Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1860-02-03
GA DIRTY TRANSACTIONS,
"a Monstrous Outrage" as

4 , - V~~OeA - 80 - - ~ tttoNs
Such are the terms in which one Of the Demo
cratic Senators from Mississippi, denounced, on til,
hoor of the Senate on the 18th inst, the con;ract
for the sale Of the Washington Union, now called
the Constitution, between the late proprietor, c,
Wendell, and Geo. W. Bowman, who was st the
tirre, Superintendent Of the Public Printing.
Mr. Brown read to the setiAte an extract from a
communication, signed by the parties, on the 2eth
day Of March, 1859, and addressed to Hon A. o. p.
Nicholson and Hon J. s. Black, Attorney General OF
the U. S. which sas follows:
a.. rss,. WAsHSeroS, March se 1859.
GHSTtEhEN: u is as you
know, uDdcrstoqd between u.s. that the purchaser of
the Onion THAT is the Union nrwslnlrerl shall
not be competitor with the seller fol any portion
of the executive work nov done by Mr. Aendell at
his large Office, but That NJ. Bowman snail receive
at the rate OF $4,000 per aunulu, long as Wen
dell continues to do the work as be does now, but
no longer If the work aforesaid DC Withdrawn
from Wendell, his obligation tolay ths $4,000
shall cease. AZ any. considerable portion is with
drawn, it will be for you to decide whether Wen
dells payment shall cease in what proportion it
shall continue.
l.a Respectfully, e
aa -ia G. WENDELL,
- . CIV. BOWMAN
To Messrs A. o. P. Nicholson and j. s. Black.
Mr.. Brown said ~, .,...-
Now, sir, am asked to let these things pass, be-
cause II is said we must have an organ here am
not quite certain that we ought to have an organ at
all but II we must have one, we ought TO have
decent one. Am called upon TO vote money out
of the Federal Treasury after this fashion 600
LOT the public printing more than the man who
does the work receyes-to sustain national organ?
That is the whole proposition. Wendell does the |
work, and it is exacted OF him that be shall pay
$20,O00-to do what? To enable Bowman to carry
on the organ. Yes sir; that is the thing stripped
down to its naked proportions. / will not do it. /
siri and tell you now that this is not the only /
money that has been paid to snstan organs A con-
tract exists somewhere, by which 81 5000 was to be
paid to sustain the Pennsylyanian and Sc, 600 more
to sustain the Philadelphia Argus-all TO be paid
out Of the public printing. | shah nsk no investiva-
ton into these charges, but state them before the
Senate, and before the world Not only thousands,
but tens of thousands of the money which is paid I
for public printing have not been pooketed by the
man who did the work. but have bcen paid 10 sus-
tam this miserable nckety, corrupt concern called
tue Washington Constitution, and other papers of
even less value than that.
If it may be exacted Of the Public Printer that he
shall pay thirty forty thousand dollars of his pro-
hts to sustain newspapers, why, Senators, may il /
not be eKacted OF other who labor for the Gov
ernn1ent that they shall pay so much to sustain
newspapers? If Wendell who did the work could
be required TO pay 100000 TO sustain the Constitu-
ton, $4,000 10 sustain the Pennsylvanian, $4,000 (
to sustain the Argus and how much 70 sustain 9TH
er papers do not know-if that could be done
then ask, why the architect of this Capitol why
the stone-cutter, why the brick mason why every
other laborer, may not be required to pay so much /
OF his profits to sustain these Worthless vagabond
newspapers and then, to carry it further, why may 4
not the clerks in the Departments, why may not the
Secretaries, and why may not all others who hold /
Office be required 10 contribute 50 much out of the
profits ofther Offices and their labor to sustain these
newspapers? ] denounce the whole thing as a
outrage, not 10 be justified by any honest
man, here or elsewhere. r ale1i sd l8 iH5ifi
Gentlemen from party considerations, may smooth
this thing over. Let them do H. mean TO wash
my skirts clean of it. 1t is dirty transaction. !
shall denounce it before the Senate and bofore the
world. .t.-. Lao, f- ...s--
Mr.. HALE. ] am obliged 10 the Senator for the
exposition he has made, and think il will have
some influence on my vote but If undcrstoodhim
he stated that $4,000 in one case $4,000 in
another case, were paid to support three yagabond
newspapers that he mentioned by name, and | will
not repeat them. SIMPLY want 10 inquire of the
Senator II he knows of any other officer ofthe Gov
except the Superintendent Public Print
ing that had cogpi2ance Of this transaction Of pay
ing this money TO sustain those papers?
Mr.. BROWN. This lettrris addressed to the At
torney General. lsuppose he had cognizance Of it,
Of course.
Mr.. HALE. Did it not go peg higher than the
Attorney General Laughterl sr..t.rH
Mr. BROWN DO not know anything about
that.
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