAFFIC.

A CONTRABAND TRAFFIC.
oLs ono = wa, stated in several OF the
Western newspapers that Gen. ~ hifpy omiu'
of the insurgent army in the Department " INC
Trans Mississippi had been negotiating ~i.h Ger
.,;n nar,;es in the United States, with the know
Ioaoa and consent of the authorities at Richmond,
toexcbange couon for provisions, army clothing ana
otbsr articles of which the insurgent troops were
n most pressing need We further saw 1T stated
obout the same time in one Of our St. Louis con-
temporares that under the guise OF trading Id
cotton many persons in Arkansas and elsewhere
in the Southwest were really supplying the In
sureents, and especially the guerrilla parties OF the
enemy, with the means of carrying on the war.
II was said that these guerrilla parties brought IN
COTTON to certain Confederate speculators residing
neo, our military lines, and that these spectators
then disposed of this cotton to Federal specuia'0rS
prosecuting their trade aOithin our military hnes,
and received in return for it money or supplies OF
provisions. :.
The statements on this subject were at once
denied apparently on official authority, ana the
matter rested for a time but it has more recently
repeated in the Western journals
If we may trust in the gonuineness OF certain
documents reproduced in the New York Times OF
Thursday last, it would appear that these repressn
tations were we'll founded The Times does not
explain how it came into the possession OF these
papers, but it appears from them that under special
authority granted by the Confederate Secretary OF
War, as long ago as March 18th, 1868, zen u.
Kirby Smith entered into stipulations with one
John T. Chichester, of Arkansas, for the supply hy
the latter of military equipments and clothing II
being, according to the terms of the contract, un
derstood and agreed that payment for all articles
delivered under this contract shall be made with
cotton of an average quality, at the rate Of twenty
five oents for every pound, and that payment IS 10
be made at the tipe and place of delivery OF the
articles" and it being further understood and
agreed upon that the said John I. Chichester, Or
his duly appointed agent, shall be permitted 70
transport without molestai ion or hindrance on the
part of the Confederate Sttes authorities all cotton
paid to him or his duly authorized agents, by
virtue of this contract to any foreign port that lie
or his agents may select provided the cotton Is not
sent to nor shipped afterwards at the city OF New
Orleans, Louisiana"
The eighth article of the contract provides "that
all assistance that may be required by the said
John T. Chichester or his duly appointed agents
for the purposeaof protecting his property from
guerrilas and otherwise assisting in transporting
it to the point points selected for delivery, shall
be given by the military authorities Of the Depart
nent Trans Mississippi, provided such assistance
is not detrimental to the-public service"
How much has been actually done in the execu-
tion of these agreements our New York contempo-
rarV says it has no means of knowing; but there
!. little room to doubt it thinks that immense guam
titles of such articles as the insurgent army has
needed must have been supplied to them from 'he
United States, and payment received in cotton,
very large quantities of which are said to have
been received within our lines in the Southwest,
in accordance with some arrangements made be-
tween specializing parties residing on each side OF
our military lines in that quarter
It may be proper for US to add that in what pur-
ports to be the letter from Mr.. james A. Seddon,
the insurgent Secretary Of War, giving permission
to make such contract he says that it is mot
desirable to resort to such trade with the United
States, which, under the laws of THE Confederate
Congress, when carried by citizens, is Illicit"
vet, "when necessities have compelled, The [Con-
Federated Government has on many occasions re-
sorted 10 al to a greater or less eztent"
Our New York contemporary seems to have no
doubt as to the genuineness of these documents,
the publication of which it closes with the follow
ing comments:
whether Government, its agents and generals,
have had any connection with this traffic. have
means of knowing lis scarcely possible that they should
have remained ignorant Of its existence and is not easy
TO see how should have been carried in defiance Of
their wishes"