The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-03-07
COX'S BIG MOTH SPEECH
Hon. $. s. Cox OH ApprOpriatinS
$4,000 for Killing the Moth
in the Army Clothing!
RICH AND RACY.

Ia the House of Representatives, 'Oa the
18th ut, the army appropriation bill being
under consideration, Hon. s, s. Cox accord.
ing to the Congressional Roc0rd, addressed the
House as follows:
Mr.. Cox-I move to strike out of the bill
"$50Q00," and insert 1925 1000" in line 800.
1t is curious that so much money should
be expended for preserving from moths the
cassimeres, kerseys, cottons, tents and cloth
| ing on hand.
Mr.. Wheeler-Not of uniforms, but of
clothing, blankets, tents, &C. growing out Of
| the stock accumulated during the war.
Mr.. COX-I know, sir, that every day these
articles are wasting; hence these appropria-
tions. The money is to be preSeryatiye of the
clothes and tents.
| have a report before me from Quarter
master General Meigs-perhaps the best off.
Ger in our service 1t shows that we are
spending hundreds OF thousands to fight
moths. They are worse than domestic or
| foreign enemies.
Before come to that may refer to the re-
port of Quartermaster Bingham, of Dec 80
1872? This report shows that then we had
S23, 435 S2127 in wooden clothing and tents
mostly the former. This did not then include
some $4,000 blankets, worth $12S000. Nor
did this include coats, jackets, trousers, tlan-
mel sacks, blankets, goods made up and not
made up. These items run into the millions,
and the moths run into them. Laughter
Here are $S,000o00 worth of coats, jackets
and trowsers Nearly 100000 of these arti-
Giles of apparel for an army OF 10000 Our
appropriation is 5 .G6 23per soldier-not per
moth Omitting the wooden blankets and
mounted great coats Qor the cavalry sup
pose,) and the "sky.blue kerseys," there is
splendid objective point for the army OF
moths which no great general of that corps
should omit to attack, if feeling we'll. Did
the moths fail? If they did, what need of
this appropriation
In this list we have at least 100000 yards
Of flannel not made up. We have millions
Of dollars Of this peculiar property not yet
made up into uniforms.
1t is subject to the attack of the moth A
large part of this is still on hand, either in
uniform or otherwise. The gentleman con
fesses to 100000. Now, according TO the
report of the QuarterMaster General just re
ferred to, there were s35000O appropriated in
a couple Of years past for a peculiar kind of
process which is said to prevent moths get
ting into this cloth and clothing. The Quar-
termaster General, in this report, asks Con.
gress this year for 100000. / copy his state
ment
The expenditure on account of the moth
and mildewproot process Of Geo. A. Cowles
Il Co, during the fiscal year have been $3.50
600. This includes 100000 appropriated for
the current fiscal year, but made available for
expenditure during the last fiscal year. TO
prepare such articles Of wooden and cotton
fabrics on hand as have not yet been submit
ted to the process, an additional sum of 500.
900 has been asked in the estimate for the
coming fiscal year"
Mr. Wheeler-And we give them half
of it,
Mr.. CoX-Why do you reduce? You give
them $4,000. | know that. | still propose
to reduce it. | do not understand whether
we can by law sell ont all this cloth and
clothing at once. hope SO.
Mr. Wheeler rose.
Mr.. Cox-The gentleman knows | have
only five minutes, and he must not interrupt
me.
Mr. Wheelcr-L will not trench ON the time
of the gentlemen
Mr.. Cox-Iou can get the floor at any
time. I would prefer rather than be fighting
moths at such an immense expense, to give
these uniforms away. Observe those eminent
colored patriots in the gallery, They sit
with US so regularly. Great laughter. They
toll not neither do they spin They are the
lilies of the valley! Yet Solomon in all his
glory would not be arraycd like them, if they
were clothed with these "sky-bue" uniforms!
They sit yonder, uniformly, day after day 4;
and why not in uniform? Let them appear
in the gallery properly arrayed in the colors
Of the Repubic-heaycnly blue Laughter,
Why, Mr. Chairman, any man who does
business, instead of paying at the rate Of
$4,000 or $4,000 600 in two or three years to
prevent moths from getting into clothing,
would sell. Moths are evidence of laZiness
and negligence. But am growing personal.
1t takes more TO keep out the moths than the
clothes and clothing are worth according TO
our system of finance. 1t is very curious that
| find SO much "moth.eaten clothing sold
At the dcpots of Jacksonville and Philadel-
phia alone, according to the Quartcrmaster's
report, there was sold as follows:
Year. lefersonvlle Phnadelphia To,aI
1861 SlSiIs.lI SIyl Dy5.9s SlI,5Iai5
1870. 81 ,19j % l9luWS 2S2,56l :,
ISL .... ...-......., 6l,O2l0 l6 oGSlj .t5g,y e..
Total.......... saeNeiO0 t,lis,cG.S sl,IO,rgs!g
If motheaten clothes bring SD much, what
is the rest, the unmohcatcn, worth? Who
buys the moth-caten clothes and clothy Who
judges of the extent Of the damage of the in.
4 ~ M