New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-02-18
anchorage. Give Us the wsest head the stoutes' a'~
the brayest soul And may God keep the snip
The Recruiting Business i'm onr ivy


which appeared in yesterdays TRIBUNE VIM. 80 -
main Just truthful, and severe in reference " 'pV
ner Of securing and receiving recruits '"'' 'D'
the Union by authorized Government agents Is ailo"
me 10 soy wholly unjust toward the Supervisors LON
mittoe for paying bounties
That all the frauds upon the volunteer enuneia''u a.
THE TRIBUNE have been practced is doubuesS 700 'iue
Tbo, many have been inveiged into volunteering IN
do- rso nrcepses is certain for the Supervisors Com
mittee have brought many Of this Kind before
hob Con Dir and Gen. HAYS for correction, and have
eyer exercised their own limited power in the sara di
rection whenever the facts brought to its knowl
edge.
You say that "criWles, old men, mere boys, men
laboring under ncurablc diseases. and soldiers prev.
ousy discharged for physical disability, foIr. great
part Of the recruits recently enlisted in tA city," You
might have added toothess and blind. of an eye, aud
Others who had been promptly reject as saft by che
recruiting officers connected viii the Supervisors Com
mttec Rooms have gone TO the offices Of other Pr0cos'
Marshals and been passed ard accepted. But Ill ont
RACES Of this kind rest elon upcn the authorized Gov
eminent agents appointed for the especial duy Of re.
ceiying into the army 81 the United States sound and
able. bodied men.
TO the Supervisors Committee Is given ipo power in
the matter. 1t .ssed for it, petiiioned foG IT, super
yisOrs Blunt ~ ID Tweed visited Washington III person
ana urgently solicited from The autnoit tcc certain
military 20 ser 10 pc CONF lfcd upon hoUc "V"i NV
mitee, Tat juS such cases as are icierrcd 10 might e
euarded against and those guilty Of These or any iHuS
prom,dy punished. But such power or authority was
refi.sed and the Committee consequently SIT only
| rs Syneryisors Of the County 10 pay the bounty
10 each soldier who td,\ passed any one OF the
various Assistant Prdre-4 SIar;;hals, and appears
! before tie Committee yith his regularly ceIti
led napCrs that he has been duly accepted
as a recruit volunteer. The COMMITTEE have no op
ton in tic matter but to pay To question the auihoI
ity of or 10 refuse TO pay on the documents plescu
wonld have been "A somewhat dangerous proceeding
and might have led 10 Winter quarters not Altogether
agreeable. You say notwithstanding these iacts
" And who IN city especially, are to be hsld re
,sori,v Of tbe Committee appointed by the
Board Of supovisos dispense the county bounty Of ol
Inc system Of aseuIaen and brokerage which all the auds
hat lave taken pace ere be attributed They would no;
see the recruit they would has been donein Brooklyn
psy the $500 into his hands thoy would only ets VA,
tho reoI from The recruit on which and the eeIlhe'e o' &
mastering officer the County Committee would ALONE ~s
The Committee to which you refer is composed of
: Supervisors Blunt Purdy, Stewart and Tweed Con.
troller Brennan and Mayor Opdyke, gntl his term oil
office expired the LIST Of January, and from that time
forth Mayor Guuther These are all honorable nance
YOU viii acknov ledge gentlemen who would be guilty
Of no fraud upon the volunteer nor knowingly allow u
in others and yet you hold them TcsponsiDe ior tae
state of things referred 10, when, as L have shown
the Committee is clothed with power over such trans
actions whatever that it was denied to IT,
come now to one of your most serious CHARGES, ahu
on which YOUR article seems 20 be based, nd out OF
which you appear fancy most Of the evils referred 10
have grown and fourished, viz; that the Committee
would not see the recruit they would not, has been
c dome I'm BROOKLYN nav the $500 into his hands, Why
Sir this j. precisely the thing II does DO. II pays TIC
whole $500 into The hands only Of the volunteer IL
pays the money broker agent, ard on no assign
ment. Not even a power Of attorney OF the soldier
would be accepted paid except IN some extreme
case, authorized by the General ior
fear that bad influences had been used n procure A.
