The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-07-17

/. CouPrAn,rs from SoLDrEnA -Wc havc re- |
ceiycd of late numerous lettors from our gal |
liant soldiers llled with all manner Of com |
pla,nts II, regard TO their treatment. We have
been flooded with these nissives, many OF them
presenting grievances which the government
is in duty bound TO correct These ietters
come from various sections-ifom washington,
Northern Virginia, Petersburg, Richmond North
Carolina, Pennsylvania, Indiana and the camps
in and around this city. A large proportion OF
the number complain of the food ana notr'oie
fare, and the failure to &c, their pay. IL IS cvi-
dent srom these complaints that the contractors
consider that ehis is their last opportunity 70
supply the camps with food, and are furnish
ing Just as small an amount and rs poor quail
lily as possible, i'm order 10 make good thing |
while tlyey have q chance. The soldiers all
unite III Che statement this. they .ared much
better while at the front in The trenches ana en-
gagel in Battle. There is no excuse for this,
and The government should see that il is cor
recsed without delay.
The complaints about not receiving their
pay for six and eight months, and in many
instances having been taken to camps to be
mustered out, and detuined because the pay
master is of Specializing with their funds, are
also numerous. Still others that their COM
pany commanders rcfrsc to make out their
pay rolls, and companies are Tins kept from
their homes when most Of their regiment have
been paid off and mustered out Then there
are assertions that men who have served
but few months and received enormous boun-
ties are mustered out, while men who have
served through the whole war, with no boun-
ties, are retained. There are also many griev-
GUS tales of poor fare and worse surgical
treatment IN the hospitals. One soldier says
he had a piece of cheese about as large as tho
end OF his thumb once in several days,
dish of spoiled water, called coffee, and the
balance of the time only bread and water.
Those and numerous ether grievances are re-
lated by our gallant heroes in pitiful strains.
They all ask if that is the kind Of treatmon;
and pay which they are to receive as recon-
pense for their service to their country.
While we have no desire to unjustly censare
the administration, or in any way interfere in
the selection of mem to, be discharged and
those to be retained in the service, yet it seems
to us that many bf those grievances complained
of can be and should be Immediately renedied.
There is no excuse for keeping our veterans
on poorer fare than they had when engaged in
battle, nor in allowing company officers or pay
masters to neglect their duties to the detRiment
of the private soldier. AS long as they ere in
the service they should be treated just as we'll
rs when in battle; and the officers held to just
as strict accountability in the discharge OF their
duties. To the soldiers we would also say that
they must exercise patience. Our army was
large one, and the adjustment froma condi-
ton of war to that Of peace cannot be done in
one day; but this, however, is no excuse for
the neglect Of duty by any surgeon, pay
master, contractor or officer Of any grade. Let
one and all push their part of the work for
ward as fast as possible, and all will soon be
relieved, the daily expenses of the government
materially reduced, and the people relieved to
lust that extent from taxation.
GOVERNOR FnNroN AND Our CRY AFFAIRS
Governor Fenton ought to pay this city visit.
He has a duty to perform here, and if he have
any pluck, backbone and common sense he
will attend to it at once. We object to the
idea that q Governor is only elected to draw
his salary. He must work for the people and
earn his salary fairly. Instead Of retiring into
the country to doze and dream through the
summer months, Governor Fenton should come
down to the metropolis and investigate our
affairs He will see, before he has been here
many days, that the shortest, simplest and best
way to reform the municipal abuses of which
| we complain is to remove the Mayor and al
| the heads Of departments, including such depu
| ties as Tweed, who are the real heads, although
| they are nominally subordinate. We make ne
single individual in the municipal government
bear the burden Of our grievances We com
plain, of the whole lot OF them and demand
their removal n in this clean sweep any indi
vidual is treated unjustly, he has his remedy by
appealing TO- the people.
Let the Governor wake up and visit this me
tropolis, and he will be surprised to find tina
our city government is actually driving peopl
out of the State. The heavy taxes, made neces
sary by the corrupt extrnvagances of on
rulers, force our population to seek refug
and relief over in New Jersey. In addition
to the large annual taxes which our peopl
have to pay, there is a bureau connected wit
the Street Department which levies tax {
two and half per cent upon all improve
ments of city property. This is the reason VIII
80 much property in this city lies unmprovet
while our citizens are crowded into fever-hreet
ing tenement houses, or compelled to pay g,
orbitant rents, or driven across the ferry int
another State. This is the reason why Ne
York is the only city in the world where nj
BODY can own his own house unless he be
comparatively rich man. The poor man has Il
chance of obtaining little domiciI as an II
vestment for his savings Enormous taxes OF