The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1857-12-26
Corruption of an Ex.President! and a
Member of his Cabinet!!

Corruption of an Ex-President! and a
Member of his Cabinet!!
The corruption of public functionaries at
Washington, from the highest to the lowest,
is being developed from time to time, slowly
but surely.
Never before General Pearce's time
however did the suspicion of treasury steal
ing, attach to the skirts of a President of the
United States; but events are unfolding the
humilating fact that late Democratic Presi-
dent was the first to set the precedent. The
Standard, Democratic paper published at
Concord, n. H., recently came out in a long
editorial article, in which it more than insinu-
ates very serious charge against President
Pierce, in connection with the attempted pur-
chase of site for post office in New Y ork
City. It will be remembered that the old
Brick Church was bought at the enormous
sum of $S47 5, O00 but the matter fell through,
owing to some defect of title. The Standard
begins by quoting statement, said to have
been made by sworn witness, while upon
the stand, in a recent trial in New York, that
Caleb Gushing, late Attorney General under
President Pierce, was to have received the
sum of $1,000 for examining and approving
the title of the Brick Church, in case the
purchase should have been completed. The
writer of the article in the Standard then goes
on to say that he was "told by the most in
telllgent and reliable men in the city Of New
York, during the pedency of the negotiation, y
that of the sum stipulated for the church,
100000 was to have gone to the owners Of
the property, and the remaining $175, 900 to
sharpers who hung around the Pierce admin
istration. On the same authority, the Stand
ard adds that, when negotiations were in pro-
gress for the purchase of the site Of Burton's
Theatre for post office, a sum above the
value of the property was to have been agreed
| upon in order to leave space for the spoils-
men to obtain their per centage and that in
case either the church or the theatre were
purchased by the government, $4,000 was
to have been reserved for Sidney Webster,
private Secretary of President Pierce. The
| writer then observes -
1--WE are authorized to make these state
ments and if they shall be denied we are
| promised the proof to sustain them.
The facts above detailed are but few OF
| those Of similar character which have been
placed in our possession. We have facts i'm
plicating persons about the late Pierce admin
stration with speculations in public lands
! certain California transactiOns-sOme touch
| ing the dismissal of appeals in land cases from
that State-certain Infamous transactions re-
| lating to the Mexican indemnity and rights
of way over Mexican territory under the
Gadsden treaty, the rumors concerning which
! reached the private Secretary of Pierce, and
an individual who fourishes in the neighbor-
hood of Winnepiseogee Lake.
| While we know nothing of the above
charges, and merely give them on account Of
| the prominence of the individuals referred
to; yet we may add, that if those who are
engaged in these investigations will turn theiI
eyes in this direction, or at least up about
Superior City and the Lake Shore, they will
find some other speculation in which the PR
vate Secretary of the President was con
venient cover for a more distinguished party
and in which the official influence and power
of the President was used, to favor his Owl
private interests!
1t is not openly alledged in the Standara
that President Pierce was party to these
transactions, but the whole tenor of the ar
ticle is calculated to convey such an impress
sion. AS to the motives actuating the prop
agation of such charges at the present time
the following sentence from the conclusion o
the Standards article may afford an explana
| ton -
"More of these developments are to come
| if Mr.. Pierce does not distinctly take him
self out of the category of candidates for thu
United States Senate.
In other words, where rogues fall out thu
truth is also apt to come out between them.
Sibleyss Completely i'm the FOrgeries!