Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1858-09-22
coRRuPrsEss OF THE ADMINISTRATION
From the Pittsburg Daily Gazette

most instances they could only be guessed at
There were few, however, whose idcL.ifca- /
tion was by no means difficult TO decide. The |
following paragraph, for instance. points TO |
the modus operandi by which; one vote was Sc
cured:
ssrhe brother of Hon. J. a. Ahl, member
of Congress for the Cumberland, York and
Perry district, had contracted to supply the |
army with 800 mules, at S1I5 each, making
So. goo; also order for 200 from Russell &
Majors, Government contractors, at the same
prlce, amounting in all to ss7 600. The kind
of mules deliverd could be bought readily at !
Sl20 each. II is unnecessary TO add that Mr.
Ahl voted for Lecompton, and is candidate
Tor reelection
In connection with this mule contract there
is now franspring a trial at Leavenworth City
which shows to what a depth of baseness the
administration has descended. Capt Van
NIiet, U. s. Quartermastcr at that point, has
been court -mar;ialed for alleged disobedience
of instructions In the matter OF mule purcha-
ses. The public on hearing for the first time
of the proceedings at Fort Leavenworth, would
probably suppose that the Quarter-Master is
suspected by the Department at Washington
of having acted in colusion with the mule
contractors, to the detrimcnt of the public
service and the national excheqGer, as well as
to his own standing as an officer in the
military service. Not SO, however. The
! boot is on the other leg. The issue between
I the Secretary OF War and the Quarfer-Mas;cr,
| is that the latter has been too exacting in his
dealings with the contractors; that in several
/ cases he rejected mules which they aiicgc
came up to the specifications of the Depart
meDt, and that the price he set on those which
| he accepted was below their market value
| He is also accused of partiaiity 10 few of
| the contractors, but the gravemen Of the
| charges against him is that he refused, as the
| agent Of the government. to accept all the
mules which were offered to him by some
| contractors, and also abused the discretionary
powers with which he was invested by paying
| them prices, which, though in reality cxorbi-
| tant, were below the calculations of their Gu
! pidity, and the promises of those politicians
| in Washington who procured for them the
the patronage of Secretary Floyd. 1t is not
for the laSity, but the rigor OF his condnct
| that Van Flct is brought to the bar. The
| St. Louis Democrat says:
ssHe drove too hard bargain with those in
| jurcd HnOcents, the mule men. He had no
| thorough appreciation of the necessities, the
! liberaiity and muniicencc of government
which subsists by the judicious distribution of
| spoilS, and which has spoils to the amount OF
ninety millions to distribute. He was unso-
phisticatcd enough to think that the doctrine
| of equivalents should be maintained to some
| extent in transactions between tie government
and individuals. Hence, If the mule be-
| low the standard height, under or over the
| quired age, broken down, diseased, or other
chase it; and if it passed inspection in all
! particulars, he bought il with the rest OF the
drove at price which left only some twenty
or thirty dollars head net profit to the con-
tractors
This yiliainously corrupt government, it
will be seen, instead of sustaining the officer
who stood up for its interests, court-martials
him for standing between it and the fulfllmcnt
of its corrupt bargains. and will doubtless
| cashier him. He seems to have been partic-
ular obtusc man, or he would have seen that
twas not mules the government wanted, but
the opportunity TO hide bribcs for Congress
siona votes under the price paid for the worth
less animals which he was Marplot enough to
reject.
Some weeks ago the Greensburg Herald of
this State, published paragraph stating that
| pennsylvania member of Congress had offer
ed in this city for sale two drafts for 81, 900
| each, drawn 10y Majors Il RUSSELL on the War
| Department, and received the money on them.
| We have mislaid the paragraph else he would
republish it. We did not publish it at the
time. because the individual alluded to in it
was not, until within few DAYS a candidate
before the people, but as he has lately been
re-nominated for Congress, it is proper to say
that the person spoken Of as having offered
the drafts for sale. is Hon. james l.. @ Ills the
Lecompton candidate for Congress in the 24th
district.
Mr.. Gillis was member of the last Congress.
ward, he was generally counted among its op-
ponents; but when the House was brought to
vote upon it, he voted with the Administration
and for Lecompton.
In order to make the development of the
Grecnsburg Herald complete, it is necessary
TO state few facts, and leave the task of ex-
planning them to Mr.. Gillis.
MesSrs. Russell & Majors. of Leayenworth
City, were the contractors for supplying the
army sent out to Utah. Their contract amount
cd to miliions-eight or nine millions, if we
are correctly Informed. 1t might naturally
be expected that men obtaining so large a con-
tract would contribute literally to the financial
wants of the political managers of the admin
istrati"n and rumor says that they contrib
uted million in the shape of small drafts
mostly in sums of s., ,000-on the War Depart
ment. AT any rate, drafts of this nature were
plenty about the Capitol during the pcndency
of the Lecompton bill; and as members of
Congress are not generally gifted with super
abundance of money. it is not probable, to
say the least, that they were hawked about
there for the purpose of being cashcd. We
are not able to say that any member of Con-
gress was bought with them; but we are able
to say that Mr.. Gillis, on his way home from
Washington City, after the adjournment of
Congress, offered two of them in this city for
sale, and we are Informed that he raised the
money on them.
1t is not at all probable that Mr. Gillis bon ght
these drafts at Washington City, else why
should he wish to sell them here so shortly af-
terwards' The money that would buy Them
there, would have been of as much service to
him here, as the money he could get by SELL
ing them, and hence it would be very silly
business transaction. If, however. he got
them honestly, he can show it without dificnl-
ty. Let him vindicate himself if he can.