Savannah daily herald. (Savannah, Ga.) 1865-1866, February 28, 1865, Image 2

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£awro#afc pnaH jk I BY 8. W. MASON AND CO. SAVANNAH. TUESDAY,., FEB. 26, 1565. . ■A -- ■— ■- ;J—u Prtce Money to Soldiers.— We desire to ventilate our opinions on what we consider a most flagrant piece, of injus tice to our soldiers, and in an humble way, perhaps to set the ball rolling which may eventually roll against the common sense of the War they have got any, and induce them to remedy the matter. Sailors, as everybody knows, have, in addition to their monthly pay and ra tions, a certain share of all the property they may capture from the enemy, which share is known as “Prize Money.” This money is paid to every man on board the ship, from the Commodore to the Powder-Monkey, and the hope of. this prize money is one of the great in ducements to men to enlist in the Naval service. This money is not in lieu of Bounty Money, for the same bounties are paid to sailors as to soldiers,, and they have, their pay, clothing, rations and prize money in addition to this. There are many instances in the pres ent war of officers realizing large fortunes simply from their prize money. It is said that Admiral Farragut alone has amassed an independency amounting to $350,001. Even if Madame' Rumor has overstated this by half, there is still left an amount wnich few of ns would des pise, especially when we consider that it has, every penny of it been earned in less than four years. Os course, all the lesser officers. Captains, Lieutenants and Mas ters, even down to foremast Jack, who have been with Farragut during his cruises have done precisely equally well in exact proportion *to their, rank on bbard ship. Other commanders, officers and men have done as well, or nearly so, as have these, and there are many case3 in which officers have at this day deposited in Northern banks suras of money ranging from SIOO,OOO down to SI,OOO. In one instance a common sailor walked into a well-known Sav ing’s Bank in New York and deposited $1,700, the proceeds of his prize money for a single cruise. Now, we don’t envy Jack his money, not a dollar nbr a dime of it; he works nard for it, and he fights hard for it, and he ought to have it, every stiver of it, but can any reasonable and reasoning man give a shadow of reason why the sailor should have all the Prize Money and the soldier none. We don’t want the soldier to have any of Jack’s Prize Money, but only his own proper share,in accordance with his rank of whatever propriety may be captured through hard fighting in which he assists, from the enemy. The soldier works as hard, fights as hard, endures as much, and in every way earns his country’s favor fully as well as does the sailor, and if there be any reason why he should not receive a like reward, we should like to know it. Why not treat ail alike, and in every case where the valor of our men has triumphed over the bayonets cf the foe, and wrested from them their property, let each and every officer and soldier come ' in for his own lair share of all that is legally confiscated, and condemned. By no means would we advocate a system of individual plundering. No, let all captured Hebei property be at once taken in hand by the proper officers, brought before the proper courts, be condemned, and sold at auction on ac • count, not as now, of the Government, but of the brave men who conquered its possession. Let Government, in their case, as in the case of.the sailors, claim its half, but in the name of Justice, Fair ness and Honesty, divide, the rest among the men who have fairly won the same. We believe this course would do more to prevent plundering than any other which could be adopted, for if every soldier knew that in due course of time his full share would be given to him or secured to his family, the temptation to help himself would be materially lessened.— In any event make plundering death, and wc should have an end of personal piracy. It may be urged that there are so many soldiers that their shares would, in most cases, be infinitesimally small, and scarcely worth having. In • reply, we say that is for the soldier to judge—it he says his share is not worth having he cau easily make it over to the Govern meat, or can, as Is constant ly done on board ship, buy up the shares of his comrades at such discount as they should chance to make, until he had ac cumulated something that should be “ worth having.” Why should not the officers and sol diers who have brought Sherman tri umphantly through the heart of Geor gia, have their share of the profits which accrues to the Government ? Os course they ask no interest in property which our Generals are compelled to destroy, but only in such part as is preserved, confiscated, .and sold in bebalf of the Government. * There, are doubtless difficulties, and many of them, in the way of the final arrangement of such a scheme as this, but let it be placed in the bands of a Board of Army Officers who would be each one personally interested in the adjustment of all difficulties, and our word for it the affair would soon be managed. At all events let it be tried—give the Blue coats the same chance that is ac corded to the Blue Jackets, and they ask no more. _ That Dog.