The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-03-06
The original law is found in the Acts Of

The original law is found IN the Acts o.
the I'd Session Of the s7th Congress, at
! page l0s, and is entitled can act to pre-
vent and punish frauds on the part Of GER
tain officers Entrusted with making con-
tracts for the Government. !" H
The first section Of this act provides that
there shall be q "Returns Office" in the
Department Of the Interior, where every
officer intrusted with the making of con-
tracts on the part of the Government, shall
file copy of "all bids, offers, and propo-
sails made by persons to obtain the same,
as also any copy of any advertisement he
may have published, inviting bids, offers,
or proposals for the same"
The second section so fully embodies the
spirit and intent of the act that we give
it entire:
SECTION 2. And be IT. further enacted, That it
shall be the further duty Of the said officer, be-
| fore making his return according to the first
section of this act to affix to the same his aft
davit in the following form, sworn to before
oaths 70 do solemnly swear Cor affirm, that
the copy of contract hereto annexed, is an eX-
act copy OF contract made by me personally
with -: that I made the same fairly, with
out any benefit or advantage to myself, or al
lowing any such benefit or advantage corruptly
to the said --, or any other person and
that the papers accompanying include all those
relating to the said contract, as required by the
statute in such case made and provided. And
any officer convicted of falsely and corruptly
swearing to such affidavit, shall be subject to
all the pains and penalties now by law inflicted
for wilful and corrupt perjury.
The third section makes it misdemean-
or, punishable by fine and Imprisonment
on the part of any officer failing to comply
with those provisions of the law, unless by
unavoidable accident.
The fourth section provides for the open
ing Of an office in the Interior Department,
where these copies of contracts may be in
spected, and certified copies obtained.
The fifth and last section makes it the
duty of the Secretaries of War, Navy and
Interior, to prepare instructions and forms
for the government of contracting officers.
These sections comprise, in substance,
the entire act, which was approved by the
President on the I'd day of June, 1862.
Every candid man must see that such a
law was imperatively demanded, in view
of the enormous contracts required to be
made by Government officers, involving
hundreds of millions of dollars for the
purposes of the war. A few days, how
ever, after its passage and approval, Mr..
HALE introduced into the Senate bill,
which, after some amendments, passed
both Houses, was approved by the Presi-
dent on the 18th day Of July, 1862, and
reads as follows: (see page 1861
Bet enacted By the Senate and House Of Repre-
sentdtires Of the United States of Ame,ica, IN
Congress assembled, That the operation of the
Act entitled " An Act to prevent and punish
frauds on the part of officers intrusted with the
making of contracts for the Government" APP
proved June 49, 1862, be and the same is here
by suspended until the first Monday of Janua-
ry, 1868.
We have not examined the journals of
the House or Senate to see who voted for
or against the suspension of the Act that
every honest man must know the country
imperatively demanded. 1t is enough for
us to know that such shameless Legislation,
carrying with it the evidence of fraud, has
opened the doors for public plunderers to
steal the hard-earned money of our tax
payers; has weakened the resources of the
Government in its prosecution Of the war !;
has shaken the confidence of the people in
those who conduct our National affairs !;
and has jeopardized the Government, for
which we are offering thousands of lives
and millions of treasure.
Yet, with all these evidences of corrup-
ton, we do not despair of the Republic.
Time, we hope, will soon bring change
in the Cabinet, and with it wiser counsels
to the Executive, and to the next Con-
gress broader patriotism and a greater
respect for the Constitution and the laws.
The present Congress, soon to close, it is
to be hoped will return to their homes, and
leave the President free to carry out that
line Of policy, the abandonment of which
has been his most serious mistake; for it
has tended only to exasperate the South,
without changing the condition of single
slave; while it has failed to " fill the high
ways with soldiers rushing to the war, -
and will, if persisted in, prove disastrous to
| our cause.
Chippewa Agent.