The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-06-10

.a VOL. XIV. NO. As. ..',T.. 4, ....s, /.
THE WILLETrS POINT INVESTIGATION
REPORT ss6iH>1 tAs Hoaas Of RuvssensuGps y,se g.
1883. ~ Haws GEORGE. W HOPKINS, a Rsyisiu,
asd TIdnAAS B FZOREAcE, eof Ps~syassnis. from
me spA1ai cOEssssa~, siisat.if tiac "a ssifsA
!, m. r. .ss sss:.s
onnected with the sale and purchase q tract Of AA W
s: ay s' ssss T. II. .ss ss y I
rps.ss da'tas As 1ss' and shas do said BE-
they are hereby authorised " ssn fas sad
The undsrsigned nunben Of the comnittse appointed
to examine into the fsc and circumstances connected
with the purchase of tho Wletts Point property By the
government Of the United States under ths foregoing
resolution, have had tho sao under cossiderafon and
beg leave TO submit the following report: sN' Es's
The committee have given to the subject committed 10
their charge the most patient and Rboous examination
and they have allowed to the investigstsu the widest
possible range Its scoops, indeed the evidence Will
discose limited only BY tho exclusion Of an iDqai
torial ntrusion upon private affairs and transactions
wholly disconnected with the subject OF this investgA
ton And even this limit has not been observed with
all the sanctty IL should have becn, for In accordance
with the special deaire OF those who to Be chiefly
affected by the results Of tho investigation that the door
of inquiry should be opened wde the committee yielded
perhaps too far to tho spirit of determination evidently
-~>- -
other, cause for anmadverson elimination s4 s4a
" the motive that prompted tho Investigation, The
undersigned have nothing say Of that each must
Judge tor nimse from sne evidence submitted with this
report Their province IL honest and impartial deal
ing with the facts OF the cse and those facts briefly and
chiefly are s saS ssit8Qas4 ~
That long time SINCE far back as tho year 1890,
the necessity ior iortincaon NJ Whiets Point ~
most important national Defence urged upon the
government by the highest authority by TO use the
language of General Totten) the first board Of engi
neors, among whom was the celebrated General Bar
nard e sAJ ass 4
That an appropriation for this object was TO quote
again the words OF Gen. Iotten) recommended with
great deal OF emphasis several times =
That In pursuance Of these repeated recommendation,
Congress- finally by an act approved March 1851 ap
proratcd 8. for the Of fort opposite Fort
Schuyler New York. the sum of one hundred and hty
thousand dollars;
That sson after the said appropriation was made the
necessary negotiations commenced by the engineer
department for the purchase of Willetts Pontabout
ll0 of land, l30 including the water 'front.'
for the site of the proposed fOrtifcation
And, finally that upon careful inquiry into the value
OF the property after consultation with the cbnct and
with its Wetts Point was purchased at the
price Of $20O, 600 by the Secretary of War. ~
In ordinary times such transaction, boing but com
mon business act Of q department OF the government
would have passed without complaint The integrity Of
the act would have been matter OF universal pesump
on But IN the present experated state Of party pol
cs and OF heated local strife between factions OF the same
P0iey, tncIc 70 iitsic oiaisy "Ai Noo VINO 0c ous VI
power for those who are in and hence the purchase of
the Wetts Point property BY the government has been
made the subject OF accusation nganst the func
tonary who made it, the Secretary OF War; and other Of
fcers of the government.
From the tenor of interrogation pursued by the mem
Der OF the committee who originated the investigation 1t
most manifest that the purpose was and the evident
effort H. to INK upon the Secretary OF War the following
grave imputaMons First, that he violated the law in
giving more for the purchased land than the amount OF
the appropriation Secondly that he gave more for tho
property than 1t could have been bought for Thirdly
that much more was given than the land was really
worth and lastly that the Secretary OF War was par
ty to to effect the sale OF the property at
an exorbitant price.
Inc committee 40 not hesitate 10 say tnat there is
nothing in oil the vouminous testimony or IN the facts
OF the TO lend even the antest color 70 any ono OF
these insinuations
AS Tor the excess OF the price paid over the amount
OF tne appropriation made the language OF thc act OF
the Congress Is sufficient explanation and vndication
enceen Of fort opposite Fort schuyler New York, one
hundred and nifty thousand dollars (Sec $685. nets
1896 and 1897, page III.
Had the appropriation been one complete, separate,
maj Tor the OF tne SITE OF the ior
most clearly the law would nave oecn oy ex
ceedng the amount OF the approprauon but there was
no special independent entre appropriation 1or the Pr
chase OF site The appropriation is genenl-is In its
express terms but the nfiatoy step towards the
non OF great work OF national defence upon which the
-" ~ .ons,s i'A ',y w 'o'o"i,y i0'ols'u. ~
Mo hoe on ts lacc, pIetcno to pe comPieR ana nnai
Future appropriations to carry out great work of public
policv ara evidently intended for no one Il spd enough
~ rrrua ty.t tha x,na,n.t.d fortifcaor could Io
t;lt e. ~. a,,, ~ ,r. hr,lra, .r, err thon,.rd