— We’re but we couldn’t help it. That Dog is dead, de funct, collapsed, deceased, gone under, done for, played out, dried up, pegged out and forever gone. Mr. Death came along and said he wanted him—we tried to put old Bag-o’-bones off—told him we hadn't any dog—never had any cog— didn’t know what he meant by dog— never heard of dog—“what is a dog?” we asked him. No use. Then we tried promises; told him to come next week —told him to call round day after to morrow—said we expected a large invoice of dog by the next steamer, and we’d save him a frag ment or so—All was no use—Old Scythe-and-Hourglass was not to be fooled—said he’d been in printing offices before to-day, and knew that a promise of Dog day after to-morrow, from the Herald, was a good deal like a promise of News in the Republican next Wed nesday, all very well,—when you get it. In short, old Grim Death wasn’t to be put off and the Dog had to be forthcom ing—G. D. wasn't to be fooled, and that Efog had to be produced. G- Death im mediately grabbed him. The Dog part of the animal died about half-past three in the afternoon, but the Tail lived till sundown and didn't want to die then—Joe and x\be had to stamp on it before it would peg out at all. Abe cut off the tail and wore it on his watek chain for a week or so,—Then a glorious idea struck him, —it hit him in the head but didn't hurt him much, so he proceed ed at once to act upon it—he got a box of Russia Salve and rubbed it on the tail in the vain hope that anew dog would grow out of it—but the life principle was extinct—the tail had been kept a little too long—in fact it was rather “high”—Abe, (who goes about with a large tear in each eye) sw ears that if he bad thought of it a few days earlier, we should have certainly been by this time in possession of a full litter of pups. However, the thing's done —that Dog’s gone, dog-gone him. The dog part was esten up by a Rat, but the Tail part was interred with all the honors of war in a cigar box. Well, after all That Dog had some good poiuts—he was a good counter-irri tant; if you wanted anything to make you swear, that dog was good to swear at. Now you know it’s "wicked to swear un less you’ve got something to swear at, so, in giving swearey folks something to swear at, we look upon that dog as a great moral good. Then he was a good whiner. Now, 3 r ou know if you want any whining done you want it well done, and that dog could do it well. Then he was a first rate thing to turn-' ble ovqj—now, you know, if you must tumble over, you want to tumble over something, Else folks ’ll say you're drunk—we’ve known several people tumble over that Dog, in fact, we can 't remember that we ever knew anybody who didn’t tumble over that Dog—we’ve known people in a state of tipsifieation tumble over him at the rate of forty seven a day, and consequently be per suaded that they were sober. No w, if you can get a fellow to believe he’s sober, be at once believes that he can stand a few more drinks, and so he goes and gets ’em, and that makes it good for the Barkeeper, who are a most industrious class in this eommu nity. So, after all, that Dog had his good points, he could point at a beef-steak and whine for it in a way we never saw excelled. But he’s gone, let us hope, to Canine Paradise, if there be such a pi ace. So much for the Dog—That Dog is dead. “Requies— Dog in Peace.” As for the Tail—weffi at last, that Dog’s Tail is concluded, for of course, when the Dog is gone, the Tale must always be at — The End. Theatre. —We are happy to announce that there is at last a prospect of having a series of legititmate theatrical en tertainments our Jstarving-for-amuse ment city, in the initiatory one of which is to be given this evening. The Company, some members of which we know, promises well, and the plays for the opening night are certainly ad mirably selected. Douglas Jerrold’s beau tiful three-act Comedy of the “Rent Day,” and the capital farce of. the “Turned Head” are to be given. We trust we.shall be able to give