The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-07-29

l-tc tuCIO WINS slcduy
s1ie confidential intercourse held by I s
/ a from Virginia with the Secreta
81 all subjects connected with th /
{ n; and there was no portion of h
i-th was not already familiar to tina
Ut. FAULKNER. Do understand
D 8,from Indiana to state that as a fs :
sA,r. PETIT. / state it as my judgD /
o4tknowledge.
7Er. FAULKNER. / will tell the i
Z e. very few conversations occurre !
s1Secretary of War and myself durir
e,-sss of that investigation. =
". PETIT. 1t is sufficient for no 4
s sto justify the conclusion have !
SE there were few conversation !
Z ace gentlemen.
another thing. The gentleman frol
hess1dealt with this transaction as if. :
OF Se committee was limited to the :
Il . Secretary of War, and to have fore
- ler, Major Eastman, and William "
- Esq, were hound by the same OF :,
r -Sies. His argument has opposed
r<t1 of the majority report, nor any >
q Aw governing the facts, but has be :
T.. fanegyric OF the head of the VS.
ns.t5 and be seems to have felt pc
fesG that the committee have not 81
hsr in the same view, and come to
cr-ttlusiou. His whole argument hal
teat7-no more" Lest l might be 10. -
Il s-metes and bounds of the duties ir y
q , House on the committee, / have tn. \
t-t.e resolution appointing it, to see wi
4 authority of the House, the comp
r lcired to do. The following is the r
= Resolved, That a committee of fveI
s.appointed by the Speaker, to irvel
40 facts and circumstances connectet
,-4,s of the military reservation at Fort
'..ll manner in which such sale was I
~ ON made, the consideration paid,
g payment, whether the price paid
-[el'be paid was adequate or not, ant =
y, said reserve at the time Of said T
q, .ger wanted for the public service
q ia committee have power to send 70
g ID papers, and to administer oatE
{, seses." 81
Fsre are prescribed duties impose .
C, anittee. The Secretary of War is il Z
~ named as a particular object of its c
rta. Acting in fidelity to the commaf
tn House, and under the solemn sal
o. { paths, that did not spare us from
y amt duty, we were compelled to-
i...tSry of the whole transaction; in hon
r,,1pjure and offend no one but not
Y IL fulsome eulogy persons public OF
Il F3ever exalted their position. The
b eimed to do their prescribed duty, and.
: ct me meet at once the ungenerous G.
o. alrty reasons for the action of the Ct
+ b the beginning to the end, thrt
w de voluminous testimony, in all the /.
OF se report, it is not true that any ps
ST. a has been made, except in the single
vs ere the occasion was obtruded upC
th Secretary of War. The committee
hri cor information. Among other letts
hr1 been. received by him on the subjsc
il Fort Smelling, was one from yerm,
a .,sson,o public consideration, who r
its - past party services, made asper
hi. Solitical enemies, and implied, in CT
titRi of it, that he was entitled to buy f
lii 7 .at bargain This unworthy let
fe zi9g the venality of the writer's opini
th ss brought to notice. The fact tina
be o. put on the files of the department
tt s. Ut had not been deemed Improper, .
th examination of Mr.. Heiskt Il, one Of Z
NJ oners appointed to make the sails,
M in the judgment of the commiltes :
III I for such an appointment, sho<ed
b. Z demanded it, and obtained it mestly. .
sc 1ces. The public interest," was 5aZ
So practice and it was not w:tho
on, and only upon consideration
o pose it to the House, that'such fac
7 scr its observation we're deemed prop.
a 9Rdversion of the committee. Ind
az ,kntage and convenience of-distinguis
tiks Is were so connected b the ira,
tR it was impossible to hide This impor
tis- rom faithful narrative Gf the trfni
he committee thought the Secretly
a ault in treating such appointments
CT lavors only, and it was no less e. f
th individuals who think thfmselve Il q
fiefKAies of this sale are those who W, e
to b. such because they composed pal
Pr rsdent's political family, and fol
re IN. In this republican Governmt 1t
z init there is no other just officis
e fcial qualification except that m, d.
f, s-a, that officers shall be honest Al
g 81 to their tasks of duty, and so o.
u. Sublic interest in their hands W 4 !
dt tshent and | submit with equal I d
thft in this transaction there was a
di T. lguished instance of a person il a
re Icring unusual care, caution, skill, u
mems, who was incapable, and that b
Ous 6ther who preferred his 0wn to b
ad yantage. The practice vas obno it
tn committee condemned i not esl y
az qly to the present Admin itration, *
til es, everywhere-a practice, notwi D
it .'as been heartily approved by anot, e.
m q from Virginia, Mr.. LET CHER, 81 I
n Ses political favors of the dispe 5
o. ses, which is plainly incompatible l.
pGpaic morals. For, if the dispensati u
cisl patronage and the favors. OF office 2
lated by party partialities m9sely, the :
cial value of Office or the fs tor is o IS
conpliances to the superior authOr:t 5
as ii it were a price paid for vote
tic q. Such a practice may ssrengta
bus debauches public morals
Turning from this least ag2 cable
50 2ject, / come to the zion IL I !.
Sselling is at the confluence 2 the . {
and Minnesota rivers. The reEervatiC -
to the post at the time of tn sale v
eight thousand acres-perhap' nine or 5,
sand acres. The reservation hf Ponce
larger, but, by previous acts. IF Con X
tions had been detached, and 8 lded t, :
mon stock of public lands, le,t ing al
THIS quantity as the military & ervsti(
ing to the post. 1t enjoys q inc, be
mate; it is in a region of uns I,rpasst :
on the highway, by the way'at the \ {
from Lake Superior to the t}illc; 81
present and future commerce egGhangtl
these sections must pass undEr' its wa b.
riters are navigable. The Minnesota, &
from the southwest, makes i certain 2
whole commerce of the regif lying :
west of it must find its way t market =.
doors. Within dozen years eSttleme
tended, west and reached it. u. Paus
has become a considerable t3tS. Tt
Of st. Anthony and Minnes elis, St
opposite shores Of the MississI pi, hai
power that promises to unite ilaem ini
Manchester. The Fort SnelliGg reese =
from its favorable position it eoes M :
the seat of a rival city, promises to b. =
urban region of st. Paul, Mifoleapoli
Anthony. There was, at thu time
point of the whole Northwest, "a whic
o. speculation looked with more lest
hsdy of land that this action & the 81
War brought to sale. 1.g -
Fort Smelling, too, had long been a .
ant defence of the Northwest 70 from
gentleman from Virginia Nj FAULb
referred TO its establishment before
March 3, 1919, his particular object I
to show that, as 1t was milita " site,
TO the Government at that tiHlA, it w. &
tent to sell it under that Law, find thu e
Of March 3, 1851, was not nee eisary il :
Confer this H. Z