The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1862-02-27
speech Of sIr. Van Wick, Of New
York,

1Ork.
Mr.. Van Wick. Rep, chairman OF the
committee appointed to investigate gov
ernment frauds. recently made speech
in Congress. relative TO the frauds which
had been perpetrated on the government.
from which we make few extracts;
PENNSYLVANIA HORSES.
kentucky is proverbial for her splendid
horses. Her loyal cldzens would have
been benefited by sales to the Government.
Who will pretend that the public exigency
required that. when cavalry regiments
were to be forwarded from the State of
Pennsylvania to the land of the dark and
bloody ground it WAS necessary to trans
port. at great expense. the remaining disa-
bled, diseased horses left in the keystone
State? My colleague on the committee
{ Mr.. Dawes few days since spoke of TIE
peace offerings to Pennsylvania politicians.
and referred to the horses of Col. William s
regiment. There is yet another case--a
contract not made upon the responsibility
of the bureau, as the late Secretary said.
but by its express order, and refused to
be made until So ordered. | refer TO the
contract to purchase one thousand horses.
to be delivered at Huntington, Pennsylva-
nia. Such horse market the world never
saw. The first inspector--an honest man
of the first hundred rejected three in
five. The next day owners refused to
present themselves. and by some legerde
main he was removed and others substitu-
ted; shen horses of all ages. from two to
thirty, of all diseases and defects. secret
and open were from day to day received.
The whole neighborhood were in arms.
The people demonstrated. Lawyers and
clergymcu were present at the inspection,
and sought to deter the buccaneering crew
by open condemnation; the inspectors
needed not this clamor, but ordered the
horses to be ridden upon the crowd. to
drive them away if possible. Horses with
running sores. which were seen by the in
spec:ors. were branded, and If one outra.
ged common decency he would be reject
ted. and an opportunity sought the same
day TO pass add brand him. Immediately
the horses were sabsisted by private con-
tract to favorises at thirty y-nine cents per
day. and they ub-let to farmers from "a
TO %. Over four hundred Of these horses
were sent with Colonel Wynkoop's regi-
ment, and the papers at Pittsburg report
some actually SO worthless they were left
en- the docks. The remaining 500 were
left at Huntingtoa fer the benefit Of the
contractors. In that single transaction
over fifty thousand dollars were stolen from
the Government Such iends in human
shape care not for exposures; felon's doom
Though life should be theirs; aad the
labors OF your committee will be of little
practical value unless Congress shall by
law punish with severe penalties such
enormities.
CONTRACT BROKERAGE.
AT one time 1t would seem there was an
intention to establish a huge contract bro
kerage system. The testimony of Mr..
John Smith. of Kingstown. New York
powder manufacturer, shows that in
tie month Of May he proposed to give Mr.
Weed a per cen!age for powder contract;
that he went to the Astor House, met Mr.
Davidson, whom he had never seen before,
and inquired Of him for Mr.. Thurlow
Weed. During the conversation he asked
what Mr.. Smith wanted of Mr.. Weed on
being told, he inquired of Mr.. Smith what
he could afford to pay he replied FIVE per
cent. Mr.. Smith also saJs that Mr.. Weed
asked him what he could afford to pay
That afterwards, at Washington, he handed
his propositions for powder to Mr.. Weed ,
who took them to Mr. Cameron. The result
was that Mr.. Weed was authorized to
write a letter to General Ripley, the head
OF the Ordinance Department, to divide
the contracts for powder between the
States manufacturing 1t i. somewhat
strange that the Secretary should appoint
Mr.. Weed as his messenger TO carry his
wishes to the different Lureaus. Mr.. Smith
understood that he was to pay Mr.. Weed
five per cent. Mr.. Latin also testified
that his powder firm demurred to paving
Mr.. Weed five per cent; that Mr. Weed
gave them authority to make one thousand
barrels Of powder, but they preferred
having the authority directly from the
government He also testiies that the
patriotic Dwyre. who figured in the cattle
contract In May or June, at Washington.
told him if he would give him five per
cent. he would sell all the powder he could
make. but Latin declined. Favori,es OBJ