The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-02-02
DAILY PRESS.
PORTLAND.
Wednesday Morning, February 2, 1870.
PORTLAND
Paper Credits.

The Report of the Commissioners on
Equalization of the Municiapal War Debts"
which was made yesterday to the Legislature
will crafty the curiosity of the public in
regard to subject which has excited consid-
cradle discussion from time to time and ex-
plain the meaning of the mysterious phrase
In Gov. Chamberlain's recent Address that
the Report would contain curious matters
of history 10 regard to the method of furnish
ing men for the war;"
The first subject taken up by the Comms-
sioners is the claims of towns for allowance
| for certain class known as "naval commits
sion men," From the commencement of the
war men enlisted in the naval service who
| were enrolled or liable to be enrolled in the
| city or town of their residence. These men
| had enlisted without bounty or expectation OF
bounty. They had not been furnished by any
| municipality, nor credited upon any quota.
Early in 1864, with a view to the equalization
| of quotas between the East and the West
in accordance with an act of Congress, the
Government directed, in effect, the credit to
municipalities of their citizens, Liable to en-.
rollment, who were serving in the navy oil
marine corps, or had been by due enlistment
at any time since the commencement of the
war, though deceased or discharged therefrom
priorito the passagesof said act"
\he State Of Maine the General Govern
ment assigned a certain number of men, sup
posed TO be abou. $500, and to make proper
distribution OF them among the several towns.
/ Gonu ord Mai Gorlipor I
appointed Commission, who sent properly
prepared blanks to the municipal officers ol
all cities, towns and plantations in the State,
requesting and directing the return thereon
| OF the name of every man known to be seTv-
| ing in the navy or marine corps, or who had
so served at any time during the war, with the
date and place OF his enlistment, and the name
| of the vessel on which he was or had been
| serving, so far as such data could be given.
And the quota OF each municipality under the
| then existing call was 10 be reduced to the ex-
| tent of the number of names so returned and
| found to be correct.
The Commissioners proceed:
On many claims presented for our consid-
| Grafton and allowance, we have found names
| against which large bounties were set,) that
| we could find no where in the records, until
| we turned, as last resort, 10 the list of men
| allowed by the Naval Commissioners. Muni-
| cIpai officers on beng informed by us that
| such names upon their claims could not be al
| lowed because included in the class OF naval
| commission men, have, in frequent instances,
| produced receipts from men who were engag-
| ed in the filling Uf quotas, giving the names e o
| claimed as of men furnished ior that ci y or
i Oxplo fbfrir, nj nj he
| same amount OF money therefor as set against
| the names ON the cam. For some time we
| were wholly unable to even imagine the ex
planation of the matter. The names so claim
ed we found in the list OF those allowed b,
Naval Commissioners, and found them no
where else. Investigation, however, brought
out the fact that these purchased n~vai com
mission men" were not residents OF the towns
to which they had been so sold, that The
names are strange end not recognized by the
present officers of the towns as names OF men
ever residing in those places. In all such cases
| we struck the names from the claims as dis
allowed, and waited ior further developments.
It seems that OF the twenty-five bundled or
more names OF naval men allowed by the War
Department to the State of Maine, portion
were lett unclaimed by any municipality, af-
ter the blanks sent out by the Naval Commis-
soners lor that purpose had been returned
| or after sufficient time bad elapsed Tor them
to have been returned. OF tLese unclaimed
men, it is said that part were assigned tC
some small towns and plantations upon WHOSE
people the draft, from peculiar train OF cir
cumstances, was bearing with more than com
mon har lship. But even yet considerabl,
| number seem to have been lett. How thes
men or names should have been disposed OIL
it is no part of our duty to say. One gentle
man of some note and prominence in th
7 State has publicly stated that he was permit
| ted bv the officials having control of the mat
ter, to sell some eIyaty Of .Les
| names to various municipalities in order (
get reimbursement Tor money he had paid ou
in Washington aod in Virginia in boun;ies t.
men whom he had induced to enlist or re-en
list and whose names he had forwarded 10 th
| Adjutant General here, expecting them to bt
| quota'd to certain towns whose quotas he baC
contracted to fill, but who, ON his return home
he found had been credited to the places o.
their residence. He further states, if we have
understood him correctly, that in every in
stance where he sold these naval commission
men 10 towns or cities, he wrote the names SC
sold, or caused them to be written, upon ono
OF the printed blanks such as had been senl
out by the Naval Commissioners, and had the
municipal officers execute it as a return to the
Naval Commissioners, thus certifying in theil
official capacity that the men so bought were
residents of their town or city. So lar as we
| nave examined tue uleS, we nave Seeu no red
son for doubling the substantial CORRECTNESS
of his statement in this respect But the
eighty or thereabouts which this gentleman
acknowledges to have so sold, by no mean
account tor the many that we have fo,inC
claimed and bought as we have before stated
and allowed by Naval Commissioners in mucl
the same manner. That any OF the mel
whose names were thus sod out in Maine a
serving or having served in the navy, received
| of bo To ha 1bp nc
sumed to sell their names. is not at all proba
BILE. How many of this class we've sold in tn
way above named, it is not possible for us 4
state. We can only say that the books sho,
that about three thousand names were allow
ed by Naval Commissioners. The number io
which reimbursement has been claimed ma
, | be spoken OF as hundreds. And considerin
what municipal officers had TO do to get sue
names allowed upon their quotas after pul
chasing them, it may well be supposed ths
. | only portion so obtained have been elaine
Tor reimbursement, especially in cases whel
the same men were in office then and now.
The Commissioners do not take upon then
selves to characterize the proceedings here
described. They assume only to give a stat
ment Of the facts as they have appeared
the course of their investigations, and lea
it for the people of the State to approve
: condemn a. the fPcts may seem to warrant.
The commissioners then proceed to speak
O still larger class of names for which reir
bursement has been claimed and disallowe
best known as "paper credits: y and they go
to relate that in the crisis OF 1864, when I'll
government was calling loudly for recrui
and the replenishng of the army was sue
tion OF life or death with the nation, an ind
vidual made his appearance at the State Cal
ital claiming to have come from Washingto
aud bringing in bis pocket long list ofnam'
many OF them quaint and unpronouncable
an American tongue, aud others so very cou
mou as to be remarkable, all of which he a
serted to be tie Iiames of men who had el
| listed iu the servic. Of the United States
some time since the commencement OF d
;, | war. and who had not been credited to Il
quota of any State or municipality. Al
~ these names were offered to the officers al
recruiting agents of municipalities who we
looking ior men to fill their quotas and rel
force the depleted army, and offering lar
bounties tor such men. Before quotas cou
be cancelled by the use of these names I
approval Of the proper United States ofic
must be secured. The office OF A. A. Pl
vost Marshal General Ior Maine was then Fl
ed by an honorable gentleman of Maine a
an officer of the regular army. To him Il
remarkable roll was shown and his appro'
? of 1t solicited. That approval was denied, a
: probably with some expressions of honest
dgnation. Not very long aflerward this o.
Ger was ordered to another field of duty a
his. place supplied by an officer from w,
tern State Then again appeared at