The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-02-13


by the War Department These records themselves
OF character too peculiar to be passed without
PECULIAR RECORDS IN THE WAR DEPARTMENT..
BY reference 10 the testimony Of Mr.. Irwin, a
clerk IN the War Department.. i: will be seen
that be kept registry of the acceptances
reported him from time TO time add % other
entry was made. he states, too, tina. toere
pstraton the s79s COO or CONDITIONAL aceeptances
which fell into Mr.. Baeys bands, ttat immediately
after the discovery OF the abstraction CT the bonds Gov
Floyd went to his office and dseced hin (nr. hvu) TO
enter order OF cancellation Of ID lee acceptances
which he did clip Of paper Le bad entered the
dates aEouats OF Others that had been issued The
acce ptspces oclpg in the hands OF the Hon. Jacob
Thompson, having been placed there b. Mr.. Bailey ia
lieu si the distracted BuH order OF cauceiiton
n,ent Had Tho accep,ances been held By obet pa-,es
The order would have been equally futile FOE f legally
.ssued could pos mvehdate ihcnl
rAiMEsrI 10 RlssEtt, MasoHs AND whupEiL-
II also appears the records % he 3ar bs2art
mcnt that While these accrptances were being issued
to the amount msocs ot dollars, Russell, MAJORS
waddcl we're regularly rgcesirg Their pay Tor the
scryccs performed undeT their CONTRACT "a money
from the government fhs aggregate anonnt q
tho years 1868, 1859 and 1850 u stss2,9o4 IL,
and large portion ot this sln was pari
by The proper officer az ieavenworth CITY, Kansas sou
Floya admitted in his evidence that every acceptance
whcb be made raa against aneaTned ,ncy, and WAS
designed 70 give them ttae contradictory 'the credt ~
their contract Yet there has not been dscovece the
slightest rcicaoD that be made any Inquiry iboat the
payneD,s conc ruci himsef 10 that they were,
when made appLed TO the accepaoces BY reference u
the testimony Gen. JOHNSON, o. the army o. Hon.
sr As uson the Third Auditor Of the Treasury and %
detailed statement presented 70 the cnmmutea, ths
amounts % the earnings ana payments WI more fG'iy
appear y would, perhaps, he ssien; TO say upO1 this
POINT 'ha hf Russell acknowledges that there is but
email due he hrn for cG'reat earnings, Bat u
coosderea desirable 10 remnve az 1neertaio'y IRON
ihs question ana :" ascertain positively whether
Russell, Majors Waddell had presented
any claim 10 h War Department for extra
serrjces and Nhethur any claim for such hal
paid by lhat department AMI corresponaen
was accord.pg, had I'll the present et,ry u War
he
mittee 10 General j. H. Johnson Quatermaster General
aud co'oret }. r iayor Acting Commissry Of ienora
Subsistence IL vii be seen from their rep,.s iaat no
such claE has been made allowed General ja.n
son, hoxever states that there is nouatins
s7 $40 al sti suspended which the late Secretary Of
War directed to be re neei by dsa''nwane Of 9as o.
He also states the sum due ter the 4th Of Jln4y
last, np'D current earnings TO be s2a, % ~, rom
which must bc deducted 81 eco for dpic payment.
This aount was asceftained rs 'ccsraphag t. eaven
worth ahich place the OF Russen, Mayors y
Wadcel kept AID s,hough II may not
nclude other earnings IN New .icxico, i cla
not be largely Increased The fmts, therefore,
;aat Russell Melo-s waddell at only absorbed
nj the sums earned by them under Their ctesc's aud
sold all The boads they received from Mr. a.eY. bnt
also raised very large sums Of money aeon tho accept.
apces asaed by the Secretary Of War.
COMMENTS rioyD's LETTER
The Information thus plainly presented seens to de-
mand that some mention should be made OF me COMM
Dlcatioh OF the late Secretary OF War, the 'on Jonn B
Floyd addressed to the House. and by the House referred
toycur Committee In his letter this passage
Within the four years since have presided ever ,his
department, not collar, believe, has been lost
by cmbezzement theft, and within thai
time sixty millions OF dollars have been disbursed No
System Of administration no line Of policy could, think
reach better results. No system OF Accountability could
be more perfect" II ny the best "rcsul.s" are
% OF psc we h
approval Of the vicious aud the opprobrum of the gooa
If by "the most perfec, system OF accountaoisy" IS
method OF acting business thai promises
rewards negligence ana affords the most valuable -
ctes ana Incentives 10 fraud, then, Indeed, may the
late Secretary have 10 speak with confident self
policy Wbetler~e: rot his assertion that the has
been "emhe Element .thef,' in his department
is true, is question that VIII so3a be decided ia the
courts The reckessnees Of his official ilct MS mat
teDton, ard his ignorance Of toe details Of MS aiare,
have areauy shown, and VIII steni ont in stiii
greater dstirc examination OF the contradictions
ana utscurities Of mis- testimony Your VII!
