Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1851-10-09
u.aCafacO COrrHpiiOD.

EzO
The Harrisburg American lately devoted
page to an extraordinary exposure OF corrup-
ton, not to say swindling, on the part of Lo-
cofoco officers connected with the canal man.
agement in Pennsylvania. 1t has reference
more particularly to the Freeport aqueduct,
which was consumed on the night of May %,
1S4S, and rebuilt between that time and the
1st of July following. The manner in which
the expenditure was conducted excited suspl-
cion and led to inquiry by committee of the
House of Representatives, who examined wit
nesses under oath, their evidence Is analyzed
oy J. F. McCulloch, Democratic member OF
the House of Representatives in l849-'5O,
and now supervisor of the western division
of the Pennsylvania Canal; and his statement
forms the exposure to which we refer
1t seems that S3,636 ~ was drawn from
the public treasury of the State in connection
with the construction of the aqueduct, upon
the receipts Of men who swear they never re-
ceiyed it. "These were not men," Mr.. Nc
Culoch says 'kicked off the canal, but men
of character, standing as high in the rank of
society as any other set of men in the Com
monwealth About one-thrd of the men en-
ploycd at the work appeared before the Com
missioner Had been able to procure the
testimony of the balance, have not a doubt
but that could have piled up $4,000 more in
the same way" This plumber was obtained
by means of false returns made to the Auditor
General
Other large sumes were derived from the
sale Of the surplus material remaining after
the aqueduct was finished, and of which no
account was rendered to the Auditor General.
There was nothing upon the record to show to
whom or for what the surplus had been sold.
One witness before the committee deposed that
more aqueGucts. Another witness expressed
an opinion that one hundred thousand feet oi
lumber remained after the completion of the
aqueduct, of which fifty thousand feet remain
ed in RATS without being disturbed. One lot
LETT on Hare's Island, was bought by General
Clover, collector at Pittsburg, for $3.50, al
though an old lumberman estimated it at ten
thousand feet lineal, which, at eight cents per
foot, would be worth $500. Mir. McCulloch
goes on to remark:
The balance of the timber was given IN
charge to John A. Steele and John V Criswell,
to run it, and to return the proceeds to Mr..
Power. They took it to Cincinnati and sold il
to Bailv, Langstaff q Co. Mr.. Malone, one
! of the firm, appeared before the commissioners
and testified that they had bought of Steele
and Crlswell, in lS48, $3.50 cubic feet o.
timber, at six cents per foot, amounting &c
80, 1872 rs also the cables upon the RATS al
Sl5, and that they gave $500 in hand and
notes for the balance, to be paid afterwards
Now It was known that this timber had been
sold, but there was nothing in relation TO it tc
be found among the accounts of Mr. Power
as settled by the Auditor General. After the
investigation had been commenced, General
Clover appeared before the committee and
9o'C dii dOSOuhL vi l"O HOtSS OcpOSiICu IA
bank, amounting to So, 744 20, leaving a bal.
ance of sS3,032 SO unaccounted for which, il
we add the $500 paid by clover, makes So,
232 80. Criswcll appeared before the com
n'ttee; seemed to know nothing definitely
about il ; said that Steele and himself ran II
to CINCINNATI; sold it to Baily, Langstaff &
Co., at SIX cents per feet; got $500 In cash
| gave two notes to Clover-balance went tC
pay expenses. Three thousand two hundred
and thlrty-two dollars and ninety-nine cent;
TO run $4,000 feet of timber $50 miles! Ii
did not cost 5000"
Again There were many tons of old iron
which was purchased by General Clover, Q
public officer, from Mr.. Power, another pub
lie officer, at one cent per pound, being one
third OF the price demanded from other parties
i General Clover afterwards sold his iron Il
Messrs. Graft and Lindsay at two and q hal
cents per pound SO that, supposing fiiteer
tons were disposed of in this way, the genera
would clear by this single transaction $500
! lie pocketed more, however, as in his testi
nony before the commissioners he admits tha
he had from seventeen to twenty-five TONS
The amount this lion was sold for" Mr.
McCulloch AYERS, did not pass 10 the credi
of the State until after the investigation
neither was there any thing in relation to it il
the account of Mr.. Alex. Power"
Sentence of The Michigan Rail-
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