The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-11-28
rs Col. Aldrich a Defaulter?

From the Minneapolis State Atlas
A PLAIN AND SIMPLE STATEMENT OF FACTs-I.Er
THE PEOPLE READ AND JUDGE FOR THEMSELVES
Col. Aldrich was Receiver of the Land
Office at Dixon, Illinois, during the admin
istrations of Presidents Tyler and Fillmore,
from 1S49 to 1853. Within ten days after
his removal he paid to the Government
Depository in Chicago, erery dollar and
eoery cent in his hands Of public money
received for the sale, or from the sale Of
public lands.
In sixty days from the time he went out
OF office, his accounts as Receiver were
adjusted and "b0Lonced" on the books of
the Treasury Department, as is shown by
the following letter from the Comptroller
Of the Treasury.
TREASURY DEPARTMENT.,
COmptroller's Office, May Goth 1861
SR:-YOur account as Receiver of Public
Moneys under your bonds of the 29th of Octo-
Der, 1850, for the first quarter Of 1853, have
been adjusted at the Treasury and b0ldaced as
stated by you.
/ am respectfully, yours, &C.,
E; G. SEAMAN, Acting Comptroller.
CYRUS AiDRICH ESQ, late Receiver of Pub
lie Moneys, Dixon, Illinois.
In March, 1862, Congress passed law
"Making Land Warrents assignable and
for other purposes" providing that land
officers should receive certain fees for loca-
ting Land Warrents, to be paid by the par
ties locating them. Under that law the
Land Officers in Illinois, Iowa and Wiscon-
sin, claimed that all the fees received from
individuals for locating Land Warrenta,
belonged to them, while the Department
claimed that they belonged to the Govern
ment. The Land Officers, anxious to as
certain their legal rights and liabilities, de-
termined to have the question .iudicially
settled. They therefore employed Abra-
ham Lincoln (now PresidenD and his part
ner Mr.. Logan, at Springfield, Illinois,
who were then, as now, regarded as the
best among the many able lawyers of that
State.
Both Mr.. Lincoln ana Mr. Logan, gave
it as their clear and decided opinion, that
the Land Officers rere entitled to the fees
in dispute, and that the government was
not entitled to them, and advised the Land
Officers nat to pay them over until the case
had been judicially decided.
The government, therefore, brought suit
against Mr. Clapp, enc Of the officers Of
Danville, H., TO test the question, bat
though eight years now had elapsed since
it was commenced, it has never been
brought to trial; the Government seeming
to have abandoned the case.
The Land Officers interested in the case
always have, as they do now hold them
selves ready TO pay over the fees mention
ed whenever it shall have been decided
that such moneys are the property Of the
government All Of them are in Just the
same situation as Col. Aldrich in this mat
ter, but though some Of them are occupy
ing high official positions in the State of
Illinois, where the facts are all well known,
and others filling important commands in
the army, no one has ever dreamed ofchar-
ging them with being defaulters.
1t was only when Col. Aldrichs name
was mentioned as a candidate for U. S.
Senator, that his personal and political en-
emies seized hold the facts above set forth,
and are endeavOring to injure and blacken
his public and private character in order
that he may not be in the way OF certain
political aspirants for the U. S. Senator
ship.
AS the Rochester City Post has seen fit
to give circulation to the rumor that Gel.
Aldrich is a defaulter, we respectfully re-
quest Mr.. Blakely, the editor of that pa
per, to publish the above statement of facts
in relation to that subject.
2. S.-We should, perhaps, have stated,
in connection with the above, that the
whole amount Of fees received by Col. AL
drich and the Register of the Dixon Office,
was about $4,000, Of which Col. Aldrich
received only about $1,000