, 1861-12-21


arrangement between the Secretary Of the
Nary and Mr. Morgan seds one betsoeen 6rothera-
fHtaw, a 5dmuy arrangement nhich, in Tie
opinion Of 1he committee, Tgsacts great d6seredit
upon The prbie se7s;ee.'
MosE FRAUDS AID sAseAllrIEs plssuYEREp..
The Report Of the Congressional Inyestiga-
ting Committee discloses startling amount
Of corruption and exposes q multitude Of
swindlers to the Light Of day.
In the matter Of purchasing vessels an in
stance may be cited. The Stars and Stripes
cost the owners 5000, and after using her
one year, George D. Morgan, brother-in-law
and Ker o9er 70 the M M M
Morgan testified that Secretary Wellea en1-
ployed him with the understanding that he
was to have two and ] half per cent from the
seller for all ships he purchased. The Com
mittee show that thus far he has uade over
Cne hundred Thousand dollars.
This is considered fair profit for grocery
| dealer, but as he is brother-in.laW Of tue Sec
| retary Of the Navy, of course it is all right.
| This important and startling fact will account
for the course pursued BY the Secretary Of the
| Navy In refusing to purchase many valuable
vessels when offered, unless the purchase was
made through 8 particular channel It is
| shown by the committee that this Mr Morgan
was connected with ThurloW Weed in supply
ing the Cataline, and the pure minded Alexan-
der Cummings, Of the religious World Of New
| York, and 0. B. Matteson, who was expelled
from the House Of Representatives for cor
| ruption.
In regard to the purchase Of the Cata1ine,
there are some significant facts in the testi-
mony that are not alluded to in the report. It
appears that the original cost, $4,000, WAS
paid in four notes Of 81 4,50O each, given by
| four parties-Thurlov Weed, G. Davidson, O.
B. Matteson and John E. Deyelin. Each one
Of the notes was signed by one Of these four,
and endorsed by The Others.
In the Item Of purchasing army supplies. it
nor Morgan and Alex. Cummings to 1isburse
t1o millions Of dollars. No vouchers we're
required or given. Gov. Morgan transferred
bis authority to Geo. D. Morgan, Secretary
Welles's special fayoritc, who, with Cummings,
made all the disbursements. Weed & Com
pany appear to have controlled the employees
OF these agents, and to certain extent die
tatcd the purchases.
Corning & Company, hard,ea7e n,en, Of Al
bany, were selected to furnish groceries, and
among the purchases made BY Cummings,
were linen pantaIoons and straw hats, which
are not recognized as army clothing, and were
probably never used.
It is shown in this testimony that an effort
was made BY the Secretary Of War to confer
upon Cummings the control ofthc Subsistence
| LII INCH l. 1Qfhs tul IL 1satlcu, Oh &C
count Of Major Eaton's declining his services
t or assistance.
The improvidence and reckless extravaganza
Of Gen. Fremont is shown in glaEing colors
The simple item Of buying condemned Aus
TRAN muskets will suffice for an example
in one lot; the committee say it is prob
able that the arm had been rejected
from the Austrian service, and purchased OF
speculation and sent to this country in yieH
Of The extraordinary demand for arms. The
arm, in the condition in which it was pur
chased, will certainly never be used by on,
army, and when altered as proposed, its infe
riority to the arms which arc rapidly accumu
! 1atipg, together with the almost uniyersa
prejudice Of our soldiers to altered arms, vii
: almost certainly exclude it from the army
Ihc amount claimed for the arms, includin;
the special ammunition, is about S166, 900
f The committee are Of the opinion that tn
arm will never be OF any service to the Coy
ernment, and will never be used except il
some case Of unforeseen and extraordinar.
emergency.
The committee found large number q
) | these arns ct Cairo and, notwithstanding til
urgent necessity Of arms ut that point, Who'll
r regiments, even on the eve Of the battle c
i | Belmont, we're almost destitute of ar1nt
= These arms were left in the boxes in vhic
t they were shipped from the Arsenal at 81
t | Louis.
