The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1862-08-01
Frauds on the Government.

retary Stanton, that whatever mistakes he
may have made in undertaking to direct the
campaign, the affairs of his department seem
to have been honestly managed under his
rule. The disclosures made by commission
ers Holt and Owen of the frauds and robber-
les while Mr. Cameron was in power. are tru-
ly startling. Doubtless the newspapers that
abused the Congressional committee for ex-
posing portion of this corruption, will treat
the commissioners in the same way, but the
people will thank them for having brought
these frauds to light, for in their just estima-
ton the man who robs the government in the
hour of its peril is guilty of the worst style
of oftreason. The commissioners have worked
nearly three months over Cameron's numer-
Gus gun contracts, and they thus sum up the
results:
"The cases referred to US were one hundred
and four in number, and the demands upon
the treasury which they involved amounted
to about fifty millions of dollars. All these
cases, after patient and careful investigation,
have been disposed of, and special reports
have been made, showing, either in terms, or
by reference, the grounds of the decisions
rendered. The amount which the govern
ment will not have to pay,5y the action Of this
commission, will fall but little short of seren-
teen millions Of dollars. This result has
been reached by the rejection of some claims
and contracts, by the curtailment or modifca-
ton of others, and by the reduction of prices
when found excessive or extravagant."
The larger portion of the purchases for the
government were made by "middle-men' and
it was to fill the pockets ofthis wholly useless
class of robbers that the government paid
$40 and $22 for muSkets that could have
been obtained for $l6. The commissioners
saved over million and a half dollars to the
government out of two contracts, as the fol-
> lowing shows:
"Two examples may here be given in il
lustration in the first that of large con-
tract granted to middle e-man, who had new
er dealt in arms and knew nothing of their
value-the reduction, partly in price and
partly in quantity, effected by the action OF
the commission, amounted to FIVE hundred
" and eighty thousand dollars. In the second
- granted to bona fide importer, being a con
g
wards of one hundred and lightweight thou
sand guns, and thirty-eisht thousand saher:
.. the reduction in price alone, as compared
:. with the rates paid under the contract up to
the time of our decision, exceeded one mil
lion of dollars. In both these examples th
reductions were ordered under proposals fin
. ally made by the parties themselves, after re
peated conferences with them, and accepted
by the commission
We quote few of many similar instances
some of them still more fragrant:
SIN October last, f.. Remington \ Son
solicited an order for the manufacture Of thei
revolver-acknowledged to be in all respect
equal to Colts army revolver-at s15, bu
6 could get contract for only 5000. At th
same time an order was given to Colts con
ms pany for an indefinite number of his arm
IN 1evolvers at $50; and under this there ha
N since been delivered 81 900 That colnpan,
NO under the recent advertisement, proposed
he furnish this revolver at Sl4, ,jO,and contra'
,t;- at that rate has been executed, thus proyirl
we that the charge made and submitted to W;
,co Sl0j0 in excess of the worth of the arm, an
showing that in this single item of pisto
he alone, there has been paid to that compan
or within the time named, at least S32j,j00 b
ial. yond the full! value Of the arm received.
be "a large manufacturing firm being anxio'
,gb to secure contract for their pistols, and b
bu- ing satisfied from some cause, that their pc
or. sonal application would be unava;ling, Ell
his ployed as middle man or agent, an indivld
tbe al who represented that he could obtain it f
in them. His success as one Of the partners
ed heavy beef contract given out soon aft
~, the commencement of the rebellion, seems
have inspired confidence in his repre- sent
- , ton, and no doubt laid to his retainer. /
rod did not over-estimate his influence; for
ing the loth OCTOBER lool' an order was issu
ned bv the chief of ordnance to the firm, addre:
no.. ed to him, for 5000 pistols at $50 each,
r in which the firm paid him $4,000. Sub:
the quently, on the 25th of October, 1861, Il
the firm made written application to the sec
rr- tarv of war for a contract for 10000 of t
din same pistols, which having been referred
fol- the chief of ordnance, was by him report
anv against on the 31st of October, upon t
md ground that the pistol was not, in his op
the ion, "a desirable one for the service and
the application failed.
an "Some time afterward a person-w
,art- known to the country as having neither o
Nc cial position nor capital, but who had prol
one, bly, ascertained the preceding facts-visi
tori. the same manufacturers at their establi
Tn. ment, and asked them if they did not ";
iyity an additional pistol contract, to which Il
cted answered that they did. He then inquil
what they were willing to give for it 4
little while before they had paid $4,000
-lhe an order for 5000, it probably occurred
srald than tba+ tho same rate of comnensat
would be expected in this case, and it was