The southern aegis, and Harford County intelligencer., 1863-02-20
THE BANKS EXPEDITION.

pointed to enquire into alleged frauds and abuses
in chartering vessels for the Banks Expedition, is
an important and extraordinary document We
have seen little of the paper, except 80 much as
refers to the city of Baltimore, and if that is to
be taken as a fair sample Of the frauds committed
in New York and elsewhere, then it must be ad
mitted that the present controllers OF our govern
ment are far, very far, in advance of their prede
cessors in their familiarity with schemes which
fill official pockets at the public expense.
The committee set forth that Mr. Coblens
was receiving from the government at the rate
Of three hundred and forty-fve thousand six hun.
dred and ffty-fve dollars per annum, on capi-
tai of sixty-6ve thousand two hundred and
eighty three dollars, for vessels and steamboats,
hired to the government, one of which boats was
the old Patapsco, formerly used for keeping the
,harbor of Baltimore free of ice, and on account,
ofage was thrown aside as worthless for that
purpose. This boat, says the committee, was
purchased by Coblens at twelve hundred dollars,
and hired to the government agents at eighty FIVE
dollars per day.
The committee charge Col. Belger, the quar-
termaster at Baltimore, John Tucker, Assistant
Secretary of War; John F. Pickerell and Amasa
G. Hall, with being interested in ard having
full knowledge of the whole transaction. And
these men have been called and consider
ed loyal men, on whose word others might
have been, and perhaps were, consigned to some
of the government prisons for disloyal practices
However loyal man may declare himself to be,
If be rob his government, he is adopting the best
means in his power to cripple her energies. But
the committee seem to have failed to discover from
whence came this sixty-fve Thousand two hun
dred and eghty-three dollars, with which these
old hulks of vessels and steamers were purchas-
ed. They However discovered, from the testimo-
ny before them, that Hall and Coblens not long
since, were both very poor men; indeed they set
forth that Coblens, but few months ago, was
only horse jockey, trading horses by the head,
which means, we suppose, tradinga single horse
at time and while in this business, which
could not have been very lucrative, be suddenly
invests sixty-ive thousand two hundred and
eighty-three dollars in vessels of various kinds,
and hires them to his friend Hall, as the agent
for the government. We are told by the COM
mittee that Coblens is a Prussian by birth, and
can neither read nor write English. True, the
committee say that Coblens was brought along
by Pickerell, Ito gather up the spoils," but this
does not account for the vessel purchase money
we do not charge, that the sixty-fve thousand
two hundred and eighty-three dollars with which
these boats were bought, belonged to the United
States but we do say that it is, under all the cir
cumstances ofthe case, difficult to discover any
other source from which it could have come -
In the case of the little steamer Cecil, which
we believe some years ago ran between Port
the owner, offered to hire her for fifty dol
lars per day, but Hall, to Rice's utter astonsh-
ment, gave him eighty dollars per day, and then
demanded Of him five per cent, of the earnings.
of the boat, and when Rice refused to accede to
this proposition, he was denounced or charged
by Hall as asecessiorist and the next day inform
ed that his boat was dismissed the government
service. Under these, circumstances Rice was
compelled to sell his boat and Coblens became
the purchaser.
Stupendous as these frauds are, it must never
theless be remembered that they were committed
in the management Of vessels and steamboats,
for single expedition, and thst only in the city
Of Baltimore; but no man can come to any 9TH
er conclusion than that frauds of like ctarac-
ter have been and are being committed in other
departments, daily. Monstrous sthese develop
ments are, we have as yet met with no complaint
from the Republican journals Of the country, or
any Others in the interest Of the party in power
Heretofore ifa Post Master at a little country Of
fce became q defaulter TO the amount of twenty
dollars, under Democratic Administration, the
opposition journals were in fame at the terri
bic violationsof all laws and constitutions by
the Democratic party. But two years ago the
cars andgmail coaches groaned under the weight
ofyolumes Of Reports of frauds under the Bu-
chanan.A Administration, and patriotic members Of
Congress flooded the country with the result Of
the labors Of the wonderful committee Of which
John Coyode was the head.
&. Bnt one Of the most important features in all
this business il that the people must be taxed 10
make the deficiency caused BY these frauds and
nal i-practices. Taxation i said always to bear
bard upon people, even for legitimate purposes,
but when We are called upon to pay money. NOT
ior The legitimate and necessary purpose n sus-
tanning the government, and supplying its proper
wsah, but 70 maks up defeisncss csused by The