Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-07-24

"Such "a contract may enrich few whe are
| concerned 10 it, but will destroy the confidence
II the public, fear, in the standardization. and
impair tho fair fame Of tho Presi.irni, WHICH il,
your duty and mBo 10 guard. VIII u not he
vol to extend the timo. go NJ ~ eDafso tho peo
Yours. &c. D. GREEN.
Gov. Branch (sse docs. page 26) says:
81 wns present (between the l5sh and 10Th
OF March. 1891 and heard part Of . cOnvcrsa
tion which passed between Gen, Green aud the
President OF the United States, IN, yoiniion TO
contract fnr Supplying emigrasins Indians with
| ra'.ons. Gen. Green app. apnd TO have been
making objections to the cOpclusio0 OF a con
| tract with Gov. Houston for the same. NJ " at
| tention WINS aues,edby his remark 90 tho Pres
dent, that money c0Hta t,c made at ten cents
| the ration; on which tho President said. you
| shall have the contract at that Price--to which
Gen. Green repiiel, that il was not his Objscf.
in calling. to rnake,a contract himself, but TO
prevcni tho complexion Of ono which lac believ-
| ed would materially affsct the character Of the
Standardization. The President, hastily aud em
phatically asked hmn If no wOu dtake il at twelve
| cents Gen. Green said, no sir, repeating with
much earnestDess af manner, that no MAS actu-
ate'i hy higher considerations than those of pc
| cuniary gain"
| From this evidence. two fact. aro clea rly CO.
| tablished. First. that the ration should not have
cost more tnan sir cents and next, that Mr.. Ea-
ton contemplated a contract with Houston at
eighteen cents. Ii also appenrs that MIR. Eaton
supposed that the issue, at this rate, would Il
mount to twelve thOnsand dollars per day
Upon this issue, at this rate. there would have
been loss TO the government ofeight thousand
dollars per day =!
! II we rccur to the d finiton of fraud, as given
by Noah Webster in his dictionary, trick, arti
fec, by trhich The right or interest of another IS
| injured" That smch contract contemptd-
ted. is i,lly proved. Tia, the rights or interests
of the United States would have hoen injured,
cannot he denied. We have only To- examine
whether any deceit trick, deception or artifce,
was practsed to obtain il.
By reference to the document, pnge 81. il will
be seen that Samuel Houston was himself exam
ined as witness AMI we ienrn that in answer
TO mn inquiry, that he admitted that he proposed
| TO make private contract to- supply the rations
At - cents, tbuf this does not appear the
cord: YET this omission is supplied by Major
LOWS, who being examined, (Doc. page &c aud
61,) produced the following letter addressed by
| Major Eaton to the Presidrn'.
| Tho witness then handed 10 the committee
the letter from Mnjo Eaton to tho President.
containing also the Presidents reply, &c. which
are follows:
February l6. 1880.
| Public men must act, not merely nor to de
serve, hut also not even to seem TO deserve
sure. Accordingly. have said to General ).
| Houston that we cannOt make pirate CONTRACT,
with him; but must advertise for proposals.
therefore, If you approve IL, To advertise, say
thirty days fer proposals for supplying the In
i dams who may enig rato during this year ; or
| may, for the next; also.
! submit il fur your consideration.
Yours, III. EATON"
To the foregoing letter. and upon the same
| sheet, the President replied as follows.
"The President. with respects to the Secre-
tary Of War. approves the within. February
Is. 1885,"
| Upon the back Of the letter are tho following
| memOrand,:
Jor Eaton TO the President, and his reply on the
next page.
E BREATHITT.
| ROBERT &. FOSTER, ir.
| &C OI.MSTED.
Franklin, April 80, 1892"
Then follows the following words upon the
next pnge: ''Hs called on me. he said. by drec
ton ofihe President, and said he wished to mako
| a contract for the emigratiBg indians at a price
greatly below what the Government was pay
ing contracts made under the last atirnnistra-
tioD. Tho President had rcfe, red hin, 10 me.
He stated that the prize of the ration was too
great; and, besides, thai the Indians were de-
frauded by the contractors. After. converting
with General Houston, I wrote to tile Pres-
dent ehis letter.
III. EATON"
Here it is admitted-thnt Houston applied to
Eaton TO make private contract; TINT because
| he believed that ''pubiic men must act not
merely not to deserve, hut also not even to
seem To deserve cenSure," he proposed, II! ere
fore. to advertise, say thirty days, for propo-
| sails"
| The application for private CONT act i. prov
ed. The cause for advertising is also proved
viz: that he Major Eaton might mot even
seem TO deserve coDsure." Now let exam
inc the proof upon this point. Why sIonld he
advertise Not that he might give tie
tract Houston, but that he m glt give il to the
! io,oest bidder.
| This being the object Of the advertisement
any thing which went TO defeat competition, and
TO prevent others from bidding down TO the
lowest rate. was ian drGfce by tohich the right
and int, esis Of the United States injured.
(See Nonh Webster's definition of frnud.)
| This brings up the advertisement which was
in the following words
PROPOSALS
| s For supplying emigrant Indians Nth rdiions
West Of The Mississippi
| " Sealed proposals. and to be endorsed "Pro-
pOsals for rations," will no received by The Sc
cretary of War, until the Goth day Of M"rch,
| 1881, for supplying ratoDs TO such Indians as
| may Pmigrate To their lands west of Arkansas,
and Missouri; and said raiiODs to consist OF one
pound and a quarter Of flesh beef, aud one
pounh Of pork, with two quarts Of emit to- every
hundred Of these, cr If sailed meat is issued,
ono pound Of beef, and three quarters of
| pound of pork, with quart Of corn, or cor0
meal, to each ration Of meat whether fresh or
salt, or eighteen ounces Of -four.
IS The right to be reserved 10 the SECRETARY of
War, to snLarge or alter the quantity IF The "a
lions 10 be issHed, and The right Of continuing
| The contract to any period Of lime he may think
proper aud to determine IL at pleasure, tOken amy
Of Mc conditions shall be broken"