Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-02-15
whasever, and there are scores Of

desire to sustain and support the Admins
tration in prosecution of this war for all con
s-Itutional purposes and all my efforts have been
so directed and shall be so directed. But this
House, this Congress- holds the Treasury of the
Government, and it has right in its disbursc-
t1ents 20 insist upon an economical a1nprudentt
administrations Of public affairs There is not
nov such IN administration of our public ssffars.
Many of the departments of the Governments are
utterly corrupt, and Known to be so, and their
corruption has attracted the attention of gentle
men. upon the other side of the House, aud it is
to their credit and to their honor that they have
ordered an investigation into some subjects;
but they themselves have no idea of the depth of
corruption by which they are surrounded. The
Treasury Department, in its heart and core, its
highest and heartiest pulsations, in the manufac-
ture, OF the public money, the public bills, the
public credits, is rotton and cannot stand invest
CATION. One of the leading men in that Depart |
ment (Cromweil) has been arrested for matching
and patching torn or destroyed public money.
Another. DR.. Gwynn. is in the old Capital Prison;
and the man who is now at the head Of that de-
partment stands charged upon the records of this
House by Republican committee with having
fraudulently reported to this Government upon
the construction of public buildings heretofore.
The man TO. whom refer is Spencer NJ Clark.
That man, who has now the control Of the pub
lie money, stades recorded in public document
here. issued in 1862 by a Republican committee
OF the House OF Representatives. as having cheat
ed and defrauded the Government as the then ar
chitect for one of the public buildings. / will
make no comment on the subject, but | avail
myself of this opportunity to call the attention
of Republican gentlemen TO the official docu-
ment. | will ask the Clerk to read the record
which was made in 1862 by Republican com.
mittee of the House. aud l ask them to bear in
mind that of this mans associates one is in
prison and the other ought to be, If the public
rumor is true. 1855. 80 a1a ~ -
The Clerk read from the Report of the Com
mittee on Expenditures for Public Buildings to
the House of Representatives at the Thirty
seventh Congress. as follows:
| For evidence of the extravagant expenditures
OF public money under the Bureau of Uonstruc-
ton end heretofore organized, we refer to
| the testimony in relation to the Charleston Gus
tom House and the Treasury Extension A sin
gle item relating to the former will illustrate the
system by which a building about one hundred
and fifty feet long. by ons hundred and
twenty feet wide from outside to outside of the
columns, and carried some forty-6ve to fifty feet
above the ground, entirely unfinished. roohess
anu bare. has already cost the Government over
two million of dollars, and half million more is
asked for by the engineer without any intimation
that it will do anything more than continue the
work" At Hastings. New York Edward Letr
cutting marble A contract was made with them
| for the marble Of the Charleston Custom House,
contract so indefinite and confused that any con-
struction could be put upon il, even the style of
architecture being misnamed andthe material be
| ing changed from granite to marble after previ
Gus contract with the me parties. In January,
| 1861, after South Carolina had seeded, Learned
/ & Co. notified the Treasury Department that
they had certain aterial on hand. and claimed
inspection and payment under a clause OF the
contract Mr. Clark the acting engineer in
charge. to whom the matter wasereferred by Sec
| rotary Dix, whose letter we herewith submit,
went to Hastings and returned with schedule of
material there the amount of $43,06l go,
which he aud Mr.. Young the supervising archi-
tect reported to be correct, and the sum of 1872
296.2e. seventy-fve per cent on the amount,
was paid out It: that is say, S2S, 1852. 10 in
cash. and So, 9l3 so allowed by contractors for
previous over-payment. Mr.. Clark, IN a letter
to the chairman of the Senate Finance Commit
tee, dated February IL, 1861 states az the result
of ga careful resume of his notes, after an of
| fetal visit to the quarry, that he found large
quantity Of marble in every style of progress,
| from the rough block to the elaborate carved or
namental work, ready for shipment, and he thinks
'.its total value would not if any, exceed $780,
600" DESTROYS 10 ascertain if this large quantity
of marble was really at Hastings the committee
| sent there Mr.. Oertley the Government compn-
ter, an officer in the Bureau OF Construction, and
Messrs Hamilton and Claskey. practical stone
| cutters and architects There perfect con-
curence between these gentlemen upon their re-
turn Their testimony shows that the marble on
which Learned & Co. were paid at the rate of
$43 .06l 60, the schedule of whic:. will he found
in the testimony ct Mr.. Young. 'sas worth at a
fair market pricdIfom nine thou sand To twelve
thousand dollars; that all the marble outside of
the schedule, even at the rate of price named in
it. could net exceed $4,000. and, as Mr. Oertley
said, at a liberal market price would not be worth
more than $4,000. BY the testimony Of these
gentlemen. il seems that the Government. under
the auspices of Messrs. Clark & Young, have
been paying S.. 7S5 SO for capitals that. cut in
/ Italian marble would be worth not more than
one thousand or twelve hundred dollars; that
i upon the item Of capitals alone. shown partic,
ularly b7 Mr.. Hamilton, the Government pays
S295 OIL 90 far what would cost. at fair mar
ket price, S5l .0n0, or an excess over the value
Of S24406 g3'
Mr. Brooks-All that have to say in conclu.
sion, is that this public document was long ago,
to nv knowledge, brought to the attention of
the Secretary Of the Treasury; if to the Presi
dent OF the United States, and yet that gentleman
has been intrusted with the terrific power OF
printing the public money.
l. Mr. Wilson of Iowa-I desire to ask the gen
tleman from New York, under what admnstra-
ton this amount of money was exiravagantly
expended in the construction Of the Charleston
Custom House. and under what Administrative
the contract with Learned & Co was made
Mr.. Brooks am not going to enter into par
" conflicts stand on my own bottom. i find
that thereis this difference between the Democrat
&c AID Republican parties, that when the Demo
Gratis lay their hands deep in the public money
a. Fowler the deiaulting postmaster at New
York-ttey hide their heads and sneak off ia the
first steamship to foreign country, whereas de-
faulting Republicans stand on their native he 18th
and to day claim the highest public Offices
I(Laughter
The only point make. and which wish the
committee to comprehend. is this: When this
Mr. Spencer NJ Clark was known to have report
ed fraudulently on this matter of the Charleston
Custom House, he was not only kept in Office
but promoted to the highest pecuniary position in
the conntry-that of manufacturing the public
money That has been known for months to
the Secretary of the Treasury, if not to the
President OF the United States. That's the issue
It matters not whether he is one of nv party OF
one of his purity: that is not the question; but
did the Secretary of the Treasury know or not,
when he made Mr.. Clark the printