The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-06-05


ry, and also for tue repairs ofold public arms IL
il astonishing, lrepeat, that from the 1st May,
1901, to tn, LIST October, 1903, period of seven
years and hive months. III preparing tor operation,
one Ut the most extensive manufactures in Anne.
rica, or perhaps in the world, materials to the a.
moust OF dolls 1859 80, should oe used IL. the
manner and For the purposes above mentioned, as
Mr. Williamson, the first master arrnorer, during
that time, as well AS now, has certified upon oath
| that they have 1t is to be understood that the
| cost of the materials, here stated to have been
applied 70 the making cf tools, &c &c is not in
Guided IN the amount stated in Mr. Jackson's GER
uiicaSe, relative to tools, &c.-thcse are materi.
ais which were purchased for making arms but
were used at the armory for the purposes above
| stated During the above period, the erection
| or the works, and the operations ofmaking arms
were both going on at the same time, and both
required public materials of the same kind.
therefore considered it my duty as the agent who
| superntended both the erection and operations,
to use the materials in the way which most
advantageous to the commonwealth, and there
fore caused the best of the materials 10 be used
in the making Of arms, and those of inferior qua
, lity to the purposes stated above.
But suppose for moment, that all the materi-
ais actually purchased for making arms, had
been applied exclusively to that object--ln that
case, the dolls. 8769 SO, ought to be divided n
mony all the arms made--it should be laid on the
rifles, swords, pistols, &c as web us upon the
OF few cents in the cost OF each article. But if
the whole sum should be laid exclusively upon
the mnskets, il would add but eighty four cents
| and three mills TO the cost of each musket -
Tins, with their real cost, viz. dolls. IL as cents
| mill, would make each musket amount to dolls.
IL % cents mills, Which is within less than
cent OF the cost of the muskets, stated in the
report OF the last committee, made on the 2oth
| January, 1910. The cost of each musket, &C
cording to that report, is dolls. 10 28f SO that
with the cost of all the materials above enume
rated, purchased for making arms but applied TO
the completion OF the works, &c. added to the
| real cost OF the muskcts, they would amount to
but little more than the half of cent, viz. 81
mills, more than the cost of each musker, as sta
TED IN the report OF the last committee. But if
the sum should be laid upon the whole of the
arms, &c manufactured, the muskets would a.
mount to less than the cost Of each, reported by
the last committee.
The next anathema pronounced against that in.
| stitution and its officers, is as follows:
=" On the statement so furnished by the officers,
your committee beg leave TO observe, that how
ever accurate it may be as to quantity and num-
ber 1T is certainly very defective the prices
or value Your committee beg leave to notice
few OF the many instances which occur. In that
part which contains the estimate ofstock aand,
iron Is charged at 147 dolls per ton, while it APP
pears, that article has been purchased for the use
OF the armory from 100 to 100 dollars per ton."
From the strained aud distorted manner in which
the committee have stated this circumstance. it
might be inferred that the officers had purcha-
sed the iron at the rate of 100 to 100 dollars per
ton, and charged it to the commonwealth at l47
dollars per ton, and had saved the difference in
the amount, between the Price at which it was
purchased, aud the price at which it was charged
to the commonwealth, as profit to themselves
| indeed 1 have understood that the report had
| made that impression the minds of many peo-
pie IN the country: Whereas no officer of that
institution ever did, or could, have received
single dollar profit upon the purchases made of
iron or any other material used at the manufacto-
ry. When iron was obtained within the state
tne persons OF whom it was purchased, or their
agents, received payment at the public treasury,
as the documents filed in the auditors Office will
prove When it was purchased without the state,
our agent invariably transmitted an account ex-
nioitlng the quantity and price of the iron pur-
chased, with the money sent to him for that pur-
pose, which account was filedin the public office,
and remains there still; that even if the off,
GERS were mean enough to desire it, no profit
could be made by them On the purchases of iron.
The reporters have shewn their usual want of
candor in the following expressions, to wit. In
thar part (Which contains the estimate of stock ON
hand, iron is charged ut 147 dollars per ton while
1t appears, that article has been purchased for the
use OF the ar,nory, for 100 100 dollars per ton
they certainly meant that it should be UNDER
stood by those who read the report, that 100 dol
lars was the lowest and that 100 dollars was the
highest price per ton, that had been given for
iron, but why did they not mention the number
oflnstances in which iron had been purchased at
SO low rate as 100 dollars per ton / recollect
but one, and they have seized upon that. The
mention of 120 dollars as being the highest price
per ton that had been given for iron, must also
have been intended to deceive, for the committee
must have seen from the statements before them,
that there were dozens of instances in which a
higher price than 100 dollars per ton was given
tor iron, and that the highest prices were at the
rate OF 149 dollars per ton. And had they been
as much disposed to do justice and to state the
truth, as they were bent upon gaining popularity
by making false statements, and the misrepresen-
tation of facts (; instead of reporting 100 dollars
per ton as the highest price, they would have
stated that large portion, upwards of one third
of the iron purchased for making arms, amount
ing to many thousands ofdoilars, was purchased
at an higher price than the highest they have sta
ted; mean higher price than 100 dollars per
ton, as the vouchers in the auditors Office will
prove. In calculating the value of the stock OIL
hand, 1T is always proper, that every expence that
the articles have incurred subsequently, to their
purchase, should be added TO their original cost
great portion of the iron used at the manufac
tory OF arms, was made in the state of Pennsyl.
vania, and was shipped from Philadelphia The
expence of ITS transportation by land from the l.
ron works, where IT was made, TO the vessel the
freight from Philadelphia to Richmond the dray-
age from tile vessel TO the armory, & the weighing
and storage, well as the commission on It's pur-
chase which the executive allowed our agent in
Philadelphia, are all to be added To the cost of
the icon ut the works where it was made. When