The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-04-07
OFFICIAL CORRUPTION.


as party is only paralleled by the corruption
of the Administration to which it has confded
the management of public affairs. These cor
ruptions are no longer the subject of surmise
and suspicion. They have been officially dem
onstrated before committees of the House of
Representatives. The most astounding frauds
and peculations have been dragged forth into
the light of day, and yet we may well imagine
that the half has not been told. 1t will remain
for the next House of Representatives to insti-
tute the most thorough Investigations into these
corrupt practices, by which the unprincipled
hacks and hirelings of the Administration are
swelling into vulgar, moneyed aristocracy.
The Washington correspondent Of the Rich
mond Wing supplies us with clue to the man
ner in which these populations are carried on,
which we commend to the perusal of our read
ers. We understand that these inklings of
fraud and favoritism have been brought to the
notice of the Secretary of the Interior, and that
that functionary has displayed commendable
spirit of inquiry into the matter, but we have
not learned that his inquiries have resulted in
any practical measure of reform.
Seaman, an appointee of President Pierce,
was kept in Office long after his peculations
which are now matter of history, were notorious.
He was permitted to remain in Office to the end
of his term, and was simply not reapponted by
Mr.. Buchanan, on his favorite principle of ro-
tation in Office" Whether a different course
will be pursued by the Secretary of the Interior
remains to be seen.
The correspondent of the Wing says:
at was shown, by the Investigating Commit
tee in the Seaman case, how it is possible for
a public officer to live at the rate of six or eight
thousand dollars year, and accumulate for
tune of from fifty to seventyfve thousand dollars
in four or FIVE years, upon a salary of $4,000 or
SO, 900 year; and it may hereafter appear
that others, chief clerks or heads of Bureaus
have discovered the same process of alchymy,
and have carried it on so long that they now
have their elegant country-seats, wellstocked
and highly cultivated farms, with plenty of ne
groes, splendid town-houses superbly furnished,
and carriages and pairs that the President him
self might take pride in.
"And how can this be done2 Let us sup
pose case, by way of answer and illustration.
We will suppose that a contract for Indian
goods is to be let They are very peculiar, and
few firms understand anything about them
Suppose the firm of Grant, Barton, & Co., of
New York, have, by hook or by crook, had
those contracts for great number of years.
and having become rich enough, have retired,
and left their business to Cronin, Herxthol, &
Sears, their former clerks. Suppose Grant,
Barton, & Co., had always had "a friend at
court would it not be very natural that their
successors would fall heirs to the good will
4 IL.
of course, Cronin, Herxthol & Sears, under
standing perfectly well what kind OF goods the
Indian Bureau requires, no matter what is ad-
vertised for, and are ready to supply them on
the shortest possible notice. The advertisement
might therefore be so drawn, if the friend at
court be the person to prepare it, that this firm
would understand it, while others might be mis-
led The result would naturally be, that the
favored firm would be the successful bidders,
and, if it were profitable contract, could well
afford to remember the friend who had so adroit-
ly played into their hands; possibly they had
already learned the importance of never forget
ting that friend, as he had, also, how important
it was never to forget or desert them
"Wel we may further suppose that another
firm, determined to obtain the contract make
bids at a lower figure than the old bidders; the
friends at court would of course decide in
favor of the old firm, and the new one, Chitten-
den Co., would appeal to the Secretary, Who
DESTROYS only to do right, would award the con-
tract to the lowest bidders, especially as they
were a well.known, wealthy house. But then
we may suppose that the friend at court.
faithful to his ORDER would throw every possible
obstacle in the way of the successful bidders
that he would withhold the schedules of goods
required for some weeks, and would then draw
up the contract SO that they were to be deliver
ed a month earlier than usual-all for the pur-
pose of preventing Chittenden L. Co. from having
them manufactured in time to be delivered on
the day specified, in which case the Bureau
would go into the market to purchase the goods
at any price-the old firm being the only
merchants who have them on hand-at the
cost of the contractors.
owe may suppose, also that, resolved to
serve his friends, this friend at court deter
mined to appoint an individual to 60 to New
York to inspect and receive the goods, into
whose ear it is whispered that they must be re-
ected any how. Would such an important
service be forgotten by those benefited? One
would infer not. But, we may hope that if all
this were planned, and in part executed, the
Secretary of the Interior could not be so blind
as not to perceive the arts and designs of fhe
cunning friend at court nor prevented from
thwarting them, as he has thus far.
"But it will be seen, by this supposititious
case. by what arts and means the head of a
Bureau de lure or de facto, who has large con-
tracts to give out every year, may, after long
series of years, find himself one of the solid
men of the Metropolis, able to live in princely
style, and to rest himself upon the soft cushions