Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1862-01-23
THE FRAUDS ON THE GOVERNMENT
SPEECH or MIR. DAWES.

In the House, on Monday, Jan. 10, Mr..
Dawes, from the committee of investigation on
government contracts, made the following scath-
ing exposure of the corruptions brought to the
knowledge of the committee =
Sir-I have not failed to notice, and believe
the committee of which | am a member have
not failed to notice, in common with the whole
country, that for some unaccountable reason,
the charges upon the national treasury, at this
time of war, have been such as to reach near
the bottom Of the public chest. During the
investigation, startling facts have come before
the notice of this committee, and to the notice
of the whole country, touching the mode and
manner of the expenditure Of the public money.
Some Of these items propose to call public at
tention to, and then to ask gentlemen the plain
question, when they propose to meet this mat
ter, ii at all, and ii so, how, when and where
The very first contract entered into by this gov
ernment, after the troops had left their homes
to come here, in April last, to defend the capi-
tai, by which they were to be fed, was con-
tract entered into for cattle. 1t was not made
with man whose business it was to supply
cattle TO the market-not with man who knew
the price of beef in the markets of the conntry-
but was entered into by the government here
with man well known in this and in the other
branch OF Congress for the last ten years, as an
old stipendiary-one of the class of men who,
IN times past, made their money By such oper-
atlons as buying the certificates OF members for
books at discount, and then charging the full
amount. The contract was made so that the
first twenty-five hundred head of cattle fur
nishcd was charged at q rate which enabled
their original contractor to sublet it in twenty
four hours after to a man in New York who did
know the price of beef so that he put into his
pocket without stirring from his chair, S32 900
and the men who actually furnished the cattle
put INTO their pockets $4,000 more, so tina,
the contract under which these twenty-five
hundred cattle were furnished to the army, was
so made that the profit of Sol 900 was realized
overthe fair market price. 1t takes longer time
for n thousand head of cattle to reach this
city from the states where are purchased than
1t takes the army to consume them. ! ask the
House, at this rate, to consider how long the
most ample provisions of the treasury would be
able to meet the simple demands for the sub
sstence of the army. Sir. poorly as the army
is shod to-day, million of shoes have already
been worn out, and a million more are being
manufactured, and yet upon every one of these
there has been waste of seyenty-ive cents
Three-quarters of million of dollars have al
ready been worn out, and another three-auar.
ters of million of dollars worth of shoes i.
now being manufactured. In that department
| of the government contracts have been SC
plenty that government officials have gone abou
the streets with their pockets filed with them
and of which they made presents to the clergy
men of their parishes, and with which wer,
healed old political sores and political feud
cured Even the telegraph has announced tha
high public functionaries have graoed the love
| feasts which were got up to celebrate these mol
itica reconciiatons, thus brought about Will,
the hatchet of political animosity was buried il
the grave of political confidence, and the ma
tional credit crucified amongst malefactors
We have reported to us the first fruits of thes,
contracts. Aregiment of cavalry lately reached
Louisville, 1000 strong, and the board of arm,
officers there, appointed for the purpose, hay,
condemned 4S5 out Of the 900 horses as Mt
terly worthless. The man who examined thes,
horses, declared, upon his oath, that there wa
uot one of them that was worth 500. The,
were blind, spawned, ringboned, afflicted will
the heayes, with the glanders, and with ever,
disease that horseilesh is heir to. These 4Si
horses cost the government before they wer,
mustered into the service, sos, 200, beside
more than an additional thousand dollars t
transport them from Pennsylvania to Louisville
where they were condemned and cast Off
Mr.. Mallory of Kentucky (Union) askeC
what regiment these horses belonged to. anC
who furnished them?
Mr. Dawes-lhey belonged to Col. Williams
regiment of cavalry, and they were purchase,
in PENNSYLVANIA, from which state they wer
forwarded to Louisville, where they were con
demned. There are SO regiments of cavalr,
to-day, 900 strong. 1t takes S250,0O0 to pu
! one of these regiments on foot before it moves