Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1860-10-06
From the Union Guardi
HOW Mr.. BUCHANAN UNSOLICITED.

liz IOllOW liz ulpG" - VIM
cial reports to the House Of Re! resentatives
will show the manner in which, the present
Executive obtained a very Largo number OF
votes in Pennsylvania-witho}t which he
would probably have failed to secure his
election.
In January of last year, ,he qbrruptions in
the Federal Administration hafing become
SO manifest. a committee was appointed by
the House of Representative inICongress, to
investigate the abuses in the Navy Depart
ment. Among many other things, the ma
jority at that committee reported that one
w. C. N. Swift had from 1854 Keen engaged
furnishing live-oak to the Department, and
was aided in the same by a prominent Demo-
crat partizan, named Geo. Pitt: for a money
consideration. The report thee proceeds:
"Pending the Presidential election of 1856,
Pitt introduced Swift to Mr.. Buchanan, and
sought to place him in the very best position
he possibly could with the President. Pitt,
at the time, was Treasurer of tie Democratic
State Central Committee Of Pennsylvania,
and, as such, received from Swift the sum OF
$4,000, of which Swift contributed Sl0,O 00,
and received the balance from eis immediate
friends, to be used in the pending election.
Mr.. Buchanan was informed before the cleo
ton that Mr.. Swift was an ca line Wing
who came over to his party, atd was taking
an active part in the election !; and he was
subsequently informed of the amount con-
tributed by Swift. Rlltt testifts that
"'In introducing Mr.. Swift, I:told Mr.. Tou-
cey that he was a gentleman whom | should
be very glad to have him in aid in any way
he could, legitimately, of coui4 that he was
my very warm friend, who hail contributed
very largely towards the election Of 1856,
and that he had d number of did line Wing
friends in Massachusetts, who ;were equally
liberal-some ofthem, at ieast-:;and I thought
that such a gentlemen should pc patronized,
of course p
"Plitt further testified that hi regarded the
contract with swift-April, 1S54-asa con-
tinuing contract: and .supposinS that agree
ment still in force under the present ADM
nistration as it was under tie former one,
had intended to make him acquainted with
every one of my political frie,ils."'
Swift subsequently got contacts under the
Buchanan Breckenridge Administration dur
ing the years 1878, to the amount of $500.
$40! Mr.. Pitt was then clerk of the Circuit
Court of the United States ins Philadelphia.
He again testified before the Eoyode Com
mittee during the last Congr{ss. to having
expended, as treasurer of thes State Central
Committee, upwards of $4,000 in Pennsyl-
vania, to carry the Observation-Disclosures OF
that amount $1s,5OO was raiskd in the city
Of New York and paid over tb him by Au-
gustus Schell. Mr.. Schell Vas afterwards
appointed Collector Of Customs at the port
Of New York!
Cornelius Wendell also testified before the
last named Committee, as follows
Question, Did you not, fol political pur-
poses. within the last three OF four wears. use
a much larger amount Of Money than you
used on previous occasions hundred
thousand dollars?
Answer. Ny impression is, that it was
about one hundred and tweniy-eisht or one
hundred and thirty thousand collars.
Q: How much Of that mo5ey was used to
elect Mr.. Buchanana
A.: think l expended, n contributions.
printing, and IN Diners and sntsdry ways, SOM
$4,000 or $4,000.
9. After Mr.. Buchanan was elected. was
he not familiar with the enormous expen.
diture that you had incurred to secure hit
election?
A. He knew that 1 had kteen very active
and had expended considerable money.
9. Did he not know the $mount2
A. l do not remember wvther the amount
We. ever mentioned between US l could moi
OOy
Q. Do you think he duly appreciated
your services in e~xpendins that amount O.
money?
Q: Did he not latterly rather fall off as re.
CARDS his friendly feeling towards you2
A. have thought for: some eighteen
/" months that he did.
Q.-Was his influence not used in your favor
to keep the Government patronage in YOU
hands, SO as to reimburse You for this large
amount Of money that you had expended.
A: At first it was coming to me, and il
continued on until December after his inau,
goTatlon, when a portion Of it was taker
away from me.
@. By whose act?
A. BY the Presidents.
9: That was taken from you, to divide will
A. Yes sir.n
1t IS scarcely necessary. to add, that M
Wendell was Public Printer. His account
with the Government for that work. ran N
as high as se2o,ooo during one year, and hi
net profits to $1,000 o or ::mo,e for a singh