The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1852-05-19
Negligent Administration.

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been had in the U. S. Senate, on the Deficiency
bill, which elected some remarkable disclosures
Of want of efficiency and sayacity, on the part
of the present administration, in their manage
ment Of public affairs. Among other democratic
Senators, Mr. Gwin, of California, made very
forcible speech upon this subject. IN the course
of his remarks he formally arraigned the ad
ministration for various particular sins of omiss
ion and commission and, as we think, made out
very strong case. His remarks in the main
had especial reference to matters in his own
State, and his expose Of government transac-
tons in California, although not entirely uncx-
pected, created little sensation in the Senate.
He explained the circumstances out of which
grew certain large drafts drawn on the govern
ment by Indian agents to California and now
lying under protest-all going to show that
much blame is to rest somewhere for looseness,
irregularity, and extravagance of expenditure.
These agents, he said, without authority Of
law, and upon an appropriation OF some $2o,0O0,
contracted debts with citizens of California for
Indian supplies to the amount Of nearly mill
ion of dollars, and gave drafts for the amount
which were not paid He contended that the
money was uselessy and wantonly and illegally
wasted, and in such manner as to be extremely
detrimental to the walfare of the Indians and Of
the citizens of California. He complains that
the administration neither ccnsured nor removed
these men, but permitted one of them to return
and rtsign. He insisted that the act of 1929
res not justify such contracts as these, and
that they wholly illegal
The following is undoubtedly reliable
sketch as it appears in the Republic, of DR..
OWNS speech, reviewing the expenditures
made by the officers of the Quartermaster' s
Department, in Calif,rnia, since the S;h Of
March, lS49 ;-Detroit Free Press.
DR.. G.. commented upon t:ie expenditures
made by the same department on Count of the
| military escort which accompanied Mr.. Collier
TO California when on his way there to assume
the duties OF collector lso the large expen
dltures occasroned by sending an expedition to
the Salt Lake to bring the private property Of
Gen. Wilson (wh had been appointed Indian
Agent to the Salt Lake, and was then in Cali
formal from that place to California This ex-
petition cost SlO0,005. He cited other nstan-
ces of expenditure by the Quartermaster De-
partment which he deemed extravagant and
reckless. He particularly dwelt upon the ex
pendi'ure $4,000 for transportation, &c, of
| an armed escort to accompany the commission
ers appointed by The Government treat with the
Indians of Calf rnia He absolved the Quar-
terlBasier's Department from all responsible lily,
laying the whole blame on the high authorities
Of the Government He treated the acts of the
Government since March, 1S49, as The acts of
one continuous administration.
He reviewed the fact, that while this bill pro
vided for the payment Of the d fic .ency for the
Qnartermaster s Departm m, occasipned by the
| expenditures for the escort for the Indian com
missi ners, which escort was furnished by the
orders of said commissioners, while at the same
time the contracts made by those commissioners
with the citizens of California, for supplies,
&c, for themselves and the Indians, were to-
tally repudated, and their drafts prot sted by
the Department He and the appropriations
made by Congress for the expense of The Indian
commission, amounted to 5000; and the
by the drafts drawn by the COMMISSION
ers, over and above the appropriated by
Congress, was, so far as could now be ascertain
ed over 100000.
He asked why those Indian commissioners
had not been dismissed. They had neg tia ed
several treaties which they were now executing,
and yet not Of these treaties had been sen!
to the Senate. He attributed the loose and
lavish expenditure in the army to the fact that
i'll lS45 military chleflain, who had civil
recommendations or qualifications for The ofhce,
was made President. Such precedent, he
argued should not be followed.