Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-04-03

At Is cents per ration. General Jackson inn,cdi
atey became much excited. and in the presence of
Governor Branch repeated, nearly verbatim what
had been tod by Major Eaton. He said that
tnc ration had cost tweny two cents; thrt General
houston had gone to New York and obtained
wealthy security, and that il was the intention OF
'"c department TO give him the contract ut eight
'e" cents per ration; asserting shat there would DO
saving L" the Government Of four thousand dol
,arS per day; showing conclusvcly that nc had
Occn advised by hhjor Eaton, and was fully pos
Scssed at his views To this | replied nearly i'm
the same terms that | had before done TO Major
Eaton, and expressed my decided belief that tho ra
ton could be furnished Tor six cents If the coutrac,
was properly divided and due notice ,riyou ;o Tho
| people OF the Western States to invite fair
| competition for IT. To this General Jackson said
"WIii you take ii ut ten, sr!" .'No, sir" said |
| Il am not bidder for it," He then said, OWN
you take 1t ut twelve cents II you will, pledge
myself to you that you shall have 1t a; iha, price"
| TO this replied, ''No sir; have thought upon tho
subject, and should not have called upon YOU in re-
iatlon To 1T, had l not considered it my duty to
warn you of the consequences which l believe to
DO involved III 1T. L am satisfied that at the prico
which you propose | could clear 500. 600 dol
lars But, my object i'll bringn: this subject be
lore you was to serve you and the Government
ana III doing IT am governed by Il higher considc-
ration than money!" and with this remark left him.
L afterwards, the only means of preventing
the contract, addressed to Major Eaton the follow.
ing letter;
''WAsmINGroy, March 10, 1880.
after leaving you last evening, examined, for
the hrst time, your proposals for rations From
my knowledge of the prices Of beef and corn in
the western states, l am confident that the propo.
scd ratlons ought not to cost ten cents; yet UNI
dcrstand you to say, that you expect 10 give from
- to ~ cents, and that the issue at these prices
will amount to twelve thousand dollars per dav
"l'hat contract Of such amount should be made
without giving notice to the Western States whcru
the provisions must be purchased, will be a cause
OF attack; but when read the advertisement, and
soc that IT is SO wordcd as not convey any idea
and n Wit
the fact, which is within my own knowledge that
it was prepared under tho special advertisement Of
General Houston, who has gone on to New York
and has br"nght from there wealthy partner to
join him in the contract | should bp uaiIithlul to
the administration, to General Jackson, and to
myself if did not bring the subject before you III
such Il shape as to guard against the consequences
which iorosce will follow any such contract rs
the one contemplated.
"Such n contract may enrich few who AFRO
concerned in ii, but will destroy the confidence OF
the public, fear, III the administration, and i'm.
pair tho t;rir fame of the PRESIDENT which it is
your duty and mine to guard, VIII it not be we'll
20 extend the time, to enable the people o.
Missouri and Arkansas to bid!
Yours, Sc. u. GREEN"
To Major EAroN.o
The contract not concluded. Mr.. Shack.
ford informed me that after seeing me he reduced
his bid; and that he called several times at the de-
partnent, and never could get an explanation OF
the reason why it not acted on. [ have since
understood that Mr.. Crowel, (brolhcr of Col. Cro-
well, agent for the Creek indiaus,) MIR. Prcntisa
OF tins city and others, also bidders Mr.
Prcn'iss informs that Mai. Eaton himself en-
dcavOured to dissuado him f,>,," ~se44i>r E;- Ma
nv saying that ms proposal, which was at ninG
cents, too low; and that 1t was not the object
of tho Government to make contract which tho
contractor could not perform without loss. And
yct, MIR. Prcntiss assures me that lac offered
thirty thousand dollars for interest in it, provi-
dcd his proposal accepted Mr.. PrcntisS also
SAYS, that he received proposition from indivi-
dual, who assumed to be octing for Gen. Houston,
to withdraw his bid and take Su interest In Il
tract at higher rate. which proposition
companicd by an assurance that by aCccdng to IT.
Mr.. F. would make more money upon part than
upon tho whole Of the contract.
1 will now call the attention of tho reader to
few facts connected with this transaction. have
stated that Il sudden intimacy between Mai. Eaton
and General Houston excited remark; that they
frequently together, and in consultation and
do not hesitate to aver my belief that. could tho
contract have boon made without notice, advcr-
tisement would have been published and that find
ing that the law required advertisement, it
prepared so as TO conceal the extent Of the con,
| tract, and prevent competition.
! The adyc basement issued for the first time on
! the 18th of February. The contract was to ba
! closed, in Washington city, The 2Oth of March,
| before tho passage of the appropriation, crcum-
stance OF tseli calculated to prevent any suspi-
cion of lis extent character. 1t contempt plated
! an expenditure of six millions of dollars. 1t was
prepared under the special superintendent of Gen.
Houston himself, Y was carefully wordcd, 5 to
conceut all idea of the speculation which it al
forded. But this was not all. The practice oftIo
department., for many years, had been to supply
tlons of that and similar description, through tho
Commissary General of subsistence und his do
puties; who by giving notice to those who lived liz
| the immediate neighborhOnd, invited competition
among those who could furnish supplies at tho
cheapest rate. In this case, however, timo was
not given for the advertisement to reach illinois and
| Missouri, much less Arkansas, the States from
which the supplies must come, in time for prOpo,
sails to be returned to Washington before closing
| the contract. If it had been tho object of the de-
Partmcnt to mako the contract the best terms
| for thu Government, proposals would have been
! invited from those States and more time would
have been given. And this IS not ALI 1t has been
usual, in all such contracts, to make Thorn from
year to year, for specific amount. In this case
| the Secretary not only reserved the right to en-.
orgc alter the quantity of the rations DO issucd
| but he also reserved the right Of continuing tho
contract TO any period of time he thought proper;
and to determine it at pleasure The cHco! oC
such reservation was to prevent competition and
to deter all Others from bidding Tor the contract 81.
any thing like fair price except those who might
have private understanding with him who cxer
clsed such control over il
---Hr=reS-s<E-ar=ze-zz=zr
PETERSBURG MARKET. March 3O.-Cot
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