Year: 1864

The National Intelligencer has the follow
ing:


The New York Observer, religious jour
nal expresses the opinion that 1t is mo
exaggeration to say that the cost Of the war
thus far has been one-quarter more than 1t
would have been had not the country been
cheated by its own agents." All that fraud,
which has been advantageous to the enemy
and depicting and injurious to the govern
mo great example has been made Of any
swindler or thief. The majesty of de-
frauded government has not been vindicat-
ed. When will it be?"


Induced to make this painful reflection
by the charges of fraud and corruption un-
der which certain officials Of the govern
ment in New York and elsewhere have
been recently arrested and put on trial, our
cotemporary proceeds to comment on this
species of guilt at the present time as fol-
lows:


"There is one fact that makes the recent
developments particularly disgusting to
every right mind, and invests the crime of
plundering the government witha an atrocity
of wickedness having no parallel in the past
history of our suffering country.


"Weare straining every nerve to put down
gigantic rebellion. The cost of the war
in money is the least of the expense, but
this cost is enormous, frightful, and increas-
ing at the rate of two, three, or four mil
lions every day. 1t has reached such load
already that the nation staggers under it.
At such time as this it is the duty and the
privilege of every citizen to give his time,
energies, business capacity, counsel, and
prayers to the Government. We do not
pretend to say that business men should not
receive proper compensation for their SER
vices. The soldier in the field, the Senator,
the President, the agent, is entitled to his
lawful pay, and we do not expect to see a
| Washington again who will decline his
salary while serving IN the army. But law
full pay is one thing and cheating the coun-
try is another.


THE point we make, and on which we
wish to fasten the attention of the nation,
is this to take money from the Government
uniustly ut such time is crime second in
baseness only, to that which has made Judas
Iscariot infamous forever. The country
needs every dollar it can raise. The people
are now pressed down with taxation. The
burden is now beginning to be felt. 1t is
to be increased for years to come. The
Government has a conflict on hand, and mon
ey is the sinew of war. Every cent taken
uniustly from it, is so much direct help to
| TIE enemy; it weakens the hands of the
Government; it strengthens the rebellion.
The, man that cheats the Government out Of q
cent is Uile traitor. We would not take the
hand of such man in friendship any sooner
than we would the hand of Floyd or Davis.
Avarice is bad enough. 1t Isl base passion
always, and never lives in noble minds
But when it has become so rank and strong,
that it converts brawling patriot, loud,
pretended friend of the Government, man
who has denounced his neighbors rs traitors,
and sought distinction for his special and
ardent support of the war-when avarice
converts such man into thief, there is
no language to convey the sense of every
honest mans adherence OF his villiany, and
there is no punishment known to common
law, sufficiently ignominous to mark the
opinion which virtue entertains of such
hypocrite."


1t required but little observation or read
ing in the natural history of the creatures
spawned by revolutionary epoch to pre-
pare the mind for just such disgusting
spectacles as are described by our contem-
porary. And it is always safe to assume that
a man who makes an ostentatious parade Of
his 'loyalty" in such times, or who is per-
petually indulging in railing accusations"
at his neighbOrs, is political Pharisee who
has stolen the livery of virtue only the bet
ter to hide his venality and corruption
True loyalty does not need to make broad
its phylacteries, and has no disguises to
wear, because it meditates no frauds on the
Government, and is too wise as well as too
Just to think of purchasing for itself good
degree, by the cheap resorts of SANDER and
defamation.