New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-03-14


make toe explanation IN his own language.
Dir. WADswoRTH--I Lave never seen that expla-
nation.
Mr.. CoLFAx-I am going TO read it to you:
When the prices for bis nk uDder dicn sor and
referred to by Gen Mckinsry directed tiis officer
10 reduce them to vhs jus; and reasonable TO both par
ties having reference to the circumstances under winch e
OK done and the extra pTces that had teen psd 90
to leave the mrh be strictly fer profit on
his labor and his decision whatever twe wse approved oy
For Of construction end other details with winch
not acquainted respectfully refer the Committee 70 the
tesimony Of the Qusrteursser and the cohae'Vr WHOM
have hsAod 20 have Summoned ,.,
Of the engineers who planned ad were sreeTiners"s '
a. wss the coniston of the city defeses In the 'tores pos
sble time The work. are thor ughiy a,o WEI. pun
aud city itself and the surrounding c9"
try on a length Of about ten miles and Inc 'o'a' co'' ~
I'm nv Judgment having in view the time aud nennef ~
which tbeS were built the money waswe applied aga ~
measure Of eapediepey and policy, was iuJ "oi " ~
Th;s IL int exactly what Gen. Mcclellan and the
Secretary of War do every day in The matter oi orc
nance and "a Thousand otuer tbinge IL hlr stan
ton attends TO the business of ms Department IN
would not have time to LOOK after the deiis OF al
the contracts that are made for the vast sei'ee VI
that Department. lie regards the heaos oil bureaus
as his legal advisers in the mater: zen fIt'uUn'
did the same thing with the peaos OF nis 'e III al
rineer Department, Quartermaster, &C. &c. All
over the country Gen. Fremont has been held iespoh-
sible for what Gen. McHinsiry bad done. lie never
appointed Gen McKiusiry nor could lie remove HIM.
SicKinslry WAS appointed by the last Aonilnls'fa-
on aud continued at that post by the tresen' one
lie WIS ouartermaster General % tina. post lust as
Gen Meigs is Quartermaster General OF the Unied
states. lie therefore had the authority to do this
thing.
Mr.. SrrvESs-I understand that Mckin'try Is a
coed officer, and was appointed on recomue uanVl's
OF an Influential firm doing business partly i'll 'ius
city ard partly III -. LOUIS.
Mr. CoLFAx-As said before, Dir. Chairman
have not ATTEMPTED to arTaign anybody. nave LOT
arrsi .red the Conn auCiug General oil the Army VI
the Potomac. or any Cabinet Oihcer, or ue ffesi-
dent, or an, body else. | have only gathered TO-
ge,her tie facts Of history collected these oincia
docurue,,ls that every one can read, ard lad them
before the House; and with few remarks 10 CON
ccsion. will relieve my 1ellowmembers from list
enng TO me further. .
Tie CHAIRvAx-Tbe gentleman has had consent
| 10 proceed without Limitation.
! Mr. COrFix-I viii not take advantage OF inc
! GOOD nature of the House. When Fremont was SUI
perseded, what the condition OF ellaiis IN oiS-
souri, 1t Las gone into history, end VIII hVo ihefe
during Ell time, his proudefr ana modest Nlhcica-
| ,iou The whole State. thanks to his energy, was
mc,e TRANQUIL on that day han was Western Virginia
or Kentucky at that periodai except little corner
do an by Aikauras and "a United STATES officer III
uniform could ride slonc from Springfield, near The
Arkansas lire 10 81. Louis unmolesed ard I'M
harmed; that was certainly one tmns not 10 LIS ois-
credit
in the second place. tie army which he was head
! ing was further south than any other army Of the
! Union on that day. Thrt was another good sign.