co-morrow the commendation they hope to earn to night. “Our House Saloon” has just receiv ed a large quantity of the celebrated Al bany Golden Ale, which is for sale, whole sale and retail. Those who love a foaming tankard of clear, spariding ale,can procure the desired article, drawn from the wood } and of the choicest quality. Those pre ferring may obtain [a glass of brilliant wine, a nectar fit for the gods, that move about this globe, now-a-days. Try eith er, and be happy ! Accident. — At noon to-day a colored woman, while engaged in washing a yindow over Adam's Express Office, fell from the second story window, striking on the paved walk below. Strange to say no bones were broken, and she was removed in a wagon to her home. Foreohdinatiox. —Tliat distinguished modern philosopher, Joseph Billina gels off the following : We kommense life —we are somebody's baby—we have flaken here—we go to the district skule —we slide down hill-, we pla hookey—we have tu smoke, and find ourselfs men grown all tu onst. Thus far natur has piped, and we have dansed, and there haint been no. fiddler tu pay, but now comes in the special ordainment times. I have bin through with awl this miself and stood on the threshold, young man, a looking round, reddy tube ordained. I felt as though I wud give $75 at Jeast if sumbuddy wod cum sloug and ordain nfdft*nd let me pitch in. I waited for weeks, if I rekolect right, I never gqr fne first smell of enny ordaining. Then I konkluded to ordain miself hit or miss. The fuss thing I tried oh was 80 ! acres ov land in the western kintry. I ordered the venison and wild turkay possums tew leave, foi l wasagoiu’ tew farm. I ordered a log heuse and much rale fence immegiately, and put in a krop of wheat and procured swine and a yoke ov staggs. I worked two years, had raised the ager and little cropsjprim Ipalhq and managed tu sink the farm and staggs; I haint seen either ov tkem from that da, and don’t think I want tu. I didn’t seem iu be specially ordamed for farm ing in the western kintry. Since that time I have tried eveiy kind ol bizness that I Gould hear on, and hain been spe cially ordained yet in my knoliege.— The fait all lays in the different kind* of bizness, 1 hain t the least doubt. The bizness that was designed for me prob ably hain’t been ordained yeh b\tt I in tend keep boring, and when I do strike thare will be a good time generally in my immegiate neighborhood. I hav got any quantity of friends (they don’t seem to cum by" ordinashun.); F got mine’ and managed to keep them by not ask ing them for anything but a vise ; you can’t ask ennything of a man that he loves to give more, and that koste him less, than advise- The Exchange op Prisoners* —Mr. Wade, Saturday, from the Committee on the Conduct of the War, reported to the Senate Lieut. Gen. Grant’s- testimony relative to the exchange of prisoners.— It » as follows : Question— (By Mr. Wade>-Jt is-stated upon what authority I do not know,, that yon arc charged entirely with the ex change of prisoners. Answer — That is correctand what is more; I k,ave effected an arrangement for the exchange of prisoners, man for man, and officer for officer;, on h® regi ment, according to the old cartels, until one or the other party lias exhausted the number they now hold. I get a great many letters daily foom friends of prisoners in the South, every one of which I cause to be answered, telling them that this arrangement has been made, and that I suppose exchanges can be made at the rate of 3;,000 per, week, and just as fast as they can deliver pris oners to us, I will receive thorn and de liver their prisoners to them.— All the Salisbury prisoners wilt be com ing right on. I myself saw Col. Hatch, the assistant commissioner of exchange on the part of the South, and he told me that the Salisbury and Danville prison ers would be coming on at once. He said that he could being them on at the rate of 5,000 or 6,0d0 a week. Question— There is now no impediment in the way ? Ansicei^ There is now no impediment on our side. I could deliver and receive every one of them in a very short time, if they will' deliver those they hold. — We have lost some two weeks lately on account of the ice in the river. Ox the road to the Epsom races a mous tached youth, ©n the top of a dray, evi dently ambitious of being mistaken for officer,” thus saluted a fat coachman who was gravely driving his master and family—‘Tlullo, you sir ! where’3 your shirt collar? How dare you come to Derby without a shirt collar?” Jehu growled forth, without lifting bis eyes trom his horse. “Ow the deuce could I, when your mother has not sent ’ome my washing ?”