The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1857-08-20
GoansbiIle Daily SOmnal.
The Fort Smelling Fraud.

AhC roEt SuciliEs
In the Army Appropriation bill which
went through Congress on the las. day
Of the late session-probably not doz-
en- members of either House knowing
what it contained-will be found this
provision: rc
SEC. 4. 1rsGBe 70 further enacted. that the
provisions of the act II proved March 5, 1919
entitled An act authorizing the sale Of Ger
tain Military sites be, and they are hereby ex-
tended to all Military sites, or to such parts
thereof. which are or may become useless for
Military purposes"
We cannot say how this clause orig
mated, but any body can guess. As the
House had just purged itself in spaSm
Of indignant virtue, of all its members
who had been suspected Of seeking TO
make money by their votes, we must pre-
sumo that this clause must have origin
ated in the Senate. That it is essentially
deceptive and dishonest, may be seen at
a glance. The act of 1915 authorized
the sale of certain Military sites.' des-
igpated and specified therein; but here
comes new act protesting to be revi-
val and continuance of the former, hut
giving general warrant to sell all Mill
tary posts, which the War Department
may at any time adjudge useless or not
longer needed. Under a license so
sweeping, the chances for speculation
and pcculation is boundless.
In due season thereafter, it transpires
that the Z. S. Military Reservation at
Fort Smelling, Minnesota-which has
been in use as fort up to the present
season-has been sold, and that one
Francis Steele (the word has an omnious
sound), an active Democratic partizan,
appears as the purchaser. Hereupon,
leading Buchanan Democrats, who are not
in this pool, apply at the Department for
enlightenment with regard to this sale
but can get no information beyond the
fact that the sale has actually heen made.
How much has been obtained for this
immense property, comprising several
thousand acres at the junction Of the
Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, now
worth vast sum, and rapidly increasing
in value. the public cannot know; but
that there was no auction, no advertise
ment, no chance offered for competition
in the purchase. is known. 1t isunder-
stood that Mr. Henry NJ Rice, the dele
gate in Congress, from Minnesota. nego-
tiated the sale on behalf of the Govern
ment, and of course there is a vioknt
presumption that he knows how the
clause above quoted found its way into
the Appropriation bill; but we cannot
assert this as fact within our knowl-
edge. All that is positively known, is
that an immense estate belonging to the
American people has slipped slyly out of
their hands, and something has slipped
into them as an equivalent; but how
much or what relation it bears to this
property in value, we are left to guess
II, however, the Democratic party Of
Minnesota should fall short Of funds in
the struggle just before them for want of
contribution of at least 100000
from Messrs. Steele, Rice &c Co., on ac-
count oftais one operation then we shall
insist that said party has been ahomin-
ably swindled, and ought to make these
gentlemen disgorge the Reservation.
n. Y. Trib.