Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-03-06

| "''NS Nv NAV nhke upon tnlS resolution. LII
Is from MIR. Roherr B Minturn, distinguished
cir'zen of New York, ard addressed 10 the
Chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs
aud an extract from which he cad the other
| lay on another point, feel warranted in saw.
my that these are hut the individual expires sions
OF prevalent opinion among the business men
~ NE" lofk, IN respect 10 the manner in which
TINS agency has been executed / believe il TO
he generally conceded that Mr.. Mo,ean's pur-
| chases, as a whole, were made upon terms most
favorable 10 the Government indeed upon
| terms more favorable than other purchases of
any other kind Of property, ard under any
o'her agency, have generally been made. IL is
| so according TO current and accredited report
IL Is so according To the showing. IL is so &C.
cord'ng to the general testimony.
The iact that Mr.. Morgan stood in the rela
non OF brother in law 10 the Secretary of the
Navy Is certainly no impeachment of The mo
| ,'ve oi the appointment and is not open to crit
'c,sm or structure, proviled the agent mas prov.
ed himself able, faithful, and honest in the exc.
coIion OF his must. i his very relationship in
| Tact, would furnish an additional incentive to an
| honest and faithful discharge of the duties of
bus hust, TO the end that he might not bring
d,scredit or suspicion upon the good name Of
| his friend and re alive.
But after ALL Mr., President, the chief ground
OF complaint is not but that the agent has
proyed himself capable and honest and faithful
IN TINS matter; not hut that he has served the
Government faithfully and well not that he
mas paid Tor single vessel single dollar more
| than lis actual value not but that the Govern.
ment has r, ceived a full consideration and full
leqnivalent for all money il has paid for these
Vessels; not that any fraud r collusion or cor
| rupton has been practced or connived at either
| ny the Secretary or by the agent in all these
| transactlons-n nothing at all of all these but
| the gist OF the complsint,-the sum and sub.
| stance OF It Is. that the agent has received too
large compensation Tor his services. That
his remuneration turned out to be large is true ;
but this imputes or implies no moral delinquet.
cy' no deleliction of duty on his parr; or on the
part OF me Secretary of the Navy nor any
proper want OF economy even, on the part of
ei'her OF thsm IL resulted from the vast and
unexpected magnitude of the business which
| ne az, his compensation being contingent upon
the amount OF purchases he should make, and
which at the time this agency was committed TO
hm nei her the Secretary OF the Navy nor any
other'man could toresee No one then could
know what The extent Of purchases it mig hit be
| necessary to make. No one then could know
| what lhe extent of the Government demand
would be for no one then knew what proper
lions this rebellion would reach The Presi
dent himself did not know, and could not anti
cipate, when in April last he issued his procla
NATION calling for 5000 volunteers, that in
three II onths from iha, time he would be obi
ged 10 SUNNI on TO the field seven times IS 900
| men.
| The agent wss to be paid the ordinary COM
| mission Cf two and half per cent upon the
| purchases hS should urake, be they or
lees, and, in the ordinary language of these
contracts, TO be paid in all cases by the seller -
l am well enough aware that the seller would
be very likely, IN most cases, and perhaps in all
10 attempt 10 add the amount Of commission 10
the price oi his vessai, and so to get it cut o.
the Government, and perhaps in some cases he
might succeed in that attempt. am willing tc
concede that the Government probably in some
1t not in all these cases, pays part, at least, o
the commissions; how large portion, or how
small portion, or whether the whole of it, o
whether any part of it; is in the very nature o
the transaction impossible TO determine. Ant
under any otter mode of compensation, tn
Government pays it, and pays the whole OF it,
The aggregate Of tie purchases being yer.
large. and amounting 10 the enormous sum o
three and halt millions, or thirty five hundred
Thousand dollars, the commissions accordingl,
ran up to a large sum, about SO 600; no ninet,
or nineiy.hve thousand dollars, as has bee
sometimes sta ed. That would be about tn
sum uron comput alton of two aud half pc
cent. on 50 500 0CO f; but the explanation
tina, he rec iv.d only one per cent on a porto
OF his urchases for reasons which he explain
in his letter to Mr.. Sedgwick, Chairman Of III
Committee on Naval Affairs in the House Q
Representatives.
Now, If The Secretary was in fault in adopt
ing this rule of compensation in this case h
was only in fault in not knowing, what nobod
else knew or could know, the amount Of tn
; purs hases which would be necessary to
made, and in doing precisely what the sharpes
and most prudent business men do in their ow
private transactions OF a similar charac er.-
This, as / understand il, is rule of compensa
ton which Boards of Trade or Chambers q
. Cnmmtr rec after long years of experience an
y observation. have established /; and IL has bee
recognized and fixed by the custom Of mel
u chants Ms the settled law Of compensation i
cases OF this kind in the absence OF any specis
agreements. The shrewdest and most sag.
u cious class of men in the world with respect
4 matters cf business, after wears of experienC
) and trial, have adopted this rule as being upo
I the whole the hesi ard most equitable rule
COMPENSATION, as between the buyer and selle
u upon The one hand, aud the agent upon Ii
other, in case. If sale and purchase In shor
II Is the established and recognized law-mel
|
u tion is regulated in transactions of This chara
', ter. Although it msy operate hardly and pei
y hsps even oppressively in particular cases
u sometimes upon tie agent and sometimes upt
= the prhsipa nevertheless long years of exp
:, r'tnce have shown it, upon the whole, to be Il
y best aud nest equitable rule. as one Of eener
:, application FOR these agencies that could be d.
y vsed. subj Ct. OF course, always to be varied
y specific agreement
Now. iher, / have to ask, shall a pub'ic offic
be su.jeci to censure, held up to public repr
n tation, for hsving applied this rule of the cor
II mercial world in the case of d Governme
agency to make purchases upon Goyernme
'e nc -opnt, becau-e in that particular case il mi
o hev; happened, fr,m the enormous and une,
" r.cied aud unor, seen amount Of the purch ase
10 have proved i.rreiy profitable to the azen
, DC tie contrary, think that, under all the G.
, cumstanees, the sober, int, iigeut Judgment
!, tie country will, at least, be siox ii cJudem
~ II do uotapprove, the application OF the ru
: in ti instance Although the results of d
! agency have proved profitable to the agent,
! tie same time they have been 10 less protitab
"a, he t.n k,, ssr IN, s,u