New-York daily tribune., 1862-04-29


punih The practice Of pot;eamy, aDd to annui ee7-
tain acts Of the Territory OF osAh establishing the
same. IN,
Mr.. MORRILL,. Rep, W. said this bill was The
floe "a introduced by him TWO years ago WIN the
exeer'ion o. the omission OF is applicability 10 th'
| District OF Columbia.
| The bill Haa passed. . O.,
| The Home resumed the consideration OF the repo1
on Government Contracts. The hrst resolution 70
ported by them was postponed Tor TWO weeks ~ 4
as follows: Ill.
maj ing any further payment to the parties eT's,d ia th
'team6,a at Cane on scso9nt OF The essief ' 'a
! the United States on the 2Jh OF Apnl I5pi' -,
| The next resolution III the serieb Wa5 theh iaAoi
up. II is ss follows:
Ths, tho Secretary the Treasury be reque'ted 70
the claim Of tho Government for the 5000 n All csrqnes pu
chased through Simon Stevens ESQ, py zen John ~ ~
mont the 9TH day Of August 1851 snd aterwsd
at the u. Arsenal nt The City Of st. bo9ls On pals ,
ae Of 70 the Government for Sl3 ~ escn ec
ing s ohe snds against the Government Oh account
/, the purchase Of said arms. -, su.-
Nr. STEVENS (kep., Penn moved the ioiio"'
! ing as a substitute for the above:
That nothing has occurred lesson confidence IL the
hcpe,ty integrity and patriotism Of Maj Gen Fremont
Mr.. WASHBURNE (Rep., Ill., raised the POM
Of orGer that the substitute was not german.
! Mr.. STEVENS maintained that the original reso-
! luton imposed censure on Gen. Fremont.
! The SPEAKER maintained Mr.. Washburne
point of order.
Mr.. SEDGWICK (Rep., n. " reviewed the re-
| q, :
of the Navy for employing Morgan to purchase
large number Of vessels instead OF employing re-
sponsible officers of the Government. lie SAID tns
! old rotten red-ape system could not DO snsthiue"
for moment. The education, profession, ana nsDi
Of if. of naval officers do not qualify them ior Suc
duties.
TIE Denartneut al the commencement OF the pllr-
cbases employed an officer Of age and skii III ,he
pro esson, whoee honesty and integrity no one coulu
doubt. He referred TO Commodore Breeze, WLo wa
IA incompetent ~ child respecting te purcnlse y,
yessels gs experience had shown. lie gave severe
Instances to show that notwif bsandin2 the resonri-
biii,y Of naval officers, they 90 not taVe e 'oN''I
meut from imposition aud maud. In me cou'se & 20
his remarks he said that 100 vesses had oeen pun
chased by sIr. Morgan. While other Vesseis MO
been found inefficient not of those purchased oy
S;r Morgan, AID examined IN the NODE he bsu oi'
rected had failed TO perform what was eXpee e.l,
and this was apart from tie economy involved IN
the Transaction. He lSedgwickl believed that t,e
S-lect Commi tee would do the Secretary OF the
Navy the us,lce to cav that thcre was nothingto
show any want Of INTEGRITY the least appearance
! of dishonesty on hi part IN these purchases ne
agent employed by the Secretary oi the Navy Nor
orni faved The Government over sJOO,VOV, an
omouot le,s than was az st asked for the vessels.
