Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-02-08
xxxYIr,h ooNeREss-Flr.. s-..n.n.
WAsHINGToN. Friday. Feb. Z.
SENATE

/ maneut location OI Tie naval aviuelij ut Nv
port. Mr.. HARRIS, truui the judiciary CON-
mIttee, reported a resolution that Mr.. Starke
is entitled TO a seat.
Mr.. TRUMBULL asked leave to file minor.
ity report, as the majority had not seen fit to
| report on the testimony.
Mr.. HARRIS explained that he had offered
no opinion so as to affect the subsequent action
of the senate The papers were ordered to
be printed.
Mr.. HARLAN reported a bill reducing ex.
penses in the survey and sale Of public lands
1 Mr. HALE reported a joint Resolution con-
Yeying the thanks Of congress 10 Capt Du
| pont and the officers and seanen, for the vic
tory at Port Royal; adopted.
Mr.. HALE reported back the bill for twenty
iron clad gunboats, with an amendment.
The treasury note bill was received from
the house, and referred to the finance commit
| tee.
bill was introduced to increase the eff.
cheney oil the medical department OF the army.
Referred.
Mr.. LATHAM introduceda bill relative to the
warehouse sl stem in the Pacific ports.
Mr. GRIMES moved TO take up the gunboat
bill, and sand, ii the intelligence received TO-
day was true, no bill was more Important.
| The bill was taken up. 1t appropriated ten
| millions.
Mr.. HALE made few remarks relative to
the cost OF the boats. The bill was amend
| ed restricting the number to twenty, aud it
| passed.
The report Of the naval committee on the
secretary OF the navy's letter, in regard to the
| Morgan purchases, was taken up.
Mr.. HALE said he considered the subject Of
: much Importance and tuIl of Import to the
country What he was going to say, lie said
not as republican, or as the member of any
| party. He stood here to day to plead for the
country. He had been accused of being an
| opponent of the administration but, as he
wished TO be distinctly understood on this sub
| ject, he would say he had nothing TO buy and
| nothing to sell. The administration had not
| gift that he (Hale) desired, and he had moth
| ing which they wanted except faithful interest
to the country. He would say to the admins
tration as the old Hebrew prophet said TO the
king Of Babylon-"Let thy gifts be to thyseli,
and give thy rewards to another. But | will
read to the king the writing declared to me,
and the Interpretation of it." That was exact
ly where he (IIaleJ stood. He would give to
the administration a Jealous support, and they
could not help themselves. He would say to
them as Pecksnif said to Martin Chuzziewit:
81 forgive you-you can not help yourself"
No earthly consideration could make him
(Alr. llale) leave the place he occupied here,
but this matter can not he wnked out of sight.
1t can not be concealed and covered up No
sophistry can make anything else Out of it
but what it is There have been some OBJ
jections made against this resolution. The
senator from Maine (Mr. Fessenden) thought
it was not dignited for the senate to act on
the evidence they had. All that, however, is
removed now. The evidence is that the
secretary Of the navy, having to purchase
some vessels for the use of the country EN-
ployed bis brother ln.law, and for less than
five months service, paid him seventy thou
sand dollars. He laid aside the question
whether the seventy thousand dollars was
paid out OF the public funds, and ventu-ed the
assertion that directly, the purchase of these
vessels had cost the government twice that
sum, and, indirectly, that they had cost mil.
| lions.
If you tell man he must pay you one hun.
dred dollars as commission on sale if he
be human he will put twice that sum into
his charge This transaction had gone
through the land. The people know that
when they have been pouring out their blood
and treasure Tor the support Of The govern.
ment, the secretary of the navy las paid MIR.
Morgan about Twelve thousand dollars a
month out OF their hard earnings. But MIR.
Morgan declares ON his reputation as mer-
chant and the secretary of the navy agrees TO
the conclusion, that he regards this As a wise
system if faithfully earned out, and at this
time highly conducive 10 the public interest
and the secretary of the navy refers to the rep.
utation of Morgan as an honest man. lie
| (Hale) did not propose 10 argue IN regard to
the integrity OF the secretary Of the navy or
OF Mr. Morgan. He had only single re-
mark 10 make. lie lIlale) had large expe-
rience in criminal trials and according TO that
experience he had found that great criminals
only resort to the testimony of previous good
character as Il last and desperate defence,
when all the : n nrnrpl a n admit ,f
nothing else.
He (liale) had received innumerable letters
upon thls subject, many OF them anonymous.
IIesnever read anonymous letters and had not
Tor seventeen years. lie would ask what
would have been the conduct of republican
senators il a few of such misapplic8tiOns of
the public funds had been made by a demo-
cratic secretary. The whole vocabulary of
Roman classical invective would have been
exhausted by the senator from Massachusetts,
| to~pyerwhelm such a man, The expulsive
senator from Michigan, Chandler would have
| stood up like the last Of the Tribunes, and in
voked death on such an offender, and he knew
! that the glance OF the chairman of the COM
mittee on finance, Fessenden would have seen
| through all the gossamer excuses which might
have been made, lie referred to and read
| the resolution OF censure passed by the house
| on secretary IOucey, and at that time there
was not even Il republican majority in the
house. lie did not ask for censure. He only
asked for a rebuke OF the system which the
secretary says he harnessed into the service
| OF the government. Ii was not harnessed i'll
| to the service of the government; it was har-
| messed in the service OF George Is. Morgan,
and he drove that team very probably
| Mr.. Hale then read letters from Robert b.
Minturn and Cyrus w. Field, saying that
commissions at the highest were p per cent
| but on large purchases an arrangement was
| generally made by which commission of II
| per cent was paid. Mr. Minturn says and
| Mr.. Field says, I and per cent. Mr.. Hale
| contended that the secretary confer red large
| purchases 10 one agent and to one city-New
| York, at the highest rate OF commission and
| the whole country was discouraged when it
saw money so spent He believed the liber.
ties OF the country were in greater danger to-
day from frauds and profigacy, than from the
rebels. If we wanted victories, we must COM
'mence on the floor of congress. The people
were willing to be taxed to any amount, for
| the suppression of the rebellion, but not for
! pampering political tavorites. How can you
lay taxes on the people If you permit such
| system as this to be cOuntenauced? Further
this system is wholly without authority of
law.
He solemnly declared that he had no sinister
or selfish purpose in bringing this matter
before the senate, but wished to promote the
interests OF the country. lie would say
Thou Christ who with small cords drove out
the money changers from the temple of Jeru-
salem, is there no scourge or liberation tor