New-York daily tribune., 1861-09-05
THE ALLEGED CLOTHING FRAUD.
heply to Messrs. Hunt, Gray, Opdyks
and Buckingham.

iooi' called by them the Military Board" in which
tuey endeayor not only to nculpqe sad Board but 20
inpeaeh the fairness Of sueh report il seems prope1
'n@' .he COMMITTEE should in compliance with the IN,
Utation Of Messrs. Hunt, 0rdyke, GRAY. and Buck.
inehan' reply to their response"
Ihe whoe substance of their Communication nav Ia
stated as follows viz.
FT"i They charge that Mr.. Dorsheimer and th6
InspeetorGeDeral changed tie Brooks Brothers' cora
tract for Amy Cloth to inferior article, whous
change Of price, with the approval of the Board az.
companying TIE charge with the in-inuation that ,ba
charge was made fiom corrupt motives, though theN
Rave no. the menhness TO distinctly charge eorupS
tiOn ON the I}oird.
Sccond That the clothing was well made, and a
materials equal TO The samples substinted
I'0Ud' That the garments furnished BY Messrs,
Brooks Brolhers were well and thoroughly iospeote9
by hles re- Hunt, Opdy ke, aud Others, and hst thes
rsad certificates OF insl ecion furnished by thea
TO Messrs. Br' oks placed OILY upon boxes eonS
iaring such WE'LL made articles of materials CoFre1
spending aid 1qual to th. samples
fourth This latter proposition they support ~,
the cert tcate of Messrs. John sud Elisha Brooks.
IL Is tfne that the award Of the contract to BroOkd
Brothers was made upon bid for clothing 10 be made
Of army clJth aud upon tie Representation of theis
agent that they bad sufficient army clio on hand on
under their control to fulfill the contract that befora
the con ract finally written out and executed ID
was aeceraned that sufficient army cloth was not III
market TO ill the contract that upon representation oS
this fact Mr DOrsheimer, III behalf II the Board with
the advice of the lnspecOrG neral OF the State and
Others consented that such Of said clothing coalA
not he pnpDed OF army 10th should be made Of othe1
cobs samples of which were attached 70 the contracts
and that the contract, AS modified, was approved BY
the Board. j
Was this change made, as mesnly insinuatel by tlo
Inspectors, from q corrupt motive
II It was tie hessrs. b oOk, the indosers Of thpi
Inspectors must Of necessity have been cognizant or
the fact.
DO they certify to such corruption.
Their evidence under oath, taken before the Cons
mttee absolutely den,es IA any coTrupt motive o
bargain, expressed or implied, existed on the part %
any member Of the Board.
That they Messrs. Brooks, did not pey, promise, %
give any money or other v,uaole thing TO sny member
OF such Boerd or other person to OBTAIN an acceptance
Of their bid or 10 procure change OF the contract
Was the change OF samples Wit out change Of pfico
wise or prudent That ends upon the clrcustaneee
under Viii h the char &c was made. The news OF the
fall OF Fort sumter was re eyed 10 Albany ne lfth
of April. The act for Orgsuzing 3O,OOO volunteers
was passed the 10th of nj. TIE massacre OF tho
Massachusetts 9th Regiment ut Baltimore was perpes
rated on the 18th OF April and for some days there's
alter communication by mail Otherwise with tho
Capital was al s,llty cut oil. The call Tor troopss
made under the act Of April 10, was immediately reg
sponded TO BY the patriotic citizens OF this State wH
| a prOmptnees which rende III urortal honor Ing
ilitary deTo's rapidly filled with solfles wishoaS
uniioms-nany OF them destitute OF Ordinary elOtbnt
aud unaTmed-uniforms aid not exist and eonld only
be secufed In time 10 meet tie emergency by extfaorS
dnary efforts which involved extraordinary expensess
The board Of State officers were censored by the very
presses that have since remOIseiessiy and unuis
nay denounced them for tie unfortunate ssue OF bO
Contract for not providing eHOagh the enormous
quantity Of clothing necessary Tor the outht oi thg
troops charging them with parsimony want OF yea and
patriotism, aud undue regard Tor forms and modes %
