East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1862-05-13
FRAUDS on The GOvEisNMEN 4.


restigating Committee Of the House Con-
eSrning the Frauds on tho Government.
Mr.. Conkling, a republican memhe,
from New York, and Mr.. Stevens, Chair
man of the Committee Of WAYS and
Means, and the leading member on the
republican side of the House, having
made severe onslaught on the investi-
eating committee for having re ,orted
the facts and exposed the monstrous
frands perpetrated by dishonest officers
and contractors, Mr.. Wsshburne, men,
Der of the committee, made the follow
ing reply:
He said il was the unkndest cut of
all" when the chairman lr. Steven>) Of
the Committee of Ways aud Means, the
leader Of the House, aud holding the
purse strings of the nation, recently rose
in the Honse aud attacked the committee
in their absence, charging that they hal
committed more frands than they lad
detected. The committee had been nori-
tied that they should feel the blighting
sarcasm aud blistering invective, sn to
day they had listened to what might he
called pitifnl imitation frrm the extra.
ordinary member (Conkling) from New
York, who hal attacked the Committee
for the benefit of thieves, contractors aad
puuderers, who had for two weeks been
holding high carnival in anticipation that
the committee were to be destroyed. II
would have been but fai- to give the
committee notice of the contemplated
annihilation that they might be prepared
To die with decency. Why dill not the
member from New York make his
charges like man, AMI not like skulk-
ing coward? The gentleman from New
York has attempted tn hold Us up here
AZ costing the government more than we
have saved to it. lie has gone about,
figuring up the expenses Of the commit
tee, aud sneaked into the Clerks Office
to ascertain how much each member had
been paid. That member said that no
committee before ever took anything fer
travelling expenses. If he Mr.. Cnk
linu) knew anything, he must know that
ais statement was false; fur never wa. q
committee charged with duty by the
House but that oomuiittes was always
psil; and If there is man here who
eokapi aims of what has heen paid, or what
was paid to each Of my colleagues, let
him sta nd up aud say so. When our feI-
low mem hers Of Congress were pnrsning
their avoca tioas and several professions
At home with their families, this commit.
tee had given up everything in order To
DISCHARGE the d ities with which they were
intrusted, and now clamnr is raised by
the member from New York to have this
committee discharged. Let me say, that
if the House believes the charges which
have been msde, the House will be unjust
to itself, and unjust to the oountry, nn
less before it aaiourns tonight it shall
disband the committee. and place upon
their front the brand ot dishonesty. II
we have failed to discharge our duty, Snd
ere .smenahle to the cha riggs brought
AGAINST us, call upon every mem Der
here To vote that the committees be d'S.
banded. The House cannot ge; OFT "i
il, aud hope they will not postpone II |;
that they will not say, there is NJ nle
for such course, but that they will vote
AZ once To discharge us am sure the
committee will gratefully accept II - sc'
cept il. too. con nscious of what they have
done. They will accept it ss ii tribute
to their fidelity, which has led them to be
attacked by the m ienber from New York,
and by every plunderer, aud ny every
thief, aud by every robber, whohas broken
MO the treasury While wa were thus
,mployed. the member from New York
was besieging the treasury. snd the office
pf the Qiarternia,ter OF the War lie
in orler to get contracts i"r
pne of his constituents. Tie, sir, IA
pretty man tn come here aud lecture this
committee. He to inquire Into the ex-
renses of the committee, in relation to
what it has saved, ani what il has ex-
pended Sir, the history of this West
ern Department will show that in st.
Louis alone we have saved the govern
ment two millions of dollars by our in
aud. s,r, in connection with
these army contracts--ope of which the
gentleman from New York soaYht to OH
tain I'VE were told by Mr.. Holt that if
Congress aud the government wonld su|-
tain him, he would save eight millions
more. There are ten millions saved by
the commission on ordnance contracts,
appointed on the evidence taken by this
committee aud on its Recommendation.
Among other things, we will save q su'n
OF two millions. Thus sum of twelve
millions will be savei To- the country by
the committee e-ss large a sun ~ it cos'
t. carry on the government OF John
Quincy Adams for one year. And ye,
we are held up here as spending the peo-
ple's money. yes, aud how much have
we expended? Twenty thousand dollars.
But will not talk about il. II any man
wants to complain, lot him stand up hers.
I scorn to talk about trivial expenditures
for travel. That we should be met with
opposition, with all this obl"quy, we very
well understood. We knew whose paths
we crossed we knew that the contract
ora, and the thieves, and the Plunderers,
who had the treasury BY the throat,
would be at our heels, aud we well knew,
also, who were their sympathizers and