New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-03-03


ers u tbe parties contracting, and TIA. they refused
70 cor,npe hs in that basress when an srrasgsnen'
WIS made between one Of the contractors anf M.
SEAMAN for TIE employment OF Mr.. Wendell, who
sferyArd became the special agent FOR al the paper
oOrtrac-oys that VI Wendell employed c.erk OF
agent to do the work for the fst year 1850 at sa-
.Ty Of 81 800 while Mr.. Wendell received from the
ma n4r contractors for his u1encs without dong any
zIk vb,tever three ard half per cent con MISSION,
or about that amount, which Tor the two years spec
fed amounted IN the aggregate TO about sl2.Uco
THE BORROWING PLAN.
Your Committee also 6Ld that Mr. Seaman was 10
the habi. Of borrowing money from the paper con
tractors az well az engTaveTs ard photographers, ana
that i.l &c SUNG still remain unpaid. To one 1rn
there appears TO be due $l2S2 81, aud 70 al in1l-
yi6ual member Of the firm nelry $500. No secur-
ity was ever taken for these loans aad IN most tse-
no notes whatever given and the Business part
per Of the frm loaning this large amount stated 10
your Committee that they had made no demand for
The money did not expect 10 receive ~ end would not
have the loan had il not been for the official pr
sition that Mr.. Seaman occupied. In other cases
uo:4s wee given discounted by the contractors,
which were sftersard paid or taken up in part or
whole by Nh Seaman.
SEAMAN CONTRACTS WITH 4 PAPER-MAKER FOR
A YEARLY SALARY or $1,000.
Your Committee have found, in connection with the
parer CONTRACT that Mr.. Seaman made contract
with ore party for s. 600 per year upon the payment
Of which cum 10 Mr.. Seaman, that party was TO have
a coutrac. for ell the Paper be could supply Ia the
following December the contract for the - pound
paper wss awarded to tbSt party, bat the agreement
10 pay the g. 600 year not carried ont by
Of the refusal of the eniOr party Interested in 1rnsh
ing the paper finally to execute IT, and no further con-
tracts were awarded 70 that mandatory.
IN smother instance q contract vss made for %
p.uncs of paper with the express understanding hst
ope cent per pound was to be deducted from the
smOunt 10 be paid for the contract 10 parties in Wash
ingtOn, bat your Committee old not find that the
amount was 10 be paid directly 70 Mr Seaman but to
one Of the parties who had been acting as special
agent for the paper contractors In final settlement
Of that account between the contractor and his CON-
mission merchant TIE contractor refused 20 allow tue
suOunt q 39l 90 10 be deducted from his account,
giving reason for refusing that he had already DIS
charged the Obligations another way In this instance
the deduction Of cent On every pound OF psper was
regularly entered On the books OF the commission
home az per contract and Of the firm isticy
tyesTs that this sun TO be yaid TO Of these
mysterious agents, but the amount was nay credited
10 the manufacturer, because lie alleged that i. had
been settled in different way. Your Committee were
unable to follow this mater out, owing 20 The dan ger
ous illness in the family of wtress who Otherwise
would have been before them The contractor himself
has stree decested.
UNANIMOUS CONCLUSION OF THE COMMITTEE.
Your Committee ere unanimously q the opinion,
from the evidence, that animation existed Tor the
purpose Of compelling the paper contractors and the
photographers and engr5yers 70 pay IN some way
either in the character OF loans or commissions or d.
rectly in oney-fOr the contracts awarded 10 them.
One Of tue most remarkable features Of this case Is
the fact that the parties having business relations
with the government through the Superintendent
Office, whom your COMMITTEE examined, found il ne
cetEsTy or convenient to employ the same .riies.
IL many ns arces these COZ tractors had no previous
scouai lance with the AGENTS employed; yet they
testify hat special contracts male for the ser
vice., that regular per ceutsge was sgreed upon
between them and that their business relations We're
conducted in the most careless manner.
TIE testimony in tie forces your Committee 70
the clusion that zone rtiinste and Confidential re
latiOn did exist between Mr. Seaman and the principal
parties involved and that they not ignorant of
the action and interests Of each other IL i directly
in testimony that OF the paper told Mr.
Seaman tn It lie would 70 longer employ party who
had up 10 that time acted a. agent Tor the receipt
OF the paper and further 1t appears that the Super
interde then directed gentleman who poke 10 MIN
in behalf Of his brother TO seLd him - Mr. Wendell 70
talk about the matter. The gentlemans brother wGs
coon afterward employed by Mr.. Wendell 10 do the
work Of an agent at s. 600 per anrum. This person
did the work received the paper AMI cav that l. was
regularly delivered 10 the superinter dent or his clerk
For these services Mr. Wendell paid him 81 OO0, while
Mr. Wendell was recognized rs the agent IN Tact, for
which he received large psrceItsges
The testimony bCtTsys the important facts that the
employment Of an agent for this duty was mater Of
arrangement betwes the contractor and the Snparn
teudeDt and that the agent thus employed did not peg
form the little work TO be Done, but, with the know
edge snd consent of the contractor and OF the Super
inteLdent he employed another pers0n, al small
compensation, n DO 1t.
the relations thus established undoubtedly wrong.
Mr. Seaman was tine officer Of Govenmelt whose
duty i, was 10 inspect. and if necessary reject the
aper furnished; while Mr.. Wendell vas the Public
Printer who used the paper, who knew The quality o.
the article and who the only person likely 10 com
plain Of its quality. The Superintendent vas large
ard constant borrower from the Contractors and thus
far lost his independence; while the Public Printer
became the hired agent of the contractors and posi-
lively interested in the receipt Of their paper, mat
ter how Indifferent its quality.
AMOUNT or LOANS To SEAMAN.
Your Committee find that Mr.. Seaman received from
thu epgrsvers, photographers and paper contractors
examined during the vestgstionin the way of loans
chiefly but portion in money direct-ab0ut the GROSS
cum Of 100000.
WENDEIL's SHARE OF THE SPOILS.
Youf Committee hld Or heTet, fore stated, that Mr..
Wendell received from the paper contractors about
sl2 COO. The evidence shows that be alec received
from eDgravers am photographers during Mr.. SEA-
mans supeIiItsndenoy, about 81, 1OO-makGg the
gross paid to him, as Tar ascertained, sb)ut
$4,000.
In addition to thete sums there ere tao payments
unexplaIed-t sum Of 39l So: the one cent a
pound which was contracted to be paid and was psi
10 some ore OF arranged in way and tle slm of
81 20I, which wss deducted from the accounts Of
Messrs. Rce Kendall Co., by Mr. Megargee.
RAILROAD ACCIDENTIN VERMONT ONE
MAN KILLED