The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-08-26

Crossroads, Thursday, lG.
Dariess eoRnly--W Washington, Friday,
September II; AIfordsville Saturday, Is;
Raglesvillc, Thursday, %; Owl Prairie
Friday, "a - so sse- 3
Marta couaty-Loogootee, Monday, Sep
tember 20; lIalbcrts Bluff, Tuesday 81;
Harrisonville, Thursday, 23.
Psey couRiy--Mount Vernon, Monday,
October 4th; New Harmony, Tuesday. 9Th;
Wadesville, Wednesday, q j. Union church,
Thursday, 7th. tiH
Speaking TO commenecsatsf o'clock, p. VI.
More OF Secretary FIOyd's Corrup-
fions.
On Wednesday last a court of Enquiry
assembled at Fort Leavenworth, in Kansas,
by order of Secretary Floyd, to try Capt.
Van Vliet, Quarter Master at that post, for
alleged disobedience of tlIe Secretarys in
structions in the purchase of mules for The
Utah army service. 1t appears the Captef
refused to connive at the robberes of the
public treasury by the Lecompton politi-
clans under the form of contracts for sup
plying mules for the army. lie is to be
tried not for filching and embezzlcment, but
for being too honest and firm in resisting
the plunderers. The trial promises to disclose
detail more inf;mouSand startling than the
Fort Smelling fraud The St.Louis Demo
crdt gives some intimations of what we may
expect them to be. 1t says:
The issue between the Secretary Of War
and the Quarter Master, is that the latter has
been too exacting in his dealings with the
contractors; that in several cases he rejected
mules which they allege came up To the speci-
iications of the Department, and that the
price he set on those which he accepted was
= below their market value. The CRAVEN
of the charges against him is that he refused,
rs the agent of the government, TO accept
all the mules which were offered to him by
some contractors, and also abused the dis
cretionary powers with which he was in
vested hy paving them prices, which, though
i'm reality esOrbrtaEt, were below the 'c;Ilcu-
lations of their cupidity, and the promises
of those politicians in Washington who pro-
cured for them the patronage of Secretary
Floyd
Ii is alleged that these favored contract
ors-owing to the sturdy obstinacy of Capt
Van Nliet in disregardng the instructions of
Secretary Floyd-did not make more than
$50 or $40 per head, whereas they were led
to expect, and Secretary Floyd designed to
give them from$SO toS9O profit on each mule
II is for the injuries inflicted on these wothy
and patriotic contractors that Capt Van
Nlict is brought to the bar and is to be pun
ished. They have insisted upon the trial,
and Senator Green, of Missouri-made inn
mortal by the Green-English bill-repre-
sents the agrieved contractors, with whom
II is believed he is partner.
lie has been mixed up with this mule
business from the first day He attended
closely to it in Washington last winter, and
succeeded in procuring large favors, or large
orders, from the War Department, ostensi-
bly, for his friends. His brotheris concerned
in these contracts, and we feel warranted in
saying that the Senator himself must be a
I particip6tor i'll their profits. He was agent
of the parties who received the orders to
furnish the mules; it was through his solici-
tations the orders were granted, and he is
now the attorney before the Court of Inqui-
ry for these parties; he was chiefly instru-
mental in getting that court appointed and
all the facts warrant the assertion that he is
one of the silent partners of that great stock
iobbing concern which inflated that mon
sirous bubble, the Mormon war, and which
has made ten millions of dollars by il. So
much for Green's connection with The Leav-
enworth investigation.
/. L I ~. A L
structions, however carefully he may have
observed the letter. He must have griev-
ously disappointed the Secretary of War,
who had him stationed at Leavenworth be-
cause he was supposed to be less rigid than
the others. But military discipline hardcns
ci1aractcr ana or all human clay old soldiers
are the most intractable in the hands of the
potter. Van Nliet disappointed expecta-
tiOns, and became an eye sore and STUN
bling block to the contractors; and as the
whole object of the second years Wal
against the MOrmons-the buying or re-
warding OF LecomptOn intluence-eould not
be allowed to be marred in any degree by
thestolidity OF II captainof Infantry, the sales
man of Fort Smelling ordered an investiga.
tiOn.
1t may not be generally known how these
mule contracts were JoOOed out. In the hrS'
. place there were no formal contracts enter
ed into between the War Department and
f the mule traders. The whole business was
taken away from Gen. JeSsup, to whose de-
: partment it appertains by Secretary Floyd
who could have no legitimate connection
with ii in It's executive aspect. Such busi.
ness has always been transacted by the
Quarter-Master General, who is the reSpon
Sible person. The Secretary having render
ed Gen. JcSsUp a nullity, by arrogating t,
himself the powers previously exercised by
that officer, proceeded to carry out the dutie
of Quarter-MaSter General on new plan
Hints were dropped to the Lecompton mel
: in Congress, that it was in the power of tn
= Secretary to oblige some OF their. friends il
r the country. These country friends the lie
:. compton Democrats speedily summoned t
the capitol. Jim Green's clients sotn ap