Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1862-06-25

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met here by the familiar cry that these ter
uole expenditures are necessary to maintain
the existence of the Government and to car
ry on the war in which we are engaged. To
this as{Srtion L return plain and explicit
DENIAL Erom whatever quarter it comes,
whether rom high places or low places, it is
not true. The public debt up to this hour,
and TO the extent of its fearful prOnortious
hasnot heen the work of a national necessity.
nor the creation of honest hands. The MeSi-
can war though foreign and distan: one. in
which we paid the soldier substantially the
same that we pay ham now. cost this Go
veTnmeut. under the = isa and honest admin
iStraticn Of James =. Polk. in proportion to
the numbers eugaged-man for man-but
( little more than oHe-lourth the amount ex-
pended on a war waged At our very door
steps. OF course, DO not deny that heavy
expenses have been properly incurred but
that fraud and crime in their darkest hues
nave swollen 70 an overwhelming amount
/ the pecuniary liabilities Of the people. |
stand ready t. prove. I shall ask no man
/ To decile without the evidence t. sustain 50
/ serious a charge. | make it. sir. with 10
/ pleasure. | delight not in such things. |
/ love 70 speAk kindly Of my fellow>mau. |
would rather praise than censUre. Bef re
! my gr'at judge ] can say that there is
nOtlin. IN my heart which desires to drag
! down or wound any human being in the
/ wide o ID. / would rather lift men IN. If
/ in my ,.uwcr than abase them. | love. too.
! their approJa'i'n. But when these wishes
/ and desires Of my heart stand in the way of
my public duty. they must all be suprresse5.
/ Tie duty. however UugraciOuS and uuplca-
! SAINT must lie perfprmed; and I'm the case
I now under consideration It seems, to my
. IL
task before me. The authors of q grinding
/ ,.xtnrtiuK fr"m the weary hands Of honest
I laIors are enemies 70 the human race. and
should lie 50 treated
Sir. as carly as last July. when this Con-
/ @ress first met in extraordinary session, the
! raint Of corruption was perceived in the at
mosphere Of the capital, and committee.
since so celebrated. was raised tn invCS igate
I aad to expose. The result Of portion Of
the laDors If that committee Is before the
/ country IN the shape of volume Of over
eleven hundred pages. The majority of that
committee are friends Of the party now in
/ power. and the evidence which thev have
furnished : entitled to full credit. Would
that volume of it could be placed in the
hands of every taX-payinC voter in tn"
country, Is dark lahvrinths Of proven
guilt ought t. he explored by every intelG>
this committee no branch of business cons
nccted with the military and naval affairs 81
this GoverumEnt seems to have escaped the
hungry grasp Of unlawful avaricn and pocu-
Iation. From the smallest article Of food
which enters into the soldiers ration. to the
purchase Of cattle for an entire army from
the blanket on which the tired soldier sleeps
NJ nirht 10 the vast f,~tifrationS for the de-
fenSe of a city: from tie pistol at the sol
6icr'S belt to the cannon at whose brCcch
he stand II the day Of battle; from tho
mcanest TRANSPORT sioop to the mightiest
man o. war af,nt. everywhere and OF
evcrvtI ing we find fhe impress of Eavorite
ism and of fraud The report of this com
mittce Is before mo. and submitted n few
extracts In proof If nv statement SHeall
/ ing of contracts for cattle made by the NaI
/ Department during It's management by Mr.
Cameron. the committee say.
- We have here not only evidence of Crus
mi>Ina- a-pment. a total disregard of the in
tcrcsts Of the G ,verDment. ami a total reck
lcssue~s in the expenditure in the funds o
the Government. but there Is every reason
to believe that there was q collu>iou upoT
the part uf The employees OF the Government
20 assist In rolhing the Treasury, for, wheT
a conscientious officer refused to pass cattl
not in accordance with the contract. he wa
: in ciIt ct superseded by one who had no con
scisntious scruples N the matter. and catil
that were rejected by his predecessor were a
once accepted
d" With such a state Of things existing
officers Of the Government who should b
/, ! irnhued with patriotism and INTEGRITY enoug
= to have a care Of the means Of he Treasur
= are ready to assist encculaJin@ contractors
:, eXtort upon and defraud the Government
u | where IS the system Of pecuiation to enc
and how soon may not the finances of IN
Government be reduced to a woclUl bank
ruptcy -
- Again. on the same subject:
g I'm this matter there i much evidence
K gross nismauagement and culpahle careles:
= ness I'm making contracts. together with
= reckless mprovidencc of the means OF Il
Is Government Evidence exist Of large cor
n tracts for cattle having hcen made withol
q any advertisement for bids. or any effo
being made BY the agents of the GovernmeI
g To satisfy themselves whether the prices
ic be paid were eXhorbitant, OF even eztortiOl
l. ate"
D. Speaking Of the employment of AleXand
al Cummings by Cameron. then Secretary
War. to fill IN important contract by whi
n. the Government has lost large sums
Il money, the committee say
- Mr. Cummings had no general acquai
be tance with business in New York He h
is been a newspaper editor in Pennsylvania
be twelve years, and had been in New York
II the publisher of another paper for sol
N eighteen months. He was the intimate p
al. sonal and political friend OF. the Secretary
it War. and acquainted with the internal {
:. raugcmcnts and connections Of the rai'roa