New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-07-26
pLrNDERING THE GOVERNMENT.

There has doubtless been much fraud and
extortion practiced by those who have fur
nished Clothing, Provisions and Supplies for
our great Armies, but more especially in the
purchase and charterDg of vessels, whether Tor
war or for transportation solely. In this lat
ter department, it viii be difficult to preclude
frauds altogether. Send TIE bes: officer 10 the
Naval or Military service to buy or hire the
craft needed for particular service, and he
will air ost necessarily cOnFult and defer to
some great merchant, ship-nwper or ship
builder who knows al that he does not know
with regard to the value aud worth OF vessels;
and this trusted adviser will sometimes c'andes-
timely sell his influence in the premises to those
shp-owners with whom negotiations are in
progress aud thus fiji his own pockets while
palrning inferior or high-priced vessels upon the
Government. This shows very weak spot in
human nature, but 80 it is. and We must make
the bes. of it.
One who read only the Pro.Slayery journals
would be led to believe that all the stealing
by which the Treasury has suffered was per-
petrated by Republicans. The fact is quite
otherwise. One of the most fragrant cases un-
earthed by the House Investigating Committee
occurred in connection with the outfit of Gen.
Buffers expedition, wherein all the actors
were Democrats of the Breckenridge type.
Most of our Military and Naval officers who
are necessarily inirusted with the procuring
of supplies Of all kinds are anti-Republicons.
The Secretary of War is Democrat. The
new Commanding General is a Democrat. So
is bis predecessor. We never heard the Com
mssary General, Quartermaster General, Chief
Of the Ordnance Bureau nor any other OF the
great purchasing officers of the Government
called Republican. We state these facts not
to attach any importance to their politics, but
to repel grouDdess imputatcn.
Congress, at It's late session, passed stringent
acts providing for the punishment of fraudulent
contractors and all who collide With them Ia
palm inferior articles upon the Government or
tecure exorbitaut prices for good ones-aso,
to punish corrupt intermeddllng With contracts
by Members of Congress and Others 10 author
ity. Such acts have long been needed, but no
former Congress had enacted them. They eau.
not fail to shut the door agonsr much cor
ruption. An act passed at the eo'e of the
session regulating the charges OF Military Off
GERS for Horses, Forage, Servant &C., will.
We are assured save the Treasury Ten Mil
lion, during the fiscal year just opened.
The greatest error committed during the
past year was the giving out Of contracts for
muskets by private arrangement instead of
public competition. A good many Thousands of
guns were thus contracted for at $50 each
which could have been procured on public
competition at Sl7 or Sls. Whether the error
in this case was that Of the late Secretary OF
War or of the Chief Of the Ordnance Bureau,
we do not know. But good many of there
have been anDuled for ini rmality or
non-performauce through The operations OF the
Holt Investigating Committee, aud there IS no
probability that the Government will obtain too
many guns this year. Nor il il supposed that
the contractors will profit maternity, the cost
Of getting up the requisite machinery for their
business being very great. Had every contract,
however, been awarded, as il should have been,
on public advertisement, to the lowest bidder,
exactng ample security for prompt as well as
faithful performance, all would have been well.
The law clearly requires this, end We wish Tho
Committee had declared every
contract given out privately void for illegality.
That would have put everything in shape for
all time to come.
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GEN. HAILETE.