Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-06-02
RICHMOND WING.
THURSDAY MORNING. JUNE y.
Contract, at Fort Lsarsa,ro,ih.

Contracts at Fort Lsarsaro'h.
The error, to which the following communication
relates, has already been corrected, and the manner
in which it occurred, been pointed out. Our cor
respondent copied the statement from the printed
records, printed at the GIsbe office, and he never
thought OF there being a discrepancy between the
printed and the ,crinen record: lie saw the Gov.
ernmen-in the official record. printed at the Globe
Office for the use Of Consress-eharged S23 a bushe
for lime, and SIS bushel for cool-he he'd no right
but that the Government had been severely deceed
Seeing, as he supposed, case Of gross imposition
upon the public, it his duty TO bring it pub
lie notice, and subject it and those connected with
il, to severe arimadversion. This had been his
duty, Notwithstanding Capt. Sicords' warlike name
and the violent suspicion which preceding develope-
menls had excited in the public mind, that pecu-
lation and fraud upon Government had been Ia.
vishy INDUCED by the disbursing officers. Capt
Swords himself would be constrained to admit that
any jury in the confeGeracy would have convicted
him OF something very akin TO peculation upon
the facts before our correspondent. lie, therefore,
has no just OF eomplcioi re,ins, our CORES
pondeut. He had been placed in Z suspicious at,i
W
and against them, If any one, he should direct
his wrath.
II is to be remarked, that OF oil the charges OF
peculaton, or fraud, or swindling, which have been
preferred asains, the Loco Foeo Sub Treasures,
this is the only one which has been successfully
eon,roverted. That speaks volumes.
MIR EpIroR: | have received, through the kind,
ness OF a friend, the Cincinnati Republican OF the
l. 4
"Wasts and corruption Of the Van Buren, .idniaiS-
traioH," purporting to be copied from your paper;
and as in this article held up 10 the notice OF
the public in manner that reflects little credit on
my character a dsbursing officer of the Govern
ment, must, in Justice TO the last administration,
the branch of the Army Staff Of which | am a
member, and myself, request, through you, to put
the public in possession OF the true facts of the
case
BY reference to the certified copies which send
you of the two contracts alluded to. you will find
that the lime was furnished Tor p 73-l00 cents,
instead Of S23 70 per bushel, and the charcoal for
Is 9s-l00 cents, instead OF SIS 9s per bushel.
For both of these contracts proposals were in.
vited through the public prints, published in the
ghborhood, five bids having been received for the
lime, the highest OF which was at 81 cents per bush
e and the lowest at the rate at which il was taken;
and % bids having been received for the charcoa
of which the highest was at 40 cents per bushe
and the lowest also nj the rate at which IL was Ia
ken.
As have not had access to the Report Of MI
Poinseit, from which your hunter after Sbuses as
| sumes to quote, know not whether the error ex-
lists therein, but presuming that 1t very naturally
may, as even your partzan author seems TO admit
there are errors, inasmuch he "does not rretend
TO vouch for its correctness" should suppose that
| it would have been incumbent on a valued cores
pondent to have made himself acquainted with the
facts before holding up TO public animadversion any
public officer, even one OF a political character
which every one, at all acquainted with my habits
well knows has never been the case with myself.
! Though your correspondent asserts that "the day
is past when even ohi,Ial reports can he implicitly
relied on" he my be assured OF one fact that
any one possessing the feelings Of a gentleman
would deem it far beneath his character, either Off
cha! or unofficial, 20 biazon forth the name of any
individual, coupled with the epi,hets of deiaulte
and swinder. without first assuring himself of IN,
truth Of the statements which lie relies TO esta-
blish his charge, though it may furnish littl,
political capital for the party Of which he is bas,
| tool. THO. SWORDS,
Captain u. 5. Army.
| Fort LeAvenwOGth, May 5lh, 1872