, 1864-02-03
The Arrears ofPay to Colored Troops.

The Arrears ofPay to Colored Troops.
To the Editor Of the New York Tribune:
s1n:-No ono can overstate the Intense
anxiety with which the officers Of colo1ed
regiments in this department are y awaiting &C.
It is not matter Of dollars and cents only;
it is a question Of common honesty-Whether
the United States Government has sufficient
integrity for the fllflllmcnt Of IN explicit
business contract.
The public seems to suppose TINT all ureqair-
ed Justice Wiu be done by the passage Of
bill cqra}izang the pay Of au soldiers Tor the
future. But, SO far as my own regiment Is
r.n havcbeen nearly sixteen months in the
| service, and for them the Immediate issue is
1 the question Of arrears r.
They understand the matter thoroughly,
| The public does not. Every one OF thsm
| knows tint he volunteered under an explicit
| written assurance from the War Department.
| th.t he should hayo the pny of white sol
| dicr. He knows that for five months the
regiment received that pay, after which 1t WIS
cut down from the promised slS per mGnth
| 10 SO. for some reason to him inscrutable-
| He does net kpow--for1 have not get dared
to tell the men-that the Paymastcr has been
already rcProyed by the Fay Department. ior
fulfilling even in part the pledges OF rhe
War Department; that at the next payment
the len dollars arc to be further reduced to
seven: aud that, to crown the whole, all
tte nrerioue over pay Ia to be again deducted
| nr 1t stoppcd' y from the future wages, thus
leaving thepn little more than dollar month
for tix months to come, unless Congress IN
Yet 60 clear wcre the terms OF the contract
That Mr., Solicitor Whiting, having examined
| fhe original instl notions from the War De-
DaEtment issued to Brigadier General Saxton,
| Military Governor, admits to me under date
OF December 4, 1859 that " the taitA OF Tue
| INV 3,1nErp6 tn nvnFV
officer aud soldier enlisted under that call" \,
He roes on to express the generous contt-
dencetliat "the pledge will be honorahly
fulfilled" I observe that every one at the
North, seems to feel the same conidenses e9s
, ttat, meanwhile, the pledge IL nntnaAlled.
!, Nothing is said in Congress about fulfilling
It, I hase not seen even proposition In
CONGRESS to pay the colored soldiers, Jrnn'
G;ofe Of eulisime.t, the same pay with the
white soldiers; and yet anythfng short OF t1at =,
is an unequivoca1 breach Of contract, 30 1al
as this regiment is concerned
Meanwhile the land sales are beginning,
r | and 1te1e is danger Of every loot OF !and oe
ing sold from beneath my soldiers feet, pc
6 caREe they have not the petty sum which
i Government first promised and thcn Ielusee
- Tic officers pny comes promptly and full.
enough. and this makes the position NOR
l. embarrassing. For how arc We 10 explain y
e the mcn the mystery that Government cai
9 afford us hundred or two donafs montn ~.
u teen which Is promised tlems Does u no
naturally The most nos neRr efRf1 p ssl
n childliIe faith in their officers, aud In tha
b incarnate soul OF honor, Gen. sazton, "a
y sustained their filth, or kept them paten'
q ri There Is nothing mean or mercenary abou
t these men in general. Convince them taa
g tho Government actually needs thsis money ona =
). haif @ Tations, and without dollar-:,for time
ID But, unfortunately, they see white soidie1 u e.
> beside them, whom they know H. to be ,al n n
8 way their superiors for any military servic'
:. receiving hundreds Of dollars for re.enlistin
In from this Impoverished Government, Whie
can only pay seven dollars ont OF thirteen i
y y nther 1tl hand, those eolored men who reius.
ht to volunteer as soldiers. and who have foHr
o more honest paymasters than the onl.f ny
t. fliicd pockets, and able to buy the lit
q. homesteads the soldiers need, aud to turn t