New-York daily tribune., 1862-05-03
cONCRnssuoNAL INVESTIGATIONS

CONCYHSsEONAL zSvESThGATiONs
We believe in investigation. We think the
House Committee which has been on the track
of all manner of contractors aud jobbers from
New-York to st. Louis and Chicago, has done
the country good service. True, it has also done
individuals great injustice, but that was oil but
inevitable. Investigations by legislative COM
mittees are necessarily one-sided they are apt
TO be basty and imperfect and unsupported
personal malice often incites and cOors the tes.
/ tmony which they receive in good faith and
with implicit reliance. We know that Messr'.
Dawes and Washburne's Committee did cruel
injustice TO Capt Joe Comstock Of the steam
ship Baltic, representing him, III the portion
printed IN our columns, as willing conve-
nience of peculators, when no honester man
ever lived. And he s not merely honest, but
thoroughly wde-awake and has been working
hard for tho Government for more than year
| past, risking his life on porllOus voyages and
striving in every manner to serve the country
withou. thought Of himself 1t is hnrd that
such man should be held up TO public scorn
as iobber: but such errors are not easily
avoided. No sensible person regards an Inyes-
tigating Committees Report "a conclusive OF
the guilt of tbose whom it may condemn. 1t
is in the nature OF al indictment, to be
traversed eud sustained or oyerruled na fuller
and fairer scrutiny shall determine.
We think Roscoe Coukng made telling
pojnt against tho Committee on Wednesday, in
arragning them for paying themselves Mileage
Sc. out of the Contingent Fund. We will
quote Mr.. Conklings arraignment;
one Of tie frat order, they m,1e. T. an order which
nobody sponsor fr II il anonymous and need'to be
e,rrfuy read 90 De ropTeholied commend 10 those
esPhed In tho .cencs - statutory construction and 20
hoo ho would ts to tuow hog money i' 'oHisne' rap
iI'y acquired He.e Il l., August o. l6 a. He~-fofi'
O,sr,1 That he s-ffe,u rms b. directed 20 pay A.
u,rt Of th, sspens@s - this Committee the travelling aud
eter rreesary erpens., Of hr tcTefa members tHrfeof
endus the du;irs u he Committee tie so"-tse ie
b- on ts du,is. Of n. Committee be the that
usually paid to NItnssssE
That Ia twsnty cent, mile cents each and per
diem Of two dollars beside Now Sir there un
pleasant .h suffice, owing to n',Aie' OF tn,
printer or to ndn different Of the name
Il ,.l that member Of t Reform COMMITTEES have taken
m. ,mount or money indicated there and lad their
pof.y paid bede ost Of the impoverished public Tressu'
IT, can hardly believe H. suggest 10 the .~yers OF tie
House questions In regard 20 such appropriation Of
public money private merely questions Of law The
Constitution ot the Unted states Gays ha Representative In
Congc.s shall receive coupensson,ob be d,ertaiHsd By
L TLiswbst ths Consi.uoH Isy' The aw that each
Representative tha receive =tO0a Cougess,hsi IT, for
the sssonsGnd mileage by tho mos, usually Travelled
route from the CAPITAL That then, ia the snoanl
a,es,faart ~ !or.' Now. there any Law ~aTAn.
anywhere by which g. 900 beside s ,her pay had been put
20 the poel. Of certain members Of this body before they
made thes report the Eth Of Docember-,nd some
thousand, more hs. been taken since that umel sLeuld
Ike 10 hear that statute read uousa should consume
az ny ume'
Here is Mr.. Dawes response:
"ony wori as 10 he eIpeb.e, Of the Committee. Tho
Committee charged per dis Of any kind and thsr
Only chas-, have been for their proper and neces'ay
peu,es according the rule sdopled by AL Commtee' q.
asc.raned from Ito F Controller OF D.. Treasury cslcu.
lated while travelling 8. cents milo actual travel bust
Of the Committee, which included oil expense, Of every
hind while travelling; tie tols not exceeding think
! tlo,coo'
We cannot consider these charges exorb-
tart nor is the total a staggering one, rs We
presume il includes witnesses fees, fees Of the
Serseant-at.Arms for summOuing those wit
nesses, &c. We DO not think the country will
or should grudge this $4,000. And yet, we
do not see that Mr.. ConkliBgs call for the
authority under which the Committee paid thcm-
selves this money has been fully complied with.
individuals must suffer by these onesidei
presentmen.s of facts which, as thus presented,
seem blasting, yet, if fully submitted, would
wear quite q different aspect II cannot well
be otherwise.
We think this rowing Committee did ipjus-
tee to Gen. Fremont. We will make up our
mind about Gen. McKnftry when we shah
have heard hi. side of the case. We do MT
exactly see how they make Simon Stevens
take $l2i or guns which he sold 10 Gen.
Fremont for SO, ut time whom anything
that would shoot was greediy caught up ut
high prices. II Che guns are bad, they should
not be paid for at oil, but thrown back on tho
seller; If seniceable, $2i should not have
bought them last August. However, wo may
no, understand the case.
We believe this Investigation has been a
terror To eyil-doers, and that it has saved a
considerable amount to the Treasury That
the Committee has made mistakes, and entered
up Judgment upon half the relevant testimony
does not affect these conclusions
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