The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-03-11


could not have made promise to restrict nv ofIi
cial discretion in matter involving the existence
OF ten thousand people. simply expressed to Mr.
Benjamin, as would have expressed to any Other
gentleman and friend an intention to accept M
more, which entertained at the time The policy
was always intended to be temporary, and was re
peated simply because the necessities for doing Sc
repeated themselves. | could very easily have
explained to Mr.. Benjamin, or to the committee
even, why the determination had come to not to
give further assistance was changed The con-
tractors had claim against the Government
amounting to very large sum, already shown
IL was DeeVed that Congress would direct its nav
ment Ii so, they would be in funds to cxecute
the next seasons work without help. The appro.
priati0n failed. The season for TRANSPORTATION
came OF. Their embarrassments continued. and
the credit OF their contract, in an available form
became essential to them in order to enable them
TO supply the troops upon the plains. For these
reasons again afforded them the assistance asked
for
The committees own citations from MIR. Benia-
MINIS testimony do not sustain the declarations to
MIN which they put into my mouth.
THE LAST ACCEPTANCEs
am charged with Issuing acceptances in Decem-
Der to the exact amount of SS7O O0O that were put
| ny MT Russell into the hands of Bailey For rea
sons already stated | gave to Mr.. Russell, during
the money strngency of last fall, conditional accep-
| tances to the amount of S643. 600 At his reoueSt
| afterwards gave him anothere acceptance for
Sl35, ,OO0 This amount made but S79S 900 1t was
with old acceptances, given as far back as Septem-
per and October, which he had not vet negotiated
that he made up the amount of $50, 900 put into
the hands of Bailey. i! K
1t must be borne in mind that during all the time
from July to December, whilst Mr. Bailey pro
'esses 10 nave been moved by such tender re-
gard 1or my character, he never thought once of
lntlmatng to me what he was doing for its protec
tion' Besides this, the committee knew, or could
nave known by asking, that there was no sort of
lnllmacy Whatever between Mr.. Bailey and myself;
on the contrary, that association was of the
most formal kind. did not even know, until Mr..
BAILEY disclosed his dealcation to me in December
last, that he occupied any epecial position of trust
| IN Ihe Interior Department. | did not know that
sucn ponds were In his custody, in the office
OF the Department. There was not a solitary cir
cumstance between us of sort which usually bi2d
men together in bonds of friendship; no business
connection, othcal or private; no associations no
| reason why Mr.. Bailey should imperil his character
and destroy his prospects in life forever for the
purpose OF shielding me from danger which had
| no foundation. very high and noble motive was
IL certainly TO risk his fame and reputation, and
incur the risk OF the penalties of criminal act Tn
| save mere acquaintance who had no earthly
| claim upon him, from an imaginary danger: and
sun mere strange that he should not have thought
1t worth while to make the least inquiry about the
| SUBJECT OF the man he desired to serve.
1t seems that there we're but three men who
hheW OF the taking OF the bonds until it was pub
| llclv disclosed. They have declared that knew
hotnlng OF the transaction, and that was the last
person they would have allowed to know of If;
thus proving the negative in regard to any knowl-
| cage on nv part. Are these witnesses to be be.
| ileyed? The committee must vouch their credi-
UNITY ior 1t Is from their testimony alone that the
| only circumstances against me are drawn. But
apart from this considerations there are other facts
and circumstances which establish nv ignorance
and diSconnection with this business as completely
probably more completely, than any positive testi-
mOny could do.
Mr. Bailey's letter to me, dated :he 10Th of De-
cember, revealing the fact of the abstraction of the
bonds and his possession of the acceptances, bears
upon Its tace In every line and syllable conclu-
sVe proof that he was revealing facts to me that
he knew was ignorant of. That was the whole
object-that the sole object of his letter Writ
ten for any other object, it would have been non
| sense. NO man on earth would have written such
letter as this, unless to another ignorant of the
subject disclosed and every honest man will de-
eide Mr.. Bailey, in this letter, asks for personal
interview with me before should make any disclo-
Sures with this letter to me he sent copy of his
proposed letter to Mr.. Thompson in which he deter
mined to conceal the transaction until the close of the
Administration. Immediately after his interview
with me, which took place according to his request
he determined to disclose the transaction at ONCE
II had known anything of the abstraction or had
been implicated in the slightest degree in it. or felt
any interest whatever in conceang it. how easy
ana natural would it have been for me to urge Mr.
bailey to persist in his plan of conceamcnt-
AND as, at that time, the committee assert ssMr
Bailey, in the exercise of forethought prudent
to avoid detection made up his stock account
Tor the year, showing on its face that the bonds
were safe IN his custody" nothing could have been
more easy than to continue the concealment But
Immediately after this interview, Mr. Bailey
changed his previously concerted plans, and made
his disclosure. Mr. Bailey does not leave the res-
son tor TINS change OF his plans in any doubts lie
sald, IN his conversations with various witnesses
and others, "that he rever would have changed
his plans OF concealment but for the conversation
he held with me-" Iwould not consent to become
the depository of such secret, and, therefore Mr.
