The Mountaineer. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1859-1861, 1861-01-19

4 hands OF the clerk of she luterioF, WI,
! had abAttactcd 4 Eafgr aiaount tf secnti
E tics belonging to tie Indian trnss fnhd
Finding Ibis ii bc the case, I have no
!, hesitated 70 give 40 order 80 cancel an,
!. anual alI those aeceptances Tlleir per
I VERSION has rendered them void aud Of nc
j eject. I. Vi IA "a IA
u y I aiiigratiGcd ID assert 4 confident be,
lief that no one connected IL any way.
u directly remotely, III aHy sl,ape OF form.
with the duties 81 the War Department,
\ ladany the least connection with or know.
ledgeot this eutbezzltnieut, 10 lis iinccp,
i ton or IFS progress Is:
/ The. Issue ~ this paper resolves itself
into a question Of adminisirative consider.
j alton alone. Think and 50 regarding IL,
iii will be l'qrdoned for adyertimr very
4 briefly u thisaspeet Of the subject These
lcontractprs have BY "a long series Of years
fet faithful, honest and most efficient SER
4 vices, won the confidence mud good feeling
( a. all persolis having any connection with
the transportation for tile army IL the
country living beyond our Western settle.
I raents They hid never sniIcd III any 81
their engagements, and had executed
many Of them under circumstances Of pc
lculiar embarrassment They were mcb 81
very large wealth and most extensive
means, and possessed fully The confidence
fof nil who knew thonl il has become
tlattcrly pretty evident that but smaIlp
fits, IL any, were likely to be realized from
their operations, and this wrs put into
great danger from the recent TeyeFscs In
hnoney affairs. The reynIsions which re-
GENTLY swept over the country have arisen.
from no cause which business men could
be fairly called upon TO take the risk Of !.
They have been from political causes, aud.
not from any violated law Of commercial
or monetary action Under this evident
fact. | was not unwilling to affori these
employees Of governments any assistance
likely TO save them from serious injury.
growing out of political disturbances, III
that could be done 5Withent running any
risk Of loss to government. i tbink suelIa
course can tlerogate nothing from q sound
administrative discretion, .altlIongh The Sc. |
.qneI has shown that sncIl confidence has
been misplaced. Ii. .:5,. ::s3 :..I
81 But there Is another and higher public
consideration connected with the subject
.of contracts for transportation, and one
which cannot be overlooked with amy just |
appreciation OF good administration.
Good and thoroughly responsiblo con
tractorsfor transportation across our i'm,
mense plains are extremely important /
persons to onr little army, and difficult To /
obtain There is no other service like il
known IN the world. Nowhere else OH
the globe would the idea be entertained
of subsisting on army BY transporting its
supplies overland q distance OF q thou. |
sand or twelve hundred miles, through ala
.uninhabited wilderness; md yet q very |
large part 81 our army is furnished aud
Subsisied By this neals. III the present |
contractors, who have SO long and 50
faithfully performed their work, should |
fail Of become so embarrassed. MS to be
unable to:ilo their work and supply shc /
army, il would result iu the loss to lhr |
United States ufta yast spnl of nleiey4.
probably million dollars. But the. pc.
euaiary loss would DC small ine6mpariSon;i
with the risk and damage which such q
failure would subject onr troops 10, who
are stationed I'D the deserts Of New Mexi.
co and Arizona. IL, ...- ....
Should any accident ,bcfall these men,
or ailys serious Inconvenience result 10
them from the faiInre Of a regular aud.
certain transmission Of supplies, IL would
be difficult to- estimate the just iudigna. |
tion. which wpuld be beaped apen the |
head Of the ignorant or delinquent officer !
whose ineifcieney had allowed 1t. Trains
necessary for the transportation; TO he
performed by Russell, Majors and wad. /
dell, could not cost much short of mil i
lion dollars, and would require months Of I
industry aud activity TO prepare. III
would be- very clear TO any one that o.
wise forecast demands Of the government
to sustain these contractors hy aiE fairf
and legitimate means; s... ;. s....
] have now nearly brought my admiais-
tratiou Of the war department TO a. close,
and will be excused for adyerting TO hi
briefly There is not one branch Of thet
military service which is not III perfect
order, as far as any means are afforded |
Of knowing, and they are very complete.
Some have been particularly encouraged,
and / think Improved; discipline is excel.
lent and the accountability 10 superior
authority in every department could
scarcely be cNcelied.. =: .'...,.
Strict economy is enforced, and per-,
feet responsibility in all Tloney expeHdi-
tnre is and has been successfully carried
into effect. Within four years, since III
have presided in this department, not a.
dollar, I,beIieFe, has been lost TO the gov:
ernment by eRibezzlemept or theft. and
within that time sixty millions Of tloiIars
have been disbursed, No system Of nd,
no line OF policy; | think. +
could reach better results; no system. Of
accountability could be more perfect
These facts confidently assert, and the
is everywhere. fall Of the
proofs Of them. invite any iHyestiga-t
ton which the House may think proper
to institute into any or all Of my Official
acts. - T.. ~. ~ :. !, =. - |:
Very respectfully your obedieRt servant,
~ JoHN Il. Hoi'b, az.
'::,......:.,.,. - Secretary OF War. !
Mr. Bocock moved that the communal.
cation be referred to the select com.
mittee appointed toinveStigate the matter
Of the abstraction Of the Indian trust
fund bonds. T.: = r. IN RI. - II
Mr.. Curtis opposed this course. i
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