Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-04-11
RICHMOND WING.
MONDAY MORNING.. ApRm.,I.
waste AND CORRUP TON or THE YaN.
buren, ADMINISTRATIONS

waste AND CORRUP TON or THE y.sN.
buren, ADMINISTRATIONS
We put on record SIR Merriwethet,s Repor, nm
the waste and corruption praetsed in Florida, as
lasting monument OF the pronisate prodigality OF
Van Buren's administration. We invite to il the
serious consideration OF the country. Its compil
cd from official sources and every statement il con.
tnins may be implicitly relied on.
This, however, is only a single Department
The same waste pervaded every branch OF the pub.
lie service. Wherever the Government made a
contract It was aceced-whcther for the hire OF
steamboats,, the removal OF Indians the purchase of
wood, or coal, or lime. Il would seem that the Ad-
minstration considered itself entrusted with the
public money, only TO feed its needy favorites and
partisans Certain 1t is, that such was the only use
made of the public money--and for the millions
squandercd Ivy Van Buren,, nothing can be shown,
except delauing officers aud swindling accounts.
As german to this matter. we subjon n letter
from valued correspondent,
WAsHISGroS, April sth, 1912.
Believing, rs do, that the most eiTectual mode Of
checking the ex,ravaganees of the Government, to
expose them 10 the public gaze, I shall, whenever
ing them TO the attention of the people. Acting
upon tins principle, beg leave, through your pa.
per, to submit to the public judgment two instances
OF expenditure in the War Department, which have
recently come to my knowledge. | give you li,eral
extracts from the official archives of the country.
do not pretend To vouch for the correctness OF the
records, Tor the day is past when even official re
ports can be implicitly relied on. All will be re-
sponsible ioris, that the copies correctly taken
from the official volume.
The Nth section oil the act of Congress passed on
the 2ls, Of April, IS0S, concerning "Public Con
tracts" and other supplementary acts req that
the departments shall annually report TO Congress
an abstract of all their contracts. In pursuance of
these acts. MIR Polnsett, Secretary of War, on the
10TH OF February, 1888, made n report to the House
OF Representatives Of the contracts of his depart
ment Tor the preceding year. This report is mum.
bered Ia, and may be found in the 9TH volume OF
Executive Of the session Of 1878. The report
consists OF letter Of the Secretary of War; and va.
rlous statements appended 10 It, marked with the
letters OF the alphabet from A 10 II, inclusive. In
statement IL, If you will take the trouble to exam.
inc It, you viii! find the following abstracts Of con-
tracts, which have caused to be carefully copied
IPAoE As
FoRr LEANESwoRrH, Missouri,
May 22d, 1897.
Captain Thomas Stords. Assistant o. Master ioih
~ l. Watkins
Lime-For furnishing and delivering ut Fort
Leavenworh, by the 3lst OF July next, five thou.
sand bushes OF good Stacked Lime for the sum OF
S23 IS per bushel. Bond in 5000.
page SOL
FoRr LEArEswoRrH, Missouri,
July 29lh, 1887.
Captain Thomas S~oris. assistant or. Master ,e.h
j. u. Has.
! ChareOal.-For furnishing and delivering a, Fort
leavenworth, by the 3Oth OF September next three
thousand bushels OF Charcoal. for the sum OF SIS
9S per bushel. Bond in $3.50.
Lime! Stacked Limeii at S23 - per bushei-
Charcoal at SIS % per bushe!!. These matters
need no comment | refer them to the judgment Of
the people, giving them the naked facts and the
source from which have derived them.
| Iperceive that some of the New York editors
have attempted to dscredit the statements contained
in my former letters, by insnuhtins that they are
the offspring of malice. do not mean to descend
to controversy with those papers as to what |
have said in regard to the public expenditures in
that city. The reports OF the commission appoint
ed TO investigate those matters will soon be pub.
lsit'ii IL viii pt seen whether my slate
ments were maleiousiy or imGdriSediy made. All
will say on that point Is, that have no personal
knowledge OF any of the parties implicated, and
therefore could not have been influenced by malice.
For the satisfaction of the New York Editors, how
ever, will specify of TIE abuses which refer
red to in my leter-nnd il they are DESTROYS OF a
controversy about the facts, turn them over to Mr.
Mcclellan, Of New York, who stated them on tho
floor Of the House OF Representatives a day or two
ago.
The facts, as stated by Mr. Mcclellan, are rs fol.
lows; A MIR Belts is Judge OF the District Court
Of the U. S Court Of New York. Daniel Belts, the
brother Of the Judge is clerk of the District Court
and MIR Mecalf, son-n law Of the Judge, is clerk
OF the Circuit Court. The law provides that the
emoluments OF the offices shall not exceed 81 500
each. This prohibition is positive but by an in
genious contrivance, the salaries Of both are onor.
mously increased. The arrangement is this: The
district clerk appoints the circuit clerk his deputy
and in RETURN the circuit clerk appoints the dlsric,
clerk his deputy, and thereby they secure to them.
selves almost double compensation! A very snug
little family arrangement this Nov, Messrs N.
York Editors, respond to this specific charge, made
by irresponsible member OF Congress IN his place
guilty, or not guty3
q T. II