Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-09-11
rNpRINcIpLED ELEcTIoNEERING.
The Democracy at their Old Tricks.
Base Attempt to Injare an honest Man
LET EVERY VOTER READ.

LET EVERY VOTER READ.
! In the last Gasssse there appears an AZ
ticle from the Washington Union, whic
purports to be a correct expose OF Col
Fremont's accounts against the Government
We ask the candid reader to investigat
that article carefully, and then examine II
this article. We fear nothing from IN
most rigid scrutiny of Col. Frenont's pub
lie or private acts, provided it being homes
scrutiny. well knowing that be has DON
nothing to be ashamed of or which will no
bear the investigation of the public. w
copy from the Cincinnati Gazette:
In the House of Representatives, on tn
l4th Of February, 1853, the Hon. Willis
! A. German. q Demorstic member from In
diana, and Chsirmss Of the Committee OF
Military Affairs, reported the Senate Bill
without material ausendment, for the pay
meat Of the claim Of ]. c. Fremont. Tb
bill prsvide& fu he payment of sls.5oo
being the auol1ak Be Qoaey borrowed in
California by Frsmonf for the use of the ar
my under his command. This amount in
cluded The interest. The latter was paid q
the rate of two to three per cent month
The reason why this rate was not consider
ed excrbitant was because. Of the scarcity
of money and the great dihculty experienc
ed in obtaining it. Equally high rates have
prevailed in San Francisco since its settle
meHt, and prevail there now. IT. has been
charged that not one dollar of this money
borrowed by Fremont, had been used in the
United States service. On this point Mr.
Gorman said:
There is upwards of 1856 for which
there are no vouchers on hle. That amount
was paid to the quarter masters, but the
vouchers are not yet found. The vouchers
which have been presented and copies oi
which have here, are clear and satisfactory
1t is satisfactorily shown that the sum oi
Sse6:ss, for which there are no vouchers at
hand, has been paid. The Committee on
Military Affairs called before them an Of
fcsr OF the army who was with Col. Frs-
mont, and testifes to facts which ough. to
satisfy the House that every dollar has been
accounted for"
1t has been charged that with portion
of this money Fremont purchased the Mar
iposa tract. The charge as published in the
Cincinnati Enquirer 10 in these words:
with this money he purchased tho Ma
riposa tract, which he hulds to this day as
his private property. 1t was not till 1853
that the United States paid this borrowed
money, and then not because it was legal
claim, oct because Don Jose lent the mon
ey in good faith, and ought not to suffer
from Fremont's fraud. The entire amount
then paid, including interest, was $4,000,
which is the exact sum that Col Fremont's
Mariposa tract cost the United States"
The statement of Mr.. German, that the
disbursement of this money was "satisfact-
orily accounted for,' would be 4 sufficient
answer to this; but We have other and more
direct testimony. Mr.. German saiG: (see
page 59s Of vol. 26, Congressional Globe
alt was said that Col. Fremont had got
this Sl9,5Oo and bought the Mariposa land
with it; and distinguished gentleman of
this House told me he had heard that he had
purchased large amount of cattle with it,
upon which he had made large profits. Now
the Mariposa lund cost only S5000-thnugh
it turned out to be exceedingly valuable and
wcrth forty or fifty times what he paid for
it. But the date of that purchase was an
:erior to the transaction"
Another charge with reference TO the
meat cattle operation reads as follows:
I'm the same year he bought six hundred
head of cattle for the sum of $4,000, at 80
a head, the hides to be given back to the
Mexican of whom he bought them. Notl
pne of them was ever used Cor battalion;
but, after it was discharged, Col. Fremont
had them pasture for three years, with one
Abel S,earns, The latter 10 be paid for the
pastufsge by share of the increase. And
Col. r. B. Mason says not one of the cattle
was ever used for public purposes. The
United States paid for these cattle $6,s75,
including interest II OF because any soldier,
sailor or marine ever tasted the beef, bu!
because, again, it was not right that the in
nocent Mexican should suffer for Fremont's
rsnd."
On this point Mr.. German remarked:
"As TO the alleged purchase of large a.
mount of cattle and the grand speculation
,ut of the operati IN! how did we act as to
hat charge! Did we believe it blindly!--
lo sir, We went into an Investigation of it,
md what was the result! We found that
le had purct ssed certain amount of cattle
ur the use of army, but because he had not
he means of paying for them, he left the
attle in the possession OF the vender, who
ad finally to take them back for non-psy-
neat, 50 that transaction ended in smoke,
s does the charge"
Mr.. Gorman having thus disposed Of those
wo charges, volunteered the following gen.
raj statement:
Il will say for Col. Fremont, that whe7
went into the investigation of this uans-
ction had some Prejudices which thought
erheps might be unfounded, and which |
m now satisfied were uHfounded. The pre-
ldices which. had been impressed upon my
lind have been dispelled by the inrestiga.
on of all his conduct in California, and
N prepared to bear testimony upon this oc.
asion to the correctness of his whole line
f conduct as an officer and as disbursirg1 .
gent. Not one dollar can be traced to his ,
ands; ne property can be traced to his :
lnds for which he cannot give to the gov.
'nment satisfactory vouchers that it has
zen appropriately and properly applied"
Let il be borne in mind that Mr.. German :
as Chairman of the Committee of the !
ouse, before whom the investigation with !
ference to the California claims was =
ade. And farther, that MIR. G. was De- >
ocrat in high standing. =
1t is also charged against Fremont in this !,
that he presented other iraudu- i
ut claims against the Government. This n
arge reads as follows. 1t is an extract :,
,m the report of the Board of Commits .
,ners appointed to adjust the claims:
"Clams against United States for funds s