Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-02-17
The Terrible Frauds upon the Govern.
ment--.Reasons for Carrying ON the
War'--The Swindler ut Work.

ment--.ReasOns for Carrying ON the
War'--The Swindler at Work.
From the Philadelphia Inquirer, l2th inst.
ASTOUNDING EXPOSURE OF PUBLIC PLUMBER.
II 1t is any longer possible for the people of
this country to be shocked by the disclospre of
frauds upon the Government, they will be ultsr-
y aetounded by the report of a committee Of
The United States Senate, published 10 the In
qu'rer this morning. 1t was our purpose TO
brand and !tlgmatize these frightful robberies
OF the public moneys In such terms as they de.
serve, but We confess that our vocabulary Il
insumclent 10 do justice to the subject They
are literally 80 monstrons that terms in common
use fall to give any idea of their enormous tut-
pitude. They must bo read by each man for
himself. If the record does not make bia blood
Jingle, and cause words of bitter execratiou to
leap instinctlvely TO his lips, then he is not Of
penetrabie stuff. That such disclosures
nave been permitted to pass by heretofore with
out arousing an effectual public indignation,
can only De accounted for by the fact that the
s"iit current OF stirring events, set in motion
oy tne rebellion, sweeps away the recollection
OF Crimes which, In ordinary timer. would
shock society to Its center.
The report referred to 10 that of Senator
crimes, OF Iowa. upon the subject of ships and
steamers Chartered TO transport troops and cup
Phss' In the very outset OF 1t the reader will
ma an account OF the charter of thirteen bar
ges and steamers at Baltimore, that will serve
as sn illustration OF the whole In that traps-
acIion t appears that these thirteen vessels cost
tnelr Understandable men, az usual-$65 ,2S3.
ana that they were chartered TO the Government
at tue rate Of $345, ,655 per annum-an annual
pTofn ofttue hundred and t,centy-fue per cent -
among these was rotten cd hulk called the
fatapeco, which was purchased BY one OF these
middle.men for 81 200, and then hired to the
Government for $S5 per day, and the barge
Delaware, which cost So, 500, hired for $7Oa
day. The running ezpenses Of this latter ves-
sel were about six or seven dollars day, and
all the rest were the profits OF the culprits, who
ever they are. These vessels were hired by
man named Hall, who had monopoly of the
business, under the direction OF Colonel Belger,
AsslttInt Quartermaster- g General, and John
Tucker, Assistant Secretary of War. When 1t
Is borne in mind that too hundred and sevsnty-
Jour vessels were chartered by this man Hall,
some idea may be gained of the fearful amount
OF Whlcn the Government has been pluudered
by his operations.
The modus opyandi was this: Hall, as we
have said, was "middle mADy' and through
the action Of Mr.. Tucker and Colonel BeIper,
had monopoly Of the business of chartering
vessels at Baltimore. Nobody who had even a
coai'bost to hire could get access to the Gov
eminent othcsrs except through him. He was
the agent of the United States, selected the
vessels and liked their prices. At The same
time he was the agent OF those who owned the
vessels, some OF them being his own, and others
having been bought up by his creatures In
every case he charged commission ranging
from nVe 20 twelve per cent on the gross earn
ings OF every vessel chartered. OF course the
higher The rate the more this careful agent of
the Government was enabled to pocket Thus,
In the case of the steamer Cecil, chartered of
Captain Rice, although the vessel was offered
at htty dollars day, Hall had hired her at sew
enty-fve dollars, and before the bargain was
consummated raised the price, to the astonish.
nent OF the Captain, to eighty dollars per day.
This scandalous feature appears in every trans.
action. An agent Of the Government raising
the rates on his own principal 10 ruinous prices,
shat he might get higher commissions. Here
again we must remind the reader that this man
Hall, who was the confidential agent of Colonel
Belger and Mr.. Tucker, chartered too hundred
and seuenty-touy vessels
Baltimore, however, had not Q monopoly of
this GEL Dorado" to the fortunate owners of
steamers, bsrges and tugs, and the lucky ones
who acted as agents for the Government, The
committee extended their Investigations to Ia
Delaware, and on our river they found the same
system OF plunder prevailing to the same fear
ful extent. Let our readers look and be amazed
at the prices that were paid out of their pockets
for some Of the WorD-out old hulks, formerly
80 familiar to their eyes. Here also We had
agents. Here ALEC We have the sorry spectacle
OF men acting for the people, and at the same
time acting for Themselves in fixing enormous
rates upon their own vessels, and all, too, nm.
der the garb of exalted patriotism.
To show the utterly reckless aud disgraceful
character OF the Baltimore operations we In
vite attention to the fact shat in one case yes-
sel In the service Of the Government at the ex.
oibitant rate of $3.50 per day, Was engaged in
running on excursion trips for the benefit Of her
owners; that in another vessel was fitted mn
with bunkers, at Government expease, to ac.
eommodate the private freight of some of her
owners, who were at the same time eutlers In
the army, one Of whom made $4,000 in one trip;
that In still other cases the Government tugs
were used by their owners TO tow private yes-
sels for pay; that In large number of cases
the miserable old hulks that we're chartered at
such monstrous prices, were 40 far gone that
they had to be fitted up at an expense equal to
their original cost, and that euch repairs were
made at the public expense. Is there another
instance In history of nation struggling for
life being 80 heartlessly and shamefuliy robbed
by its own trusted citizens7
The whole report is reeking With exposed
enormities. 1t is impossible to estimate the
plunder. Millions will be required to cover it.
The committee censure some high oficisls-
they recommend court-maitlal for another
and they demand, what the public voice should
echo In thuuder-tones, that such ill.gotten
gains shall be dis0Orsed. That word "disSorse'
should be she universal cry, until jussice Is
done the public treasury, and then II should be
seen whether criminal indictments will not lie
against all these specuators on the country's
calamities.
The Philadelphia inquirer, from which the
foregoing article is taken, is a leading Republi.
can paper.