Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1860-04-11
CLEARFIELD. PA, WEDNESDAY, APRIL Il, 1860
CORRUPTION uNMAsKED.

CORRUPTION UNMASKED.
The ulcer of official corruption has beer
probed pretty thoroughly by the Congression
al Committee on Public Expenditures, under
| the skilful lead of Hon. ohm B. Haskin. The
! report was laid before the House on the 2Gtl
| of March, and forms a revelation of yenaity in
| high places, such as the secret history of the
worst deSpotisms in existence could hardly
| parallel At most, we can only give brief
outline of this gigantic, and too successful
| scheme to plumber the National Treasury, foI
the purpose of controlling the elections, local
and general, throughout the North, for the
benefit of the disunion Democracy.
| We gather from the Report, which is very
voluminous, that Mr.. George Washington Bow
| man, Senate Printer, and editor of Mr.. Bu-
chanan's private organ, The Constitution, actu-
| ally receives some forty thousand dollars per
annum for doing nothing; and from the testi-
| mony of Mr.. Wendell we learn that, during the
| last sic years of Democratic rule alone. more
| than 100000 of the public moneT has been
| squandered upon printing, ostensi6ty, but for
the support of such newspapers as the Peansyt-
ranidn and Constitution, and for the control of
| elections in Pennsy lvania and elsewhere, real
| ly; of which fact there is the amplest evil
dence. Mr.. Wendell testfes, that while Mr..
Steadman was elected Printer to the House
during the 35th Congress, that gentleman new
er discharged the duties of the office but that
Steadman the sum of 81 cents on the dollar
for doing the work, and retaining SO cents.
Mr.. Wendell supported the W Washington Union,
the Presidents organ, at the cost of Sl9, 900
per year, over and above its receipts and in
1858, contributed money to carry elections in
several districts inP Pennsylvania among which
were the districts of Mr.. j. CLANCY Jones and
Mr.. Tom Florence. And the disposition of
the plumber was made in accordance with ta-
cit understanding between Mr.. w endell and
the President, the latter having this huge
sstake'' Of patronage to bestow. Mr. Wendell
testiies further, that he proposed to Mr. Bu-
chanan to take away the stipends paid to the
PeRasylraniaR and .4rgus Of Philadelphia, and
apply the sums to the elections in Pcnnsylva-
na-in the districts where Jones, Landy and
Florence were candidates for reelection to
Congress-to which proposition Mr.. Buchanan
did not dissent. and the money was SO applied.
This was in 1858, some two months prior to
the writing of the celebrated DuQuesne letter
| by the President.
| Mr.. Wendell testifes further, that the Ex-
ecutive Printing ranges from 81 3 900 to $780,
600 annually, and that of this patronage not
less than nifty per cent, as now dispensed by
the President, is clear profit; and further, that
| he had an understanding with both Mr.. Pierce
and Mr.. Buchanan, that ont of these profits,
the Onion, (now Constitutional was to be sup
| ported. Sometime last March, Wendell found
| tnal He COuIu not support the tnfce pdperS-
| the Constitution, Pennsylvania and Argus
out of the profits, and live; and therefore he
proposed to pay these three papers $4,000
per year, in consideration of being continued
in office as public printer. In pursuance Of
this arrangement he paid George Washington
Bowman 50, 900 to take the Government organ
off his hands.
1t further appears from the testimony of Mr..
Wendell, that the President himself is the SUI
preme power in his private organ; not that he
writes the articles, but that he furnishes edi-
tors who write under his supervision.
But the testimony of Gen. Bowman before
the Committee disclosed one or two rather
suspicious circumstances. Mr.. Bowman is
supposed to be the Senate printer. But he
testfies, after much wriggling and dodgIng,
that he never had done the work himself, but
had contracted with Mr.. Rives to do the work
for the sum of 662 cents on the dollar-Mr.
Rives furnishing all the type, presses, labor
and paper, and paying Bowman 33a on the
dollar for the privilege of doing the work.
And after being thoroughly cornered by the
Committee, Bowman was constrained to admit
that he had not dollar invested in the public
printing. The fact, then, seems to be, that
Gen. Bowman, editor of the Presidents or
gan, receives upward of $40, 900 per year, for
doing nothing at all out of which stipend he
supports the organ, aud the ssPennsylvanian -
and ssArgus'' OF Philadelphia, together with
sundry donations to certain doubtful districts
in Pennsy lyania, just before the general cleo
tions. These facts have been brought to light
by Mr.. Haskin's Investigation Committee.
Further developments are being made before
Mr.. Covode's Committee, against whose ac-
tion the President has protested.