The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-08-04
THE FLOUR CONTRACTS FOR THE
UTAH ARMY

Utah army with -four had been given to two con-
tractors, Holiday and Martini at prices which
enable them to realize twenty dollars profit on
every hundred pounds of -four. The contract
price for that quantity is $3.50; the cost of
buying and delivering it is not more than eight
dollars. Our correspondent states that Mr..
William Martin and E. P. Stanton offered to
deliver the -four at the military depot for $40
per hundred pounds, and that Mr.. j. c. Little
offered to take the contract at $3.50. These
facts, so far from being contradicted, have not
even been questioned but the Administration
papers have raised great outcry about the
alleged completely of Secretary Floyd in the
transactions detailed by our correspondent
We should not care to revert to this matter
considering the serious illness of the Secre-
tary--if it were not for the diatribes abusive of
the Democrat, with which the hireling party
press has teemed since the facts adverted to
were published.
Though entirely ignorant of the price of -four
in Utah, and of the contract system of the COM
missary department, as carried out in that re-
mote Territory, these journals shrink not from
exPurgating the Secretary of War, and of rep
resenting the suspicious of his integrity which
are entertained at Camp Floyd as well as in
Washington city, as being willfully false In
defence of ourselves, we beg to remind those
Jealous but hardly discreet organs of the AID
ministration, that the Secretary's official con
duct since he entered the War Office lays him
justly open to suspicion of the darkest hue.
Who forgets the Fort Smelling affair? We
happen to know that he had given his consent
also to the sale of a large portion OF Fort Leav-
enworth at a nominal price per acre, and that
George Saunders and the firm of Majors &
Russell we're the parties to whom that rich re-
serve was to be assigned. The Willett's Point
affair is fresh in the public mind. AS in the
sale OF the Fort Smelling reservation, the pur-
chase of Willetts Point disclosed the most
profigate jObbing and the collision of several
ofhce-holders, the Secretary included. After
what was disclosed in the investigation made
by the House of Representatives in these two
cases, no additional disclosures could much
affect the reputation of the Secretary of War.
What the opinion of the National Democratic
party on the character of the Secretary was
may be inferred from the passage of bill pro
hibltlng the sale of military reserves for the flu
ture, except with the consent of Congress.
The contracts for the Utah army were moth
ing but an aggregation of Jobs The contract
for the transportation was awarded to favor
ties; the mule contracts were awarded to ia
vortes, while no prices were fixed instruc-
tons were received in this city, directing the
purchase of corn from favorites at prices
higher than the market price. 1t is not, per-
haps, forgotten, that Congress had to intervene
for the purpose of preventing the consumma-
ton of the contract for supplying beef.
If Secretary Floyd had an immaculate repu-
tation, he might be considered an aggrieved
man, when accused of completely in the flour
business; but what avail would it be to prove
him innocent of the -four, when he is guilty of
the corn, and beet, and mules, and military re-
serves? Whether he pocketed any of the plum
der, In these various cases, we do not undertake
to say; but that he has been corrupt so far as
knowingly and willfully to give out enormous
Jobs to friends and fayorites, there can be no
earthly doubt. We have good reason to believe
that the inventors of breech-loading firearms
could give some confrmatory testimony on this
point, if Intercepted.
The facts mentioned by our Camp FLOYD
correspondent have been confirmed by the Val
tey IAN OF subsequent date, which says that
the Hour contract has been sub-let three times,
the last contract being eight dollars per hundred
pounds. Secretary Floyd's connection with the
original contractors is distinctly proved by the
order which he gave them for Government
mules, Tor facilitating the transportation of the
flour This circumstance combined with the
enormous price at which the contract was given
out, Justihes the inference that the Secretary
and the contractors, Messrs. Holiday g. Martin
are In collision. We notice that some of the
Administration papers try to transfer the re
sponsibility from the frst-named to General
Jesup; but the fact is notorious that Secretary
Floyd has arrogated to himself the greater por-
ton of the Quartermaster Generals depart
ment, and especially that branch of it connected
with the Utah army. Having thus briefly re-
called few of the leading incidents in the Sec
rotary of Wars administration of the military
affairs OF the Government, we can afford to
overlook the billingsgate of the Boston Post
and other prints So deeply is the public mind
impressed with the corruption of Ruchanan's
Administration. that no additional political
capital can be made by dwelling on the theme.
His brother of the Naval Department is not
behind Secretary Floyd in the perversion of
public trusts. The ive-oak contracts rank with
the Utah army contracts, and the sale of Fort
Smelling and the purchase of Wilett's Point
and Mr.. Buchanan himself is Just as deep in
the mud as the Secretaries are in the mire He
has VIGOROUSLY authorized the dispensation of
Jobs for electioneering purposes The whole
patronage of the Government, legitimate and
lllegitimate, has been converted into n0tey,ieL
for carrying doubtful districts. This being
universally known, any new argument to prove
1t would be work of supererogation. We there
fore suggest to the second class Administration
journals, which have rallied to the defence Of
Secretary Floyd, the propriety of vexing his
couch no longer with their harsh and senseless
babble. Their strains are unmeet for the ears
OF sick or dying man.-,S Louis Democrat.