Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-06-03
Secretary OF war--Fort smelling.


sale of the FIT Sneling reservation was
taken up in the House of Representatives
yesterday, | propose, to the exclusion of
other matters, to give your readers brief
statement Of the subject.
The sale of this Fort by the Hon. John b.
Floyd, Secretary of War, under the act OF
81 March, 1857, by which the acs Of 81 OF
March, 1919, was extended to all military
sites, OF to suck parts thereof which are or
may become useless for military purposes,
was considered Of 80 much importance 10 the
early part Of the present session OF Congress,
as to induce the Hon. Robert Smith, of Hi
nois 10 introduce a resolution for the az
poiptment of a Select Committee to inVe.ti-
gate the facts, circumstances, e., connected
with the sale OF the said Fort. A committee,
rs is usual on such mot on, was ordered by
the Hyu,e, and appointed 10y the Speaker.
This Committee was composed Of FIVE mem
b2rs, two Demo rats, two Black Republ-
cans, and ore Ant-Admiuistration Demo
crat, the mover If the resolution having been,
a, bis own request, as it is understood, ex-
cused from serving on the Com mittee. This
Committee, With power to send for persons
and papers, went to work, and after labo-
r.ous and tedious Investigation Of over three
months into the facts and circumstances Of
the case, m ,rity and minority report was
presented to tue House, bet the considera-
tion Of the question WAS postponed un.I the
18th of May following, and then coming up
in regular order, au effort was made by the
Black Republicans TO have the suhj ct post
poned until December next, but this was
oyerrued, and it was laid over until the first
of June. The reports Of the ma rity and
minority, With the evidence in the case, COW
ers four hundred and ifty-Six pages, at a
cost which will probably exceed The purchase
money of the reservation, which was $780,
900, and is considered by all disinterested
persons, and is in fact, the best sale Of any
military reservation heretofore made by the
G1vernment, except that Of Fort Dearborn
within the present corporate limits Of Chr
cagO.
The sale Of this Fort was determined upon
by Secretary Floyd, after u full investigation
of the facts as 10 the value OF the land aud
public buildings, and IT, further usefulness
for military purposes. He accordingly ap-
pointed two Commissioners, one a Civilian,
the ether an officer of the Army, gentlemen
of Intelligence, strict integrity and high
standing, TO examine the prem ses, and make
sale of the reservation. His instructions,
however, limited them in price to s. 80 per
acre, which was considered from the best
light before him, a fair valuation for the pro-
perry. The price obtained by the Commits
sioucrs for the entire tract nearly doubled
this estimate, and upon their report, tue sale
was at once approved 10y the Secretary Of
War, and confirmed by the President.
The question then naturally presents IL
self to the public mind, why the necessity
for this investigating Committee? The two
principal reasons assigned are
lst. That the Fort was necessary for mill
tary purposes, and therefore the sale was
without authority of law.
I'd. That the property was sold at sacri-
fee and considerable loss to the Govern
ment
In answer to the first proposition, It is
clearly shown by the testimony that Il was
an inland post, aud no longer useful or ne
cesSary Tor defence, or as depot 0; supplies
This evidence is sustained by the report u
a board of seven Army filters, OF great ex-
periencc upon subjects Of tbs sort, AID Ot
undoubted military talent. Their report Is
dated May 4, 1858, at St. Louis, Missouri,
and they concluded by saying: The board
respectfully suggest the entire abandonment
of Fort Smelling, both as military station
and depot ard the establishment Ut an agency
at ST. PauPs to forward the necessary suJ-
plies to the posts on the frontier by means
of private transportation. This method Of
supply by private trans portation which was
used here Tor severed years, proved TO be the
most economical to the Government, and Is
the mode by which the Qaartermaster's De-
partmeut, supply generally, the numerous
poets established Oh the whole Of our tx TcGle
frontier. The board is unanimous 10 the
opinion expressed 10 these proceedings. -
So much for the first reason assigned as to
the necessity OF an investigating COMMITTEE.
The second reason assigned may be answer.
ed by an extract from the report II the
minority Of tue Select Committee, who say
AT the opening of Congress Committee OF
investigation was Dsked, amongst other mat
tiers, to ascertain the real value of toe proper
ty, Fort SnelIing,) ard that Committee
promptly accorded. 10 the progress Of the
iugest CATION thus ordered, thlrty-.Our wit.
nesses were examined touching It- value, OF
which number eight only nave expressed The
UpiulOn that 1t sold below ITS value: two have
testified that tie price obtained was what iLe
property, in their Judgment, was fairly worth;
twenty-iOur have expressed the opinion that
1t sold beyond It's talr value" Among the
number who testified that it sold beyond its
value was our late ieliOw-tUwnsman, JOB q.
McNeish, a gentleman well known in Alex
aodrIa, and whose character cannot tie ques-
toned who is now living in Minnesota,
aud who informed me !cw days before he
left Aexaudria, that II the PROPERTY vac put
up for sale at the time he spoke Vi, that II
would not bring hardly bait the price that
was paid for IT,
10 addition to this overwhelming testimony,
however, AS to tie value o. the property, re-
ference may be made 10 the well known fact,
that five thousand three hundred aud sIXty.twu
acres, part oi this sane reservation, as sold
at public auction iu 1854 ADD twenty thou
and six hundred aud sixty one acres III 1858
not slugle acre of which brought more than
81 % per acre, the minimum price OF the
l.. nd This ANAL r,rira IL Oh