Year: 1866




In the House. Apra "a, on the proposition to strike
from the Army Bill, the section continuing the Pro
cost WdrShdpS Bureau.


Mr.. MERCUR. Mr. Speaker, in addition
to the objections, which appear to me to be
personal to the present Provost Marshal
| General it strikes me there are many obiec.
tions to the establishment of this bureau as
a permanent one. The reasons for its ex-
istence during the war were manifest; but
it strikes me that the reasons which exist
for its abolishment since the termination OF
the war are equally manifest.


The bill, upon its face, provides for two
| classes Of duties to be performed by this
bureau. The one is the recruiting of the
Army, and the other is the arrest of deser-
ters. 1t provides that two persons shall
take charge of these duties, one with the
rank of brigadier general, and the other
with the rank of colonel of cavalry


Now, it appears to me that all these du-
ties can be properly performed by person
occupying lower position, and receiving
much less compensation than these persons
would receive. The recruiting of the Army
is not a business of such vast dimensions
nor will it be prolonged so long as to re-
quire the creation of a permanent bureau
like this.


After the Army is filled, and we are in
formed that during the last six months re-
cruitng has gone on very rapidly, this will
not be needed, and whatever number we
may fix upon as the proper number for the
Army, we have reason to know that the
vacancy can be filled up in few months
without any great difficulty and when the
y nnn on Stnh lISh
ment the duties of bureau of this kind, so
far as recruiting is concerned, will neces-
sarily be very small.


Now, in regard to the other duties of this
office, the arrest of deserters, | take it that
there cannot now be very large number
of deserters that the Government proposes
to pursue and arrest and punish. In these
days of general amnesty and of general
pardon, presume the Government will not
pursue very sharply and rigidly those per-
sons who have deserted from the armies of
the Union. And if there is no great num-
ber of deserters now who are to be arres-
ted, is it to be supposed or assumed that
the number will increase to such an extent
IN the future as to create necessity for a
permanent Bureau to look after and arrest
deserters? think not and hence | as
sumo that neither for the one purpose nor
the other specified in the bill is there any
necessity for the creation of a permanent
bureau of this character.


Now, in addition to the absence of any
necessity for this bureau, it does strike me,
if understand the sentiment of the country
Alright, a sentiment which grew and
strengthened with the progress of the re-
nau+ of hn hna of
bureau did not satisfy public expectation in
the discharge of his duties 1t is not my
design to attribute want of good faith or
a want Of integrity to that bureau. In my
judgment, though | may err, it was a want
of capacity which created the great dissat-
isfaction which existed in the minds of the
loyal people throughout the country
The fact cannot be disguised thata great
many of the complications and entangle-
ments which arose during the progress of
the war were solely in consequence of the
orders which issued from time to time from
| the Provost Marshal Generals Office. They
complicated matters so much, one followed
the other in such rapid succession chang
ing, modifying, and throwing confusion up
on what had preceded, that no one could
form any adequate idea of what was re-
quired No district could tell how many
men it had to raise, or.hOw many men they
had received credit for. Such being the
| fact, there is no reason, no justice, no pro-
priety, in continuing this bureau for the
benefit of the present incumbent.


The gentleman from New York (Mr
! CoNKIING) has suggested one thing in which
this bureau was somewhat conspicuous,
! thot 10 ifc nOwar of abSorDtiOn of the COM
mutation money which was paid by people
all over the country, and Of which no sat-
isfatory account has yet been rendered.
But there was another reputation which
this bureau established, and that was its
peculiar and unique way of combining fig
ures. The country was frequently aston
ished by this rare and peculiar power of
combining figures, not only during the pro-
press of the war, but since we have met
here this session. l refer to the effort made
to arrive at the probable cost to the Gov
ernment in case we should adopt some sys-
TEN of equaizing the bounties to be given
to our soldiers We met here, every man
of us Jealous and warm in his desire to
equalze the bounties But the Provost
Marshal General, with his peculiar combi-
nation of figures has again thrown a dam
per upon us.


great unanimity to vote down this section
and cause this bureau to be abolished.


BUsINEss-Business is business This
is the peremDtory maxim of many who
would be puzzled to define the word, and
| vet feel that if stands for something Ouite