! procedure, denOminAted by them red-ta plein. II
was under these circumstances Ihat the zth day q
April the ,hange was usde; The danger OF the Capt
al and the wants Of the soldiers allied for sustanS
tial clothing 10 he suortest f9ssibie time ,hia
could he red, the price could not be allowed q
stand in the way. Meesrs. Brooks proeeed 20 be ao9
to meet these requiFtmeuts, and their reputaton s
| merchants seemed 10 Uher GUARANTEES that their arp
rnpements would be tull ed Ii Is now said that tho
clio hs substituted were Of less value than army cloth
ia II unprecedented and objectionable that oiicers
elected with view 70 enitly hereu dulies, sboul9
be oyerreached and cheated IN tie purchase OF cl0th5
by experienced sharp and viaut cloth dealers, sya
g themselves Of tie uuverr. excitement, and Of tho
| impoesibly Of adhering 10 the usual precauliOnsl
sQanst such frauds by taking time to let the contrae
under suitable adveitsemeht Had the cohsFacs
leen fairly fulfilled, the troOI would have had goo
and seryceable suits 81 cotiDg aud the piice woui
not have been found fault with deemed eNoI oitant
As TO whether the clothing was equal TO that Gale
for by the contract: Ii tie Mes.rs. Books beheye9
that tLey had In fat performed the contract OF amp
member of said Board in cons piracy with them ~
cheat the State would they have furnished the saie
without additional pay, $50 full suite 81 army ce,
uniforms, worth ct tie contract price Sio,c2o HY
|
count for the settlement between Messrs. Brooks en
the State OTHERS had the latter rs Me-srs. Hdntj
Opdyke ind others, coyery iDs'uuate, been parnerS
in CORFU tion with the former But the evidence beiot
the Committee (which is hereto sppended), does nos
leave the conclusion that the contract not per-
formed 10 be inferred ON the settlement slonej sueF
evidence shows that many Of The uniforms cent 20 inc
Elmifs depot Ia depot remote as 10 be beyond th<
personal observation of the members Of the Boardl
| were without buttons; some with button-boles n0l
worked; some with seams I'M ewed, snd many il,
which different shades of what had originally beeE
| clotp like quality appeared in tue same garment3
the d. euce Of color being produced by the difereDl
seges Of decomposi ion and rotenness Of the fabrc,
and this evidence substauIiaied by an examinao
by one Of the Committee, OF several thousands OF snc
ga mens upon the persons Of tue vounteesat Elmira
and by samples OF such clothing IN possession OF the
Committee, aud which can be reinspected by the llf
speetors at their pleasure. These uniforms, whch th
| defrauded soldiers and their Indignant friends weF
knew were Of old and rotten cloIn as all who saVs
them testify, Messrs. Hunt, Opdyke, and ot1esl
would have us believe on &c tfcdie Of certain New,
York dealers, to have been good fresh goods.
| The Inspectors say:
cse Of Inspection to be nailed on IKE, Of The eeneAts
sdopsd tie plan o svips Brook BOIhsr. ihca q o
days inspection Ih they 'uPPosd wss al that you'd es ~
three sy they informed by Br'ok, Brothers thai Gss
Arthur required 'epHsts certificates for the contents OF s
package This they frs. udbpjset TO give s seemed
to nyo the necessity osrPerlnendg The packing which Ts(
carried oa through lbs nssi a, well :. the Day h,,
| such dudgeTy, invited them 70 without h9
poue or expectation II eOmpeIssvn. How es Ven NJ
thur prepared ks blank osTthstes ard insisted hH
hOud be gwen tho nspecors h9sy oonsentedto sn oso
ally tupv intend the pscsns admit n.o the esse only
good, hsd been Inspected aad th the cerhses
represented tho syss and quality Ia each Thu pfopnsS
they gave, and hs duty they pei ued az Will be teou o ~
cercses Of hessr John and ha brooks, hereto snne1
II will be therefore, tbsl these box cethcsies heh
given the request Of Gen Arthur are in fact retail
OF the n certificates given by brooks BTotheA They
given for the uniforms and II ssssited would eeiny "
the same Kind quality, and quantity OF sAraens |" u'
| originals"