therefore leave judgment 10 be pronounced too Hose
and by the county, but will present valuable AID
comirg to correct conclusion brief abstract OF the
tel tmOny Of the Hon. j. T. Benz amin, United Saies
Senator from Louisiana
IMPORTANT TESTIMONY or SENATOR BvSJAarv
Mr.. Benjamin. who promptly appeares ~ the request
Of the committee, and testified with commeodablc and
courteous rankIcss states that dv~ng the FIRST session
81 Inc present congress some twcife or eighteen pass
ago be written to ny the attorney o. Dnncan Sheg
man Co.. Of New York, ano his opinion requested as :,
the legality 81 ncceptances issued ny Gov. Floyd 10
Russell, Majors waadeu. 1t was mentioned in that
lcitr that 'hese :. cfafts,' they then called
we're offered for negotiation with the assurance that they
were issued with the appreciation o. the President and
Attorney General Dir. Benjamin. VISITED the Presi-
dent and submitted the inquiry to him. The President
replied that lie knew nothing about the matter tina, they
bad BEN issued without any knowledge Of his that he
did not know by vrne Of what law they
that Gov Floyd bad issued them he had
issued them properly, and that he nad better apply
a. him Gov. Floyd 10 ascertain by virtue Of wha,
law he was acting Ia pursuance OF this suggesnoa Mr.
fcTamn called Governor Floyd and Is informed ny
HIM that the matter had been submitted Ator
hey General was stated that the drafts issued
IN pursuance u a long established custom OF the Office
that he not aware Of any law actually Authorizing
their issue would inquire into it, that the rans
for TRANSPORTATION
from ST. Louis 10 Utah had actually started their way
that the pay ments 10 be male urder the contract
In instruments as the trains arrived at different points
and that having received intelligence OF the nctda de-
partrIe Of the trains he had accepted advance Of their
arrivals at the Intermediate point having certainty that
they would arrive 81 suggested 20 him" says Mr. Ben
iamin THAT thought he acting imprudently-th
II any accident should happen 10 those trans by
attacks by lncans or any other Cause and they
should fail to arrive, II would he impossible for
him 10 pay the accepiances upon intelligence Of that
ard that that wod give good complaints
and Investigations which would be injurious h,n and
urged him TO discontinue the practice Too days utter
,cords re- yis~i as firm Ann afoyp,g me Tux he ,oas
otged for the frank statement had made % hir md tot
rpm rejection he had dessrm'"ed Adt he ooah acoD "a,
moe"
GOVERNOR royn CONTINUES MS OLD HAnr.
has been saonn tint, coayayy d ts assertion IT orer
Floyd practice issuing accJeaacss h,d egcy pre-
rated IN the Mr. Beps,tu. ~ prei0as I" - irry'oo BY
himstj ti.G ~ t,Si.d I,se arcen"-,,4 .9as ~tt 4,
oro ,ot'so,t ysersrs = 1ei,rs - ~ t.,ar-
,iat y 'coiss 30 ''n.s M q .l'.ses u. ~.e
q 'rf4c' nor tlrtf@' - ,fs Jra Wosia nat rally
expect t. a.a thu covonot ty, - - been 4dcnou
ised = 80 .i4e ans hsa' .sarn.rg gae5au.
th0rttv Va .is elxi --h4, 7. .n st III tre lcga,iy 81
his pluCee.,rss ant express.d dUteT.nat o. to
10 furtta. cegtaEces--~Sad have proceeded there
..sef Nth et.@t 4. tsan al crcamspcction, even
II he I'D Lot entirely discontinue his previous
policy. " appears however, that, snpposug
the note Dir Benjamin. before referred 10, 10 have
been written year ago. there have been issued by 80
Floyd since that time accepapces 10 the
Of s21e3 0O0 viz in April ,006 in Nav $3.50 00o;
June, $3.50 Geo. July, so5,o00 August S235 900; Sep
TENDER si2b COO October, $40 OOO To this
be added the S79s 900 OF unconditional accepau ces, Of
which there is no registry. and the grand total $
above stated. Having hag his and lis probable
consequences distinctly pontcd out, having expressed
his intention 20 refain turc rom tho commission OF
similar acts, he stl persists his former course and
actually ssuei acceDnce ~ S155 900 at date
laie the ian II bece her, $50 Whether this an
fest contempt VI Counsel disobedence or law and yoa
ton OF SOLEMN promise be reconcled with purity OF
private motives and iaithfa6ess 70 public trusts for
the House to determine II is the opinion OF your
mttee that thew cannot
hEcOsMESpA ATOMS FOR VIEW LEeslATloS.
Your committee have now reported, az far "a aec~r
tanned ali the material facts connected it'll tbs abstrsc
OF bonds from the Interior Department and with
OF transactions unprecedented in their character
and remarkable for alternate exhibitions OF fraud and