The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-01-21
[FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT !

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 1859.
Speaker Dan to-day, undoubtedly, will announce
the Select Committee of Investigation ordered
aay mr. two since on motion of Mr.. SHERMAN of
Ohio, to enquire into alleged abuses and corrup
lions in connection with the award of contracts bv
the Navy Department, and in the conduct of the
Navy Yards. learn that this resolution was not
submitted by Mr.. SHERMAN until after the charges
had been presented to him in specific FORM in writ
ing, and from highly respectable and responsible
sources. The chief complainant is Mr.. D. B.. AL
LEN, OF New York, well known the son-in-law of
Commodore VANDERBILT, the brother in-law of Hon.
HORACE F. CLARK of the House of Representatives
and the general manager of the great engineering
establishment known as the "Alaire Works. in
New York city. Mr.. ALE n states in writing that
as agent for the Alaire Works, he put in bids for
the construction of machinery for steam vessels both
OF the larger and the smaller classes and that tho
contracts were unjustly awarded to competitors at
prices considerably higher than his own bids. He
charges that these results were brought about by
| corrupt infuences-and that member of Congress
received in So 900 for his aid in securing
| the contract for his competitor He also AYERS
| upon the authority of a member of the Board to
| whom the various propositions were referred
for examination, that one of his bids was entire
| ly suppressed, and never submitted to the Board
at all. This bid, he claims, was much better one
| than that accepted by the Government. Mr. ALLEN
avers also and declares susceptible of proof that
after the bids had been opened in of these cases
but before the contract was completed the President
sent to the fortunate bidders and obtained their
promise that the Forging to be done under the
contract about to be assigned them should be given
to certain foundery in Reading, Pennsylvania,
in which Hon. j. CLANCY JONES is understood to be
| interested. These are grave charges certainly
and if established, will throw upon the parties i'm
plicated the necessity of explaining away alto
gether the suspicious circumstances, or of exposing
those by whom they have been betrayed into such
false position.
Another of the charges to be investigated is that
already noticed by the press, and relating to the
aw ard of contract to REANEY, NEAFIE 4 Co., of
Philadelphia, at price $4,000 higher than the
bid of Mr.. WIN. NORRIS, of the same city. writer
in this mornings Union attempts to explain away
the suspicious circumstances, or rather to show
that the admitted facts susceptible of explain
alton, relieving the Navy Department of the charge
OF corruption or of improper dealing. As the pend
ing investigation will elicit the facts in indsputabe
shape, 1t is scarcely worth while to discuss that
point further at present. The press has full
hlled Its mission in calling public attention
to the subject, and provoking the needed
examination, and when that is ended it will
again take up the matter to present the vindi-
cation of the accused if innocent or if guilty to
direct the batteries of public opinion against them
For the present it has only to wait,