G Another transaction in the purchase Of a5naI
+ to which the attention Of the committee Sha
l. been directed, is the purchase Of five thousan
: Simon Stevens, of Pennsylvania. This tran:
d action is III somc respects Of the same chara'
= ter with the purchase Of the Austrian mu
b kcts, but much more remarkable in nlnstr
It | ting the improvidence of gentlemen prom
r nent1y connected with the public service, tt
Treasury has been plundered, and tho prostit7
IT | tion Of public confidence to purposes Of ind
l. Vidual ACKNOWLEDGMENT.
e In the month OF June last, Arthur Ii. Eas
y man, Of Manchester N: e., purchased Of IL
a Ordnance Bureau five thousand four hundrt
G. Hall's carbines, at three dollars fifty cen
&c each, and, after slight alteration of the arm
It at cost Of from seventy five cents to o.
+ dollar and twenty-five cents on each arm, So
five thousand Of them to Simon Stevens f
r. diately sold the entire lot to General Frcmol
at for twenty-five dollars each, General Ffemo
q probably 1aboring under some misapprehc
Il. sion as to the nature Of tho purchase Of Il
N arms.
t, The committee propose to present t,
cs transaction somewhat in detail. The sale
H. these arms by the War Department to n
Eastman, at Il time when arms were in SUI
10 extraordinary demand, Is remarkable. o
he Government was purchasing at high prc
n arms rejected from the service Of diffvre
Il, European nations. # General conlmandi
es division Of the army was at all excusable
Is purchasing twenty five thousand muskets
II lccted from the Austrian service, at six d
Il. lars and fifty cents each, on the ground "oi
ut pressing necessity" it is impossible to just
y The sale Of the Hall carbincs, If they were
he any value whatever, OF capable Of being ma
no OF any value by alteration
n These arms seem to have been sold priyat
ut Il, and without inviting any competition, .
sold, too, for an almost nominal price. 7
al sale was made BY order Of the Secretary
Nnv 4~~-. 1oAy1 r @1oH HuJ
n rcau- No government that has ever exist
lis can sustain itself with such improyidence
lst the management Of its attai1s. Ono agent
p, the government sells these arms at three d
Isl lars and fifty cents each in the midst o1
i'd | pressing demand for arms, and few weeks
of mand, the same arms, slightly alter
to are rcsold to the Government throu
IN another agent, for twenty-five doll.
ist each, the Government losing in 50 SIN
cs- over ninety thousand dollars, or, inasmu
,st as all the Hall ca1bines owned BY tie Cover
mt mcns were eold to Eastman, and Of coul
to embraced the seven hundred and nine
,es bought by Mr Alex. Cummings, as the age
tie Of the War Department, for fifteen doll,
lin each, the case as to these would stand thl
FIJI They arc condemned and sold By the Cove
e3 | ment at merely nominal price: aftcrwar
3o- in April Last, an agent Of the War DEPARTING
Ith purchases them for the Government at fittt
OF | EACuy stl1li III UluE kut3 AIt SQ1u
c. Eastman by the War Department for til
no dollars and fifty cents each, and in Aug
they are purchased by General Fremont
for | the Government at twenty-five dollars each
on 1t is impossible In this brief abstract to
les tice tic large number Of contracts which
no committee Investigated, and upon which Il
10 hare pronounced their condemnation.
lii report itself occupies one hundred and thir
,nt six pages, ard the e7idence makes large
ice ume- Gen Fremont ia censured. not for
lr. honesty, but for incompetency. Of the "t
ti1cations Of St. Louis II the report sa3s-
ati 1.-THE circumstances surrounding this NJ
are Of the most extraordinary character, {
by arc marked by extravaganza, reeklessness,
d. subordination and fraud"
on Again, say the committee:
SCI ~ The dealings OF the 9ua1teEmasters
pa1tment at St Louis, while in charge Of Ala
ea- McKinstry, with the firm Of Child, Pratt
Fox were very extensive, amounting to N
% per brcke out. This business Tas not contincG
nov the particular kind of business in which t