Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1864-02-13
Official Corruption.

The country Is just now being startled
by the most astounding developments Of
fraud in the various departments of the
Government, Corruption has become a
renniug sore on the body polite, and the
Treasury department, the Navy depart
ment and the War department are reeking
with It's pollution, and even grave Senators
are not above suspicion.
Secretary Chases New York Ca.tom
House officers were recently detected in
carrying on contraband trade with the
South; furnishing the rebels with arms and
munitions of war, and amassing fortunes
for themselves. The Navy department,
under the management of "old father Cid
con-" has been notorious for its swindlinr
operations from the beginning of the War
Contractors were awarded to favortes and
relatives through which rotten ships were
furnished at enormous prices and the
Government swindled out of millions In.
terior machinery was accepted by the de-
partment and used in the construction of
new vessels, over greatly superior, be
cause the patentees were "loyal" parasites
of the Administration. A Senator in Con-
grss has confessed his guilt of selling his
official influence for the neat little sum of
$4,000, to secure the release Of person
confined in the Old Capitol Prison by or
der of the War Office. Whether tho fec
was divided between the Senator and the
Secretary has not yet been developed
And last, though not least, we hear Of
corrupt practices and collision in the War
department, implicaing directly the i'm
maculate Stanton himself. A late num-
Der oil the N. Y. Wo,M contains the fol-
lowing from its Washington correspondent
The investigation going on at Fortress
Monroe, before which certain parties
having fat contracts with government have
been summoned, is card which Secre-
tary Stanton intended TO play well, But
the history OF this, as well as other inves.
tiga tions started by Stanton at the eleven.
tn hour, if carefully sifted would reflect
but little credit upon the chief OF depart.
ment having the control Of all military op.
erations.
General Miegs was sent away from
Washington to Chattanooga at the time
that he was simply for the reason that he
stood very much in the way of certain
parties who had exorbitant claims which
they wished 10 engineer through the
Quartermaster Generals Department. As
far back as the lst of August certain
claims had been fatty refused payment by
the quartermaster general, They have
since been paid by order Of Secretary
Stanton.
Then, again, let our readers recal! to
mind the dispatch that was received sew.
eral months since, stating that immense
frauds had been discovered in the depart.
ments of the Ohio, Cumberland, and
Tennessee, and that the War Department
had sent special agent to Louisville to
collect evidence and cause the arrest of
parties implicated. The War Department
did send down 'special''-or rather an
apology for man in the person of q Col
onel Alcott, who made his headquarters at
the Gait House, Louisville, and entertain-
ed with commendable hospitality, horse
mule contractors, ct id omne genus.
There had been frauds, and stupendous
frauds, both there at Nashville and at
Memphis ; but 1t needed no special agent
to bring the criminals to justice. Evidence
had already accumulated in Washington
against certain quartermarters and con-
tractors SO hagrant that in almost any
other county would have insured them
speedy hanging, and these parties had
been allowed, not only to remain unmoles-
ted to pursue their neiarious work, but in
one instance promotion was awarded in
another, removal to post of still greater
responsibility, and one contractor boasted
to Lieutenant Colonel Hodges, on Rose
Grams staff, that he had Secretary Stan
tons ORDER compelling the quartermaste,
to purchase mules and horses of him. Col
Hodges had the courage to tell this con-
tractor, Moses Q. Brown, that he would
not receive his mules, Notwithstanding the
order He maintained his position, and
lor his hfmnes5 and integrity was reward
ed by Mr.. Stanton with an order to report
for duty at Fort Leavenworth. At the
same time Captain Samuel Black, quar-.
termaster, who was the only positively
honest officer in the department, and con-
tessedly the only capable one who, had
protested against the tricks of Benson and
Brown, contractors, was seized by order
of Stanton, put into the military prison
kept in close confinement, on charges per-
ferred against him-not even allowed to
see counsel, and, for long time, not al.
lowed to see even his daughter, who had
the care of sig motherless chiIdren-and
where he will probably remain till his ac-
cusers have an opportunity SO to cover
up their own tracks that bis testimony
cennot injure them, Can justice be more
abased! Can the brutality of power 60
furtheri On the other hand, the really