He must present himself in Propria persona take his
money into his own hand and this has been the lnTa
eember. How TIE IRIBuHE could have fallen into an
of this kind which reflects ungencIousy upon
the voluntary acts and services Of the COMMITTEE Is IN
y eXplicable.
!, by stepping across the Park any time these two
d months Into The rooms of the Committee You would
d have witnessed the whole odus operoad In the pay
u ment Of bounties and had your eyes well heart
gratfed by seeing that every solder received into bis
Rkers Island you would have made the further dscoy
a cry that, after few days had elapsed many Of them
had in their possession that NUMBER Of cents Your
own reporters have been in frequent attendance at The
~ Office OF tie Committee and know the fact as have
stated and doubtless their reports In your own columns
VIII verify my own assertion Ihe Committee have mol
only paid the bounty directly 10 the soldier but at No
$40 Broadway where its rooms were fret located there
a,dumb watcr trapdoor arranged 10 LET the re-
cu down into comfortable private quarters out of the
I reach and sight of all swindhng brokers. agents or
harpes, and all others, where he remained with
his companions until marched Off, late in the afternoon
: by the Assistant Provost-Marsha TO headquarters
Similar but better apartments arranged for yolnn
teers in the present quarters Of the Committee In the
Park where he is clothed and fed throughout the day.
with 10 eye resting upon him except the proper oicers
you intimate, any other military officer, either adj
ysed or suggested this system Of payments. They
have been perfectly satisfied with and often commended
the acts Of the Committee.
Neither were any officers ~ the Government the frs.
TO take exceptions 20 the neaOus acts Of the brokers
at the rooms OF the Committee, Whatever they might
have done at other recruiting agencies Assistant
| Provost Aiarshas Offices The Committee acted upon
It's impulses alone and made frDm time To time such
Improvements ana reforms experience taught were
advisable. IL Is no easy or Sigh. matter 10 inaUgurate
perfectly correct system at first and at once one not
susceptible Of improvement. The Committee found this
10 be 30 from experience Of Two or three weeks under IT.
inst regulations. Volunteers were 10 be obtained.
That Was the desire OF the individual members OF the
Commute as well a. the public at large. Money
largely alQro pratcd for this object, but few recruits
would come IN, however, voluntarily brokers and
agents were therefore cOuntcnunced mot appolted) in
bringing them In, and they did freely. Hey were
supposed 10 make their bargains with TIE recruit
taking on assignment Of bis bounty. While acted
a!ry ana not ungcneTOusy toward the recruit IL
after Il short period discovered tlat others com.
hitting gross frauds upon him, aud taking 10 tbeuscycs
the larger portion Of the bounty Whenever complaint
Of THIS nature brought before the Committee they
were Invariably Investigated AID if found true, the
party punished ar the Committee had the power
generally BY compelling him, through threats, refund.
or driving him from all further business with the Office
I or both.
s,in as the Committee would get rid Of one Of these
scainps another would appear, and then il was, after
some two or three weeks practice Of this kind the Com
mlttee stopped this entire business at its Office by
adopting tie cashinhand process and placing the re.
efu' iinmeoatey In private apartments. And this il
threats OF the brokers' agents and baggace.mashcr
But it was aimed alone against the Committee FOR yr.
tuay stopping their business 1t had the effect of most
materially checking Volunteering for the same craft
although they ceased bringing men to the Committed
gathered them up in large numbers aud took them 70
other places or States where tie authorities threw no
such obstacles In the way Of their ayarice Certain of
the city press joined the brokers in their howl and
ABUSED TIC Committee tor procuring Ill the men
eou'u ana as u Could and blamed it for stepping Of