In the third place, It was headed IN the night dec-
tion-south ward after the elemy. That was stiil
an )her good Sign. lie may he ~ very incompetent
Ceneral, as my friend insists; but II took three
months after bis supersedure 10 get things back 10
iust the point where he left them sayin, nothing o.
| all the Rebel outrages dunug the lueuin.
| In the fourth place, tie men under h.s command
were filled with loyalty aud enthusiasm fer him. II
he had been this nbecile. this corrupt rsn. this
| tnid man. this incompetent General, lheY would
baye scorped aud despised HIM, and would have re
vclted against him. The brave hie-guad coininand-
| ed by Zalouyi-whO NV friend sIlf, won no vlr-
tory AT rgield-periormed tie most brilliant
achievement OF the WAL up to ths time, and lighted
10 tie horizon SITTER long months oi Inacli.L and
reverse, with the glorious illumination OF that net
the presage Of future tdumphs for our srms. But
that charge upon the enemy, with the war-cry Of
" Fremont and the Union cost them dearly. When
the hfe-guard came back 10 81. Louis, they were
dismissed from service for words spoken al Spring
field" 11ey were refused uaiiOns FOR Themselves
they were refused forage for their horses they were
treated with deapprovsl and almost contempt, for
words spoken At Springfield" They were mustered
ont Of service; and IagOnyi, who would gladly give
his life 20 make another ouch charge on tn Rebel
host finds no place open for him III TIE armies OF the
Union. They had dared to charge upon Tie enemy,
shouting the name OF their cAief, whom, perhaps,
they ,t-..-..y,
Dut DO insist however we may differ as 70 Ere
rooni. that the noble baud who hurled Themselves on
Ton ti,oes their number drove them before them by
tbermuotuous Ct nrge ard planted The starr, banner
Of the ninn on the Court-bO1se epro at Springfield
should be spoken Of q Is floor with admiration Of
their heroisn, and not by eDdeavonpg 10 undena'e
their brave endeaVOr
In The fifth place, Fremont had marched BIZ army
rafidly after the enemy uoivithstaDoiDg the Adlu-
tant-Geueial OF ithe Quilted Siates who bud seen
him on the road, sad that be Gooid not move u igI
lack OF transportation. Nh. ihnil9" weed III hir
letter which wes leo thrown ~ the scale sgalusl
Fremont al the trying hoar Wien his supersedufe
WIS pending, and be himself was II ihe held sad
he eane ihing-iha Fremont bad got TO Tie Osagr,
bat thsf lie could not progress beyond ~ ana that u
| was well understood al Warsaw he did not intend
\ 10. Bat. SIR he man who sc.led the Rocky Moun-
taius IL not the man who stands IDLE " Tor lack OF
y TRANSFORMATION" lie threw "A bridge across the
! Osooe River in thiry.six working hoG-s, iniusng
Into Tie troops the same energy that has character
lied bis whole life. The army crossed ana proceed
ed with forced marches on after the enemy IN the
tiyht direction Bat the moment came that lie was
70 be superseded, aud then he fell.
| In the tiXth place, whatever charges have been
made dat he uuHifely rcpored confidence In oeilain
Contractor not even Lie btlerest eneuics have IN
tna'cd that Jingle dollar Of The peoples money,
beyond his salary, hss stuck 10 his hlgcrr.
IL tho seventh and list place, when be leit the
State OF hisOai all the railroads Of The state were
raining for every nile OF Their length, and TO Their
fr CAPACITY; and h. lett behind bin ~ tie Cry 81
ST. Lous q IL .umGent Of lie good senfe, u not OF
his genius in making connection Of all the railroads
at lie levee, 70 thu the rolling sock Of ali three
COud be- in case Of q sudden emergency, ufcl on
any one II them. That closes his career as The
commander o. the Department Of the Wet; and
the caty Of al ohefe, tbe most grateful 10 me-, 'in-
dicafiLg friend ia tie hour 81 ial ana rdyerti'y,
having been reformed, il only remains iOr uc 20
thank Tie iiOu.e for tho generous extension Of time
/ .hey have given nc.