, 1862-05-03
Tbt Ttibuttt.
SHARP DEBATE IN CONGRESS-,
The Committee on ContractS---Ke.
marks Of Washburne In Reply
to Conkiing.

The dispatch to the associated press gave an
outline Of the assault made by Roscoe Conk-
ling on the Committee On Contracts, but
omitted to give sketch Of Mr.. Waahhu1ne's
reply. We eupply the omission:
WMHRG1oE. April 30, 1861.
Mr. Washburne in reply said 1t was the un-
kipdest cut of all when the chairman {Mr
stevens), Of the Committee Of Ways and
Means, the leader Of the House, and holding
the pursc strings Of the nation, recently rose
in The House and attacked the COMMITTEES In
their absence, charging that they had commit
ted more fraud than they had detected. The
Committee had been notified that they should
feel the biting sarcasm and bltstering inyce-
tive, and to-day they had listened to what might
be called pltieul Imitation from the extraor-
dinary member (Mr. Conkling) from New
York, who had attacked the Committee for
the benefit Of contractors, thieves and plum
derers, Who had for two weeks been holding
high carnival IN anticipation that the Com
mittec we're to be destroyed,
It would have been but fair to give the Com
mittee notice Of the contemplated annihila-
ton, that they might be prepared to die with
1ecency. Why did not the member from New
York make his charges like man; and not
like skulkipg coward? The member under
took 70 eriticise the expenses Of the Commit
tee which he bad figured up, and sneaked into
the clerks Office TO ask how much the mem-
bers had been paid, # the membrr had
known anything he must have known that lis
statement vas false. There was no CON-
mlttee ever engaged in investigations and
travelling abroad but what had been
paid their proper Expenses. The Committee
spcnsiole trust reposcd in them By the H1use.
Now clanor was raised to disb;and the Com
ulitttc. II the House believed the charges
made are true, it would lie unjust to itself and
to the country if it did not disband the Com
mittce before its adjournment for day, and
place on the brow Of the members thereof the
brand of dishonor. If the Committee had
failed TO Discharge their duty and were obnox-
ious to the charges made, he {afr. Washburne)
called on the House not to postpone their &C.
ton, but to disband this Committee at once.
The Committee and country would accept
It as tribute to its faithful performance of
its duty, which had led to the attack by the
mclnoer from New York, and bY every plun-
derer, thief, aud robber who had broken into
the Treasury. While the Committee were en-
gagged in their examination, he found, by an
official document, the member from New
War to get contracts for his constituents.
Truly, the member w1s pretty man to come
here and lecture the Committee IS to
What the Committee had done! In
further reply, lie said the history OF
the Department will show that in
St Louis alone nearly two millions Of dollars
bad been saved ny the Investigation of the
Committee. He lad been told by Mr.. Holt
that if Congress and the Government eustain
him, nearly eight millions more would bc
saved by the Commission on ordnance and
contracts, now in session here, which was ap-
Folntcd on the evidence taken aud the recon-
mcndation Of this Committee. Twelve nil
lions of dollars had been saved By the Com
mittte, or as much as it cost John Quincy
Adams to carry on the Government for one
Year. notwithstanding these things, the
Committee were held up here as wasting the
public money. He repeated that the Commit,
tee knew they would be met. They knew
whore paths they had crossed. They knew
who were the aiders and abcttors Of the plum.
dcrere in aud out ut this House They did not
like the Committee; Of course, for
"No rogue e'er felt the halter draw
With good opinion Of the law
The Committee was created by q Republican
House and appointed By Republican Speak.
CT, and had performed their duty without fear
favor or atf csion, and in their report had moth
ing eStenuated, Or set down at1ght in malice
To be sure they had exposed robbers and plun'
derers We're they for this to be condemned:
lie again referred to Mr. Stevens, saying tht
latter, after reporting tax bill which was
large enough to fill Wheelbarrow, stepped ir
to attack the Committee. The gentleman haG
been earnest in defending Fremont. In this
when anything was said about another Genera
be was not quite so sensitive. He would leayt
all the Generals ubmo1csted in the field; but
after their terylces were dispensed with, III
would try the cause, and would be ready Il
defend the Committee against all clanoEs
Then lie would say, ''Come on, M1cdutf, ant
damned be he who first cries hold, enongh.''