If NJ Morgan bad yielded TO the amounts asked he
would have put $50 900 in hs pocket, but be hon'
,s ~ uiforned his duty iu the premises. As gen.
erI rule voluntary agents II cheat you out OF in
terest and principal TOO, and many OF those who
come OF t.lis NJ ar Will nave Il Iols anu Hb'
Feece sdhering to them. lie believed In liTing
couuetent men ana paying them reasonable
saiion for their services. As 70 the Secretay
of the Navy employing II nephew tUoTeanl 10 pur
chase these vessels the charge Of mIropnsty worid
have an exhibition Of lnstice II the agent were
irconpe,ent but il was not IN this ease. IL wsi
NOT considered improper or the Secretary OF State o
\. crstAry OF the Interior to employ hls own son IL
important or confidential business. lie spoke wHn
! knowledQs of tie fact that Sir. Morgan epPolut
mont was not a thing doae in "a corner; Il was 9peI
10 ALL and with the consent ard advice Oh niSi
offcers of the Government. III the secretary ha'
adhered 10 the time-honored abus's in purchaslng
the lect Committee would have passed over lh'
whole transaction, end whiie~asned or fi'hor fe1
washed him with red tape. Yet, because the SecFe
tarv has proisbly yenrared ont OF the routine, he D
chgry,d in and out Of this House with mpropTi' q
by the Chairman of the Committee, wIoN ii app,ar
has never spent ten hourc the.cin.
1 Mr. HOLMAN Dem Ird.) reminded the gentle
man that the Chairman Of the Committee Wan
Wyckl was now at the head VI bis regiment al
Yorktown.
Mr.. SEDGWICK rep, n. ~ knew tia, hi.
colleague Nan Wychl had hssailed The Secretary oi
the Navy, and tha, he hal gone 20 gather hures no
lrs honorable than the services be had rendered al
the CAPITOL A. gallant soldier he had no doubt
HE colleague Wan Wyck) bad been tried and not
found wanting Ar Scdgwick then referred to the
able manner in which the Navy Department mad
been adminis'ersi and 20 tue vast amount al money
saved 10 the Government by Il. ludicious purchases
&c. Tie Secretary OF the Navy had been assailed
in newspapers whose agents at the seat OF govern
ment have in vsin sought for contracts, aud this
NAV possblv account for the cOduct oil the journals
AZ home He defended the department from various
COMPLAINTS and showed the efficiency which the
Navy hae attaited. both IN the purchase ana con
struction Of yesses sixty Of the latter class having
been added to the service. The history OF tie Navy
will suffer no dctIineu or dishOnor under s present
MANAGEMENT. In Bis closing remarks, referring
10 the action Of the Navy Department, Mr.
sedswick said An appropriation OF SlU,
OOOOOO was voted by thi' House, NJ an early
day of this session, and IA advance Of th'
/ knowledge rs TO how these experiments would ter
inmate aud yet in the rcoort OF the Investigating
Committee, without any interference on their part
that appropriation was hung up Tor TWO months Il
ia. Seuste while these vessels should have beer
nrerafipp Tor service The interests OF the Govern
irent were thus ieopardi1ed, be,a4se the natlona
legislature woud not promptly give 10 the depart
mont the means Of putting these NesSeis ahoai
/ If tie contracts for tuildug th'se IRON gun
boats cOuli have been made ~ 'ne u-'s
The House voted the appropriation of tei
millions tie DEPARTMENT, instead OF having one iron
gnnbost would have had twenty to take care oi the
Merrinac, any other Ncsre! tLal 'oulu h"'S peep
mt afoat bv the Southern Coniederacyi and before
his day we would have had every city on the South
or, coast in our possession. It is an unfortunate
thing for tie country that the department Lad ho'
tbo means TO build thess iron vessels, aud have them
.loat at the time thoy were wanted. IL isVery easy
10 cry out against the Department for want OF
rrmiItuess # is ye.y easy 10 get up cry o. 'r-f
a,9,ins, tie Department. II makes he peoplc, the
rcygsparers cry ont, and inquire who 1t Is that Las
made such terrible deLuuclaiions IN this uouse O.
ruu,nl,nt contracts / wosd say, in relation 20
ali TIN, matter, ,ha. ] will vote, and desire
TO vote, in support OF he resolution offered
/ this morning by Mr. CllfaX, for l desire 10 see
brought forward bill which -Aall punish fraud on
lnny department oi the Government as "a crlme-a
bjl which viii make the penalty 70 severe and 20