Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-06-11
MORNING, JUNE II, 1855
PLAIN AND ORNAMENTAL PRINTING.
secretary Fioyd's Land >peculariOns.


The Secretary of War has been doing land
Office business for Uncle Sam since Mr.. Bu-
shanan came into power. Some half dozen
whitewashing reports have been made to Con
gress already touching his sale Of Fort Smelling
purchase of sites for war forts near New Bed
ford. at the mouth of the Kennebec, on Man
Island near San Francisco, and Willett's PoiuI
near New York, and it is pretty cehsin that
where there is SO much smoke there is some
IRE.
The Wilett's Point Case is the last repor. &C
upon, and is this in brief:
The last Congress passed an act appropri a.
ting sl5O.OOO for erecting fOrtihcatiOn oPPo-
site Fort Schuyler, near New York The En-,
ginesr Bureau examined three sites believed to be
about equally advantageous, though Willett'i
Point was the most desirable. The property
consisting of i3O acres, the Government had th'
refusal of until the LIST of April, 1857, at Sl0O,
900, bus the price was demured to. Certain
New York politicians got wind Of the negotia
tons, aud obtained q conditional engagement
from the owner of the property that if the Gov
eminent did not accept the offer ON the appoint
ed day-ihe lst of APril-they might bay ii
at $4,000. Oath 81 ofApril the New York
operators having become the nominal owners OF
the POiE., made a proposition to the Depart
ment for the sale at 100000, just twice as
much as the Government might have had It ioI
two days before, and the virtuous and disinter
ested Secretary Floyd in due time closed the
contract with Messrs. G. T. Irving, Augustus
Schell, and associstes. who thus choused s70,-
900 out Of Uncle Sam under this auspices #
Mr.. Buchanan's War Department as 4" easy a
rolling Off log" The testimony taken by
the Committee also shows that the property was
for sale in 1855 for s55,OOO, and was offered to
the Government in 1856 for $4,000. 1t appears
too that at about the time of the purchase by
Government, Mr. Richard Sehell discounted
notes for Secretary Floyd to the amount Of
Ss,OO0or $4,000, and it has not yet appeared
that these noteslwere ever paid
New York papers have published the volu-
minOus reports and testimony establishing
these facts in regard to the Willett's Point pur-
chase, aud the Times says
Now nothing is more damaging 10 the public
estimate of public officers than the appearance
even OF being concerned in speculating upon
the Government General Taylor's administra-
tion was seriously shattered By the famous Gal
Phin elaim-nerely became a Cabinet officer
had previously had an interest in 1t. And it Is
impossible that Secretary Floyd should not suf-
fer greatly from these exposures Any one
who knows anything Of the way in which mat
ters Of this sort are done, viii understand per-
feciiy that the purchase Of the property was so
managed as to put S75,00O or 500, ,OOO into the
pockets of six, eight or ten persons who were
= in the ring" That the outsiders, like Gen
Wetmore, Richard Schnell and Geo. I. Irving
alone proited by it, no one will credit, whatever
plausible pretexis may be looked up, or how
ever the affair may be CLOSED over, nobody viii
doubt that Collector Schell was partrer in
the operation, and that in all probability Secre
tary Floyd and an interest in it also. The Fort |
Smelling affair leff tlis gentIemaa no reputation
~ SPAR for such an emergency as this. And if |
Mr.. Buchanan designs or desires to retain any /
degree Of public confidence in the purity in |
tegrity Of his Administration, he will find it ne
cessary to relieve himself Of all responsibility of
such proceedings IT. under the circumstances |
of the case. Mr.. Schell is confirmed in his of 1
fee by the Senate, every office holder in the |
country may fairly consider himself at liberty to /
speculate upon The Government TO any possible |
extent