The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1862-06-20
SCORCHiNG EXPOSURE OF NATION
AL FRAUDSl
Bold and Timely Speech by Republican Con-
gressmant
greSSnlan!
WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
HIGH TAXATION!
READA4ND THEN CIRCULATE!

| RE1D4-HDIUEN CIRCULATE!
| TWc have already informed our readers of
the corrupt organization that has been formed
at Washington, for the purpose of destroying
the influence of the Congressional Investigating
Committee, which has exposed so many frauds
on the public treasury. The leaders in this
movement are Messrs. Stevens, of Pa, and
Conkling of n. Y, both prominent Republicans.
The latter, in his speech, declared that the Com
mittee had perpetrated more frauds than it had
discovered This false and rediculous assertion
Immediately called forth the following over
whelming speech from Mr.. Washburne, of H.,
{. member of the Committed
Mr.. Washburn said it was the .sunlzindest
cut of alp when the Chairman (NIr. Stevens)
of the committee of Ways and Means, the lea
der Of the House and holding the purse strings
of the nation, recently rose in the House and
attacked the Committee in their absence, char
ging that they had committed more frauds than
they had detected. The Committee had been
notified that they feel the biting sarcasm and
blasting invective, and to-day they had listened
to what might be called pitifu imitation, from
the extraordinary member (Conkling) from New
York, who had attacked the Committee for the
benefit of thieves, contractors and punderers,
! who had for two weeks been holding high car
nival in anticipation that the Committee were
to be destroyed. 1t would have been but fair
| to give the Committee notice of The contempa-
ted annihilation, that they might be prepared to
die with deccncy. Why did not the member
from New York make his charges like man
and not like a skulking coward? The gentle
man from New York has attempted to hold
us up here as costing the Government more
than we have saved it. Hhe has gone about,
! figuring up the expenses of the Committee, and
sneaked into the Clerks office to ask how
much each member had been paid. The mem
Der said that no Committee before ever took n
nything for travelling expenses. If he (AIr.
| Conkfms) knew anything he must know that
his statement was fhse /; for never was a Com
mittcc charged with duty by the House but
that Committee was always paid; and if there
is man here who complains at what has been
paid, or what was paid to each of my colleagues,
let him stand up and say SO. When our fellow
members ofCongress were pursuing their avocsl-
tons and several professions at home with their
families, this committee had given up every
! thing in order TO discharge the duties with which
they were instructed and now clamor is rails
ed by the member from New York to have this
| Committee discharged. Let me say that if
the House believes the charges which has been
made the House will be unjust to itself, and
unjust to the country, unless, before it adjourns
tonight, it shall disband the Committee, and
place upon their front the brand of dishonesty
! If we have failed to discharge our duty, if we
are amenable to the charges brought against us,
call upon every member here to vote that the
| ho J;chan1o.l Tho Unusn connot
get out of it; and hope they will not postpone
| it that they will not say there is no rule for
such a course, but that they will vote at once
to discharge us. j am sure the Committee
will gratefully accept it acceptit too, conscious
of what they have done. They will accept it
as tribute to thcriidelity, which has led them
to be attacked by the member from New York,
and by every plunderer, and every thief and by
every robbcr, who has broken into the Trcasu-
ry While we were thus employed, the mem-
bcr from New York was besieging the Treasury
and the office of the Quartemaster of the War
Department, in order to get contracts for one Of
his constituents. lie, sir, is a pretty man to
come here and lecture this Committee! He to
inqnire into the expenses of the Committee i'll
| relation to what it has saved and what it has
expended Sir, the history of this Western De-
partment will show that in st. Louis alone we
have saved the Government two millions Of
dollars by our ivcstigation; and Sir, in connec-
ton with these army contracts-one of which
the gentleman from New York sought to obtain
we are told by Mr.. Holt that ifCongross and
the Government would sustain him we would
save eight millions more.-Thcrc are ten mill
ions saved by the Commission on ordinance con-
tracts, appointed on the evidence taken by this
Committee and on its recommendation. A.
mong other things wo will save sum of two
millions Thus sum of twelve millions will
be saved to the country by the Committec-as
large 4 sum as it cost to carry on the Govern
ment of John Quincy Adams for one year
And yet we are held up here as spending the
peoples money. Yes and how much have we
expended? Twenty thousand dollars. But l
will not talk about it. If any man wants to
complain, let him stand up here. / scorn to
talk about the trivial expenditures for travel.
That we should be met with opposition, with
all this obloquy, we very well understood We
knew whose paths we crossed; we knew that
the contractors and the thieves, and the plum
derers, who had the Treasury by the throat,
would be at our heels, and we well knew also.
who were their sympathizers and abettors, both
in this House and out of this House. We, of
course did not expect their approval. They do
not like the Committee and its labors 0,
no!
s'No thief e'er felt the halter draw,
With good opinion of the law"
These are the men that proposed to crush us