MT. NathbuTne, in further reply, referred
to the Sacchi and other subjects heretofor,
discussed, and said, towards the conclus sion 0
his renlaTks, that after the infamous attacl
and abuse Of the member from New York, tn,
latter could not ext Get 10 60 unsGathcd. a
would permit 10 one to iInpugn OF challcng
bis Conduct on this floor or off this floor. q
called upon the Republican party to rise up II
this House and stop these enormous frauds b,
every means III their power, e15c they Woult
not be held gui}'less by the country.
MIR. CUMMINGS AND MR.. CAMERON AGAIN cn1T
1CISED.
Mr. H.lman {Ind.) as member of the Sc
leet Committee. briefly referred to tue bells,
c1ents in this debate. and after declaring hi
GOODNESS and dispassionateness proceeded t
Sildicatc tue report, and specially as to wha
il Fays about the transactions Of Alexande
Cummings, Of whom he spoke as the proteE
Of Cameron, and who had been put forward t,
shield his principal As to the purchase q
horses, be said not onc-fourth Of those put
chased In Pennsylvania mud Louisville Wer
eeryiceable. There was in this no cyidenc
Of fidelity to the public interest.
Mr.. MoTehead {Pa.) protested against sue
| sweeping dcnunciatiou- II any persons wer
| guilty let them be exposed, and he would r
as far as any one for Furnishing them. If sue
| charges continued to be indulged IN, homes
contractors would be driven out, and bus
ness fall into the hands OF scoundrcls. Thu
| the Committee we're destroying the very il
terests they were Try ing to build mp.
I Mr. Ho1nluu referred to Mr. Caneron's ps
| tronage Of the Northern Central Rsi1roaG
which Eas enormous, Is reported BY the fe
nres: The employment Of Cummings in cor
t nectiou with the transportation showed tbs
Mr. Cameron WAS willing TO advance the intel
este Of his own family at the sacrifice Of th
! public good.
| Mr.. Mosebead inquired whether Cumming
was member OF Cameron's family.
MR.. cAMERoS's ILLEGAL CONTRACTS.
Mr. Holman replied that the Horid uewsp;
per, Of which Cummings was manager, W
the most noisy In supporting Cameson's tram
arms. MIR. Cameron had made contract
amounting to S3o, OK, 900, and on which th
profits would have been 81, 7,5m, 900 over an
| above the legitimate profits, yet Mr. Camera
had denied ever making contract. AgAint
these abuses Gen. Ripley had stood up like
Ron'an-likc break~ater against the tide
| corruption.
Mr.. Morchead said that On the eth Of Jup
less than one month before tl.r battle of Blu
Run, Geu. Ripley, in the belief that the aru
| would not be wanted aud that there would u.
| be much Of q war disposed Of ten thous1c
nlnskets, good rs any in the world, to Co
Colt in exchange for pistols. Mr.. Camera
directed them to be bought back at tho pri'
paid tor them.
Mr.. Holman asked whether the genuems
did lot hnow that Mir, Cameron nade CO
t,acts for thirty million dollars worth Of arm
10 lpere stock brokers and specuiators.
! cotcluSioD, he censur:d the Secretary Of Il
Navy in the uiatter Of purchasing vessels, Il
| referred TO other matters discussed in the 7
port Of the Committee.
hr. Dawes {A1a-s.) trusted that the Hous
forgetting the personalities indulged in to-da
would rc'urn to the direct issue before thet
II WAS said that The exposures made by t
Committee lad brouaht the N.tion into d.
erace sbrocd but this was not the fault of Il
Committee Should they hare covered up
sore, or laid 1t open and probcd it to the b
tons When abuses reasrd 10 be exposed, tn
might properly be lamcntcd the absence
honesty and public ssrtue. 1t WAS not to
expected that they would be white-washi1
committee. a. a grand inquest they could on
bring the facts before the House for their q
ton. He remarked with pleasure that t
Secretary Of the Treasury had eo-operat
with the Committee 10 the fullest extent
reforming the abuses.
The Contractors Crusade asnfnst
| vestfratton-NuEEct from the Deba
In Ihe House..
Thaddeus Stevens, Of Pennsylvania, was,
believe, the first to make al assault on the Co
mittee. His motives for so doing a1c ii
| Nc