Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-02-16
THE vILLAINoUs coRRUPTIoNs OF DEMO
CRATIC RULE

Serious charges of corruption, fraud, and pee
ulation have been often made against the pres
ent administration and its subordinate officials.
No well informed man, whether in or out of
the Democratic party, doubts that this is the
most venal and corrupt government that ever
hold power and improved its opportunities for
plumber, but very many bave been unwilling
to believe the serious accusations made against
the Democratic party, and have not thought 1t
possible that such wholesale thieving could be
carried on with the sanction and connivance of
the government officials. The facts. the hard
unyielding facts,a now coming out in the pro.
cess of Investigations, and the figures and
proofs absolutely beggar all imagined or as
serted statements The reality proves to be
far worse than the most prejudiced enemy of
the Buchanan party would have affirmed it to
be. We have space, to-day, for a brief review
of only one of these fruitful topics, viz; ex-
penditures for the wars in Oregon and Wash
ington Territories. These Indian wars COM
menced in the early part of 1855 and termina-
ted in 1856, having continued about eighteen
months.
The commissioners appointed to examine
into and report upon the subject, have just
concluded their labors, and every fact which
we shall here state, is taken from their report,
and as they are good Buchanan men and very
unwilling witnesses, we suppose even Demo
Gratis will be compelled to believe their state
ments. 1t clearly seems, from the facts, as
stated by the commissioners, that it has been
the steady purpose and endeavor of the gov
eminent officials, in these territories, to plum
der the national treasury in every conceivable
method, and to the greatest possible extent.
Were it not for the indubitable proofs men
would be 10th to believe that such dishonesty
and villainy could have been perpetrated. The
highest number of men employed in Oregon,
4 IL, Il
of expense on account of this force, is S4 49,
949, nearly four millions and a half of dollars
for these mems work in keeping up an unne-
cessary and inhuman skirmish with a lot of
wild Indians, for a period of less than two
years.
The cost to the country averages Sill to
each man for each day service rendered, or
supposed to have been rendered The total
expense on account of the wars in Washington
Territory is 81, 481 ,475 nearly million and
hat-the grand aggregate being f0e millions,
nine hundred and ti0enty-sir thousand, four hun
dred and tuentyJom dollars, nearly sir millions
OF dollars, to pay for these petty Indian wars.
1t is interesting next to observe the means by
which these enormous claims are rolled up; in
brief, it was by an unremitting systematic
course of fraud, over-charges, double salaries,
and paying fabulous prices for everything
bought by the government and for all labor
performed. A few instances will suffice to
show the whole character of the iniquitous ad-
mnistration of affairs under the rule of the
modern democracy
The Commissioners report shows that
little steamboats, were hired at from $500 to
5000 per day {; laboring men were hired at 81
per day, and clerks were paid SO day; one
private in the service was reported as having
$500 due him, and to show the dishonesty of
the claim it is only necessary to state that the
Commissioners say that he has overcharged
more than $4,000; So was paid for the shoe
ing of each horse; blacksmiths received $l2
per day for their labor when they worked by
the day horses were bought at $500 to 5000
apiece, which the government soon after sold
at $50 each in many cases for $40! mules
were bought at from $500 to $500 head, OK
en- were bought at about the same price per
yoke, and sold afterwards at the same ruinous
rate of discount; persons in the govern
ment employment, and themselves receiving
exorbitant pay, managed to further fleece the
Treasury by hiring out mules, oxen and horses
at 81 per day hay was paid for at from $50 to
$3.50 per ton oats bought at So so bushel,
wheat at ST, and peas at 80 cents per pound
the same wheat for which the government
agent paid Sc per bushel he afterwards sold at
So cents wagons which he bought at $500
apiece were sold for $33 riding saddles which
cost the government $40 each, brought only
SO So; how which he paid $4,000 for were
sold for $500 rT6 scows which cost 5000 were
found to be worth only $50. Mr.. Peters, the
Quartermaster, bought $50 sheets of drawing
paper at $3.50; he sold rs sheets for Sll 20, SO
that the Is sheets that were consumed in pub
lie service cost $438 IS, or nearly Sc per sheet,
the stationers price being 2 cents per sheet.
Thus this account of swindhng goes on to
the end Of the chapter, and as an Irishman
would say, "it bates Bannagher." In the mat
ter of double salaries it appears that James
Tilton, Surveyor General of Washington Ter
ritory, at a salary of $4,000 year, is reported
for pay as Adjutant General of the Territorial
forces at over $4,000; Major Rains, U. S. A, is
reported for pay at 81 81 per day as Brigadier
General, in addition to his pay as an officer of
the Army and Chief Justice E. Lander, under
a federal salary of $500, is set down for lib
eral per diem as Aid to the Governor. Such
is the evidence procured from Democratic wit
nesses of the unparalleled cheating and thiev-
ing which has been carried on under the gov
eminent of these Democratic officials 1t is
appalling, and renders credible any story Of the
corruptions that thrive under the rule of Blu
chanan The same things will be found in the
investigation Of the expenses for the Utah
campaign and the Arizona wagon road.
Ii all the details Of the waste, extravaganza,
and plundering of this Administration were
placed before the country, we think the people
in their amazement and righteous indignation
would for the time forgive the other misdeeds
of the Buchanan party, its subserviency to
slavery, its tihbustering, its oppression of Kan
sas, its completely with the slave trade pirates,
and hurl it from power solely on the ground
of its thievishness and plundering of the ma
tlonal treasury. Certainly, no other govern
ment officials ever began to be so corrupt, so
bold in their robberies, and so greedy in their
stealing, as those who now hold the purse
strings of the nation and tatten on the spois
1t would seem that they have taken warning
as though they had heard the prophetic voice,
Brethren, it is the last time, and were max
ing haste to secure as much as possible of i'll
gotten gain, while they have still an opportuni-
ty.-BoSton atlas