Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-07-07
Republican Corruption More Evi-

There is an old and eminent Senator from
Rhode Island. Of course be is a Republican.
Indeed he is particularly strong in the faith. and
was ardently in favor of war from the first, and
against any peaceful settlement Of our Difficult
ties. He comes from virtuous New England,
and has always regarded Southern sinners with
not the least degree of allowance. He is in
favor of high tariffs and heavy taxes on Western
people, but being a rich man himself, and desr-
ing to remain so, he is very careful in his legis-
lahOn to keep the tax-gatherer away from his
own door.
But circumstances have just transpired which
would cast a slight suspicion on his disinterested
patriotism in the mind of any one except a self
righteous Republican.
During the winter and spring past this apostle
OF the Republican faith procured for a firm up H.
New England a contract to make fifty thousand
guns for the Government. One of the parties to
this contract wrote a letter a few days after he
obtained it to another party offering to sub-let,
and stating that Hon. JAMES F. SIMMONS, Sena-
tor from Rhode Island, was to be paid one dol
lar per gun as his commission for going to the
the War Department and telling the Secretary of
War to give this contract to his friend, thus
making the sum of fifty thousand dollars for a
few hours trouble and perhaps a considerable
amount of lying.
This letter, or a copy of it, fell into the hands
Of JOSEPH HoLr and ROBERT DALE OWEN, who
are sitting as e commission to examine fraudu-
lent contracts in Washington. They summoned
the parties to this contract, and then the patriot
SIMMONS himself before them, and there under
oath established the fact that said SIMMONS was
to get his fifty thousand dollars, and had taken
notes of hand for ten thousand dollars besides
for his efforts in behalf of the public service
Holt and OWEN have made a report, and the
above is its substance.
Of course if "A party could afford to pay a
United States Senator sixty thousand dollars in
a matter of mere we'll defined contract, he must
make it up in the increased price paid him 10y the
Government. Thus the people, the hard work
ing taxpayers, pay Senator SIMMONS sixty thou
sand dollars. 1t is TO be hoped that each voter
in Indian a will remember this when the tax
gether calls for his money for the support Of the
Government.
1t would be supposed that this moral and eco
nomical party now in power we're somewhat
shocked at this infamous revelation against one
of their saints. Not at all. The newspapers Of
New York have not even notices it as yet. No
Republican Senator has moved in it in any way.
There are two or three laws making his conduct
a highly penal Offense, and all candid men admit
that he ought to be turned out of the Senate, and
put in the Penitentiary yet it is hardly considered
worthy of notice by the Republican leaders in
the tainted atmosphere of Washington City.
On Friday. the 9th, however, Senator POWELL
of Kentucky, moved in the matter before the
Senate, and a short debate occurred, during which
JOIN p. HALE-who in all financial affairs has
proved himself an honest man, almost solitary
and alone in his party-made the following plain
and startling statement:
Mr.. Hale-I am willing to pass the bill, and
am glad that it is introduced; but | think Con-
gress will not have discharged its whole duty
when it has provided penalties against improper
practices on the part of its own members. |
have heard of improper practices, but as the Sena
tor from Illinois has said, l am not well enough
advised or their truth or falsehood TO aver before
the Senate that they are true or false, but l have
no doubt of them myself, not the slightest doubt
on earth, that gentlemen who are commonly con-
sidered as occupying higher positions thar mem
bers of COngress|l mean members of the Cabi
net, to be plain, because i lind that If you mean
10 be understood you must use plain language
members of the Cabinet have prostituIed their
places TO the groSsest favOritism for the purpose
OF benehtting their friends, in the bestowdl Of
contracts.
was going on to say that that is not the only
abuse l have heard of being ~practiced by heads
OF Departments, and am iDdispOsed to let Con-
gress be made the scape goat To carry OF all the
sins of the Administrator or any other. | have
heard that there have been cases where written
contracts have been made, taken, executed ac-
cording TO the writing, and after il was thus done,
an arbitrary increase in the amount to be paid
was ordered 10y the officer at the head of the De-
partment.
Now, sir, what / should like, and l hope the
Judiciary Committee, who have this subject be-
fore them, will tuIn their attention to It, is TO
make il a highly penal Oilense for ans head of a
Department TO interfere with his suboFdinates and
order them to make n contract. / believe that
that is a matter OF no occurrence. /
do not believe that the Cabinet is more pure than
the rest OF mankind; and If it is necessary to for
uIy our own virtue Dy the pains ana pnfaHies Oh
these penal statutes, and by the terror of impris-
onment, / think the same penalties should be held
up as a terror TO others besides members of Con-
gress; and | DO hope and pray that these very
abuses of which l am speaking, and which are,
as | believe, practiced infinitely more than the
one yOLr bill is aimed at, will receive the atten-
ton OF the committee, and that we shall have a
penal statute guarding and protecting the public
treasury and the public interests anu public SER
vices ia that behalf
This is the kind of a Cabinet, according to
Republican testimony. which is bankrupting the
country II a Democrat had made this fearful
accusation of course he would be considered a
traitorf What is JOAN P. HALE?