Barley concluded very properly that farther con-
cealment was utterly impossible; and copseouent
y, on the very day of his interview with me. he
directed Mr.. Wagner to deliver his letter of con
lesion to Mr.. Thompson, Immediately on Mr.
Thompson's return to the CITY,
1t was not owing to Mr.. Baiey's inability to ar.
range his coupon accounts with the Auditor to any
extent, or in any part, that caused the .'eary dis
closure" and this the committee knew perfpctly
well. The committee knew that Mr.. Bailey had cot
ten Mr.. Thompson, the Secretary of the Interior.
to certify that his accounts were all correct, and
that the bonds all in his possession at the very
time when they had been distracted.
But for the knowledge of this business COMING TO
me as it did on the 20th of December, these whole
transactions would have been as completely con-
cealed now as they were at any stage of the pro-
ceeding.
THE CONDUCT OF THE COMMITTEE
come now to the committee itself, and how shall
L characterize the course it has pursued towards
me! venture to assert, that in all the history of
secret nquistionS there has never been an instance
in which heavier imputatons were nsinuated with
out being charged, or based upon so utter desti-
tuition OF evidence or grOsser suppress ion of facts
And to what end have they brought all their defa-
nation of me? Have they proposed any action
proper for the case imputed? They have proposed
nothing; they have done nothing; they have not
even deemed their own labors worthy of considera-
ton by the House of Representatives. They have
not dared to subject their report to discussion in
open debate. IT, as they leave the public to believe
there are six millions of acceptances outstanding in
the hands Of bona tide holders for which Govern
ment is responsible, it was their duty TO bring for
ward some legislation to save the innocent from
loss. But they have not done so, and their failure
is a confession that their whole statement on the
subject is a base falsehood; it is an admission of
what is the real fact that neither the Government
nor single innocent citizen will lose dollar upon
those drafts.
protest that this investigation, so far as am
concerned, has been conducted against every rule
of Justice and public decency. The Christian
maXim old as civilization"hear the other slider
has been utterly disregarded. The time-halowed
rule OF common law-"eUery man shall be held an.
nocent until his guilt is proved" has been reversed;
everything has been assumed against me, and the
onus OF proving the negative thrust upon my
shoulders. Th. opportunity for confronting and
cross-examining witnesses, even of knowing the
charges to be inquired into, has not been afforded
by this Star Chamber lnquisition, who have not
even allowed the witnesses supposed to entertain
friendship for me an opportunity of correcting the
proof sheets of their testimony. But these pro.
ceedings only prove what is already too well known
to the publc-that these Investigations of Congress
warfare-inferna engines plotted in secret for in
discriminate destructiveness. Few men of charac-
ter will now take part in them and they have come
to be composed only of persons of the baseSt in
stincts-worse than assassns Of liie-assassins of
character.
CONCLUSION
great fact stands prominently out in spite of
all calumny and detracton. 1t is this that | |
have administered the War Department upon the |
appropriations made by Congress, and have asked |
ior no deficiency bill to pay off arrearages. The |
expenses OF every year have been kept within the
appropriations, although the estimates of the Bu |
reau have been most materially reduced By Con- |
gress under circumstances calculated greatly to |
embarrass the service.
These appropriations, it must be borne in mind |
have all been made upon specific estimates for |
each branch of the service, and for every item. |
Congress could not fail to understand thoroughly |
everything they were doing. The expenditures |
have been made in conformity with the estimates |
and the appropriations and every contract and |
every order for purchase, specifying the articles
contracted Tor or bought, the exact sums of money
expended, and the names of the parties to the |
transactions, have all been regularly transmitted
to Congress. SO that a perfect map of the whole |
transactions OF the Department has been regularly
laid before that body every year, and not one syl-
liable of censure has ever vet been uttered against
single transaction. | arrogate nothing when | |
say that greater amount ofservce was never rem |
dered before to the United States for the same sum
OF money. The army has, during my whole term |
OF office, been on a footing and not that of |
peace; and have been carrying on active campaigns |
from Texas in the South to the British possessions
in the North; whilst the transportation required |
and performed has been beyond all precedent great
er than at any former period.
During all this time, amid all the difficulties ari-
sing from distrustful and hostile course of Iegsla
ton, not one dollar has been expended beyond the |
appropriations of Congress; not dollar lost to
the government from fraud. speculation or theft