, 1861-12-19

New ComGscat1Ou Scheme.
MORE ABOUT ARMY FRAUDS.
GEN, P0PE'S ADVANCE
HE DRAWS NEAR 0SCE0LA.
10000 Arms for Illinois.

HARGEs AGAINST MeCUL1ocH. t
FROM WASHINGTON.
Especial Dispatch to the Chicago Tt,bunc.1
WAsHIsGroN, Dec. Is. 1851.
Senator Doolittle's BILL Introduced to-day,
5 radically different from any other before :
congress. It charges the direct taxes assessed
y oct Of Inst August upon real cstatc in re-
,ellious districts, the title in every piece of
and the taxes on which, levied apportlonally
to valuation of the last census, have
not been paid, to vest in the United States from
md after sixty days after the Presidents pro
the State in which property
is in q state Of in5urrection, such proclama-
lion to be issued By the 22d Of February.
Loyal citizens are enabled to redeem within
Two years upon payment Of the tax, and six
per cent interest A board Of three Co1nnais-
sioners for each State shall be appointed by
the President, who are to enter upon their
duties so soon as single parish, county or
district III their respective States is conquer
cd. The Commissioners are to decide what |
owners are loyal, and what disloyal, and may |
lease or sell at public sale, to loyal citizens or
United States soldiers or sailors, the lease to |
extend to the first Of March next, after the |
authority Of the Government shall be estab- |
lslcd in their States. And further, their |
leases arc to contain such clauses as shall Sc
cure employment and wages, and good order
and government to persons residing On the
land. One-third Of the proceeds Of the sale is
to GO into the Federal treasury; onc-tlird to
tic Governor Of the State for the reimburse
ment Of loyal citizens; and onc-third as .
fund for tho colonization Of free blacks.
Mr. ,Washbu1ne's report on frauds inGoycrn-
nlcnt contracts embraces the following items:
April Esd, Alexander Cummings, Of the
New York World, received authority from the
Secretary Of War to purchase various army
supplies in conjunction with Gov. Morgan,
| with authority to exercise his functions sep
! arltcly. Two millions Of dollars were dcpos-
| tied with Messrs. Dix, Opdyke and Blatchford,
| subject to Cummings draft. MT. Cummings
| drew quarter Of 4 million, Of which he says
he Maid ninety thousand to the Union Defense
| Committee Of New York for expenses incur
| rcd, and deposited one hundred and sixty
| thousand TO Lis own credit III the Park Bank.
Mr. Cummings employed as clerk one James
Humphrey, who made i large number OF pur-
chascs, H never knew Humphrey before,
but took him on the recommendation OF Ihur-
lo7, Weed. Mr.. Cummings expended money
according to his own fancy, without consult
ing the Government Quartcrnaaster OF Com
| II J.5 fhAft
dollars for linen panta1oons and straw hats
contrary to the army regulations DC pousn
beef and pork of Erastus Corning d Co.,
hardware house at Albany, at the suggestion
: Of one Davidson. He also bought quantlt.
of Scotch alc, London porter, pickles, butter
cheese, Goldfish, hcrrings, and Tongues. d
chartered the steamer Coatzacoalcos at 81 10
, pcr day, without examining her. Cumming
t gave no bond, and took no oath. He says
turned over tile balance Of the money-on
e million seven hundred and fifty thousand do
lars-to sub-TrcasureE Cisco; but suos'
G ouently says be retained one hundred an
G forty thousand dollars, accounted for b
I vouchers. THIS Inconsistency the Coinullttt
II are unable to cxplain. Mr.. Cummings a
e count has not vet been filed FOR settlement
y thc War Department. The Committee aceu
le tlc Secretary Of War for his cxtraordina7
o conduct in employing Cummings to do II
work of the regular Quartermastcr and Coz
+ missary, man Of high character anu quau
N cations, then stationed at New York.
II II On the subject Of army supplies general
ID the Committee find reprehensiblc neglect
H. not advertising, according to army rege
u t;cns, particularly i'll tile Western Depa
c. c. mcnt. There, Quartermaster Mehinstry ="
ls, in the habit Of making lis rcqulsitlon On N
nc camille houses for articles, promising then
It's fair profit. This profit frequently amount
eit to forty per cent.
Tho contracts for beef cattle were found
latt lat be frequently grossly corrupt. Ine SID
,ur contract is specially noticed. 1t was Tor
it. thousand head, more or less, at eight ce
, nd ncr pound, delivered at Washington, and
IN N and three -forrths, delivered at Harrlson
). sibley d Co. sub-let the whole contractto5
an AIerton, Of New York, whereby the lori
M m. made S., 600 and the latter $25,00o.
yal, The Committee say the erection OF toTt1t
a7& tions Mt St. Louis WAS marked by cxtr:
be cancc, in6ubordination, and fraud Of IN cS
sen ordinary character. In addition TO iac1s u
toforc known, it appears that Inc cont
rk. with Beard was made By Gen trcmo
snccial order and direction, and one I
liz dred and iifty-one thousand dollars
tied to Beard before the date OF the
nnS 5;1i, tract,, No specifications were made
DE- for. hand: no bond given; anti yet ths
OIL tai amount ordered By Fremont to be pal
ion, Rcard vas S2A6, coo, while the actual cost
Of about $4,000, and even OF this heafa
ere only SIS, 600 to his lahorers, leaving ~
$ 50 due TO mcn whose families were cla1norln
a,e,ro meS bread. When the Committee were IN
, OBJ Louis. $4,000 was ordered By Fremont
fear. naid to Beard, in direct defiance Of Seer
t .11ot Caneron's order that no mort be paid
and was done two days after Fremont rec'
and Cameron's order.
osSs False vouchers figure largely In AcKins
,tton ~, Department Of the army. His tEansac
hauts with the firm Of Child, Pratt s. Fox, st. I
Ghe show quarter Of q million dollars clear
= scrc c The swindling in horse and mule contrac
spar Ca1ifoTnians, the Committee declare In
bic and stupcndous.
hp TO Ex-Governor Barstow Of Wisconsin O
,teEer one David Pratt $500 to "go up to til
grain COON" {mcaning Frcnlont,) and get
the Co1oncrs commission; Barstow sayi'
itI1 u ne could make 10000 Or $4,000 in buyin
) tight airy horses. Pratt made bargain with
d any Cowles, who procured Bazstow Ills comm
oss INC This volume of the report 1100 pat
II IN, only part Of the Committees labo
:ryescc stcnographers not having transcribed t
with = 1imopy taken i'll othcr places.
shmen WASHINGTON, Dec. 18.-Thc Van "!
this M restigating committee say in their repe
\ strike they have examined eos persons. The
embraces 100 pages, and their labors
c:dedly from being finished. They propose II
;,derate the Investigations vigorously ms long
vas to arc demanded by the public interests.
bc en- say, upon the matter Of ar1ns, that thu
ordinary demand for them, resulting Fl
conspiracy to overthrow tic Union,
ouri. suited in an extraordinary cxpcnditr
1871 the cupiaity Of large numbers o. perso'
,nd tho of unprecedented speculation. The
4 IN ~ mcnt hae hccn the victim Of more Il
rona ~ conspiracy, md remarkable combinatit
'ot13' ! l,otp formed tn Yolffhc Treasury. TIT