The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1862-01-31
The Ieffersopiap Democrat
JULIUS o, CONVERSE, Editor.
CAlRDON, OnIO, FRIDAY, JAN. 81, 1862.
Exposure Of Frauds OH the Government.

CAlRpON, OHIO, FRIDAY, JAN. 81, 1863.
Exposure Of Frauds OH the Government.
MIR. Dawes, of Mass, mado speech in
tho House of Representatives, on tho 18th
inst, in which ho thoroughly exposed the
frauds practiced on the Government by
army contractors, since the breaking out OF
the war. A siugle extract will suffice to
show that gross extravaganza and dishonest
speculating, in the conduct of tho wsr, has
not, as certain officials womb havo rho
country believe, been conf.,ed wholly 10
the Department, of tho West, urdcr tho ad.
niinisration of Gea. Fremont,
"Mr. Speaker. tho very first contract on.
tered INTO by this Government after our
troops had iett their homes to como horo in
April last TOR tho dctens0 of this capitol, by
"hlch they were to DO ted, was n con tract
entered into for cattle-not with mon wbose
business it is to furnish cattlo for tho mar
ket; not with mon who know what the
price of beof in tho market vas: ontored
into without even telcgraphing to know
what was tho price of beet IN Now York
was entered into by tho Government mere
with men known about this and tho other
branch OF tho Congress for tho last ten
years, as old political stipoudlaries a
class OF mon who, in times past, have mn1o
what little money they have by such oucra,
tIons as buying the certificates of membors
Tor books at n discount, aud then drawing
from the Treasury the tull amount--and nj
such enormous rates, sir, that these mon sat
down after they had received the eontrnct
and, in the next twenty tour hours. sub Ic,
II to meu in New York who did know Tho
price of beef, on such terms. that. upon the
hrst twenty-five hundred cattle, thew nut
lnio their pockets. without stirring from
their chairs. $4,000, aud tho mon who
furnished tho twenty.two hundred head of
cattle took $4,000 more into their own
pockets; so that the contract undor which
thoso twenty-five hundred cattle wore fur. |
nishcd to tho Army was so made that |
proht OF S57 900 over the market price of /
.he beef was realized on that small number.
Ii takes longer for a thousand head of
cattle TO reach this city thnn it does for tho
army TO consume that number, and | ask
this House, at that ratio, to consider how
long the mos: ample provisions Of tho
Treasury would be able to meo: simply tho
the subsistence department of tho Amy.
Sir. poorly as tho Army is shod to. dav, /
million of shoes havo already boen worn
out, and a million moro are already manu-.
factured and in tho hands of quartormastors
Tor dellVeryI and vet upon every QUO of
these shoos there has been waste of sew.
"nty-hVo cents-S750, 900 upon tho shoes
already worn out, aud another $3.50 900
upon the shoes already manufactured ana |
not delivered, have been worse than wasted
In that item of expenditure.
Mr.. Speaker. horse contracts have been
30 plenty that Government oficinIs have
gone about tho streets with thor pockets
ntled with them. and with which they mako
presents to the cIergymen of their par shes.
some of those contracts hsvo served 10 hoal
old political sores, aud euro bitter political
ieuds aud the telegraph announced that
nigh political functionaries have graced with
tholr presence the lovo foasts which were
got up to celebrate political reconcllations /
thus brought about--here tho hatohet of
political animosity is buried in tho gravo of
public confidence, and tho nat onal credit is .
crucifiod between malefactors. Wo have
just rocoyed the fruits of one Of those con.
tracts. regiment of cavalry has lust
reached Louisville, ono thousand strong. |
and board OF Army officers has condemned .
four hundred aud eighty five of tho ono
thousand horses as utterly worthless. Tho |
,nan who examined those horses declared. !
upon his oath, that thore is not ono of thcm
worth twenty dollars. They ure blind,
spawned, ringboned, with the hoavos, with
tno CHAMBERS, and with every disease that
horse llesh is her to. Those four hundred
and eighty-fv horses cost tho Government
before they wore mustered into tho service, !
S5 200, and it cost tho Government to
transport them from Pennsylvania 10 Louis.
Vile moro than ten thousand dollars more,
before they were condemned and cast off"
We arc happy to be assured that the herd |
of shameless army contractors who would
enrich themselves on the Nations mis-
fortunes. are to meet with no favor at tho
hands of the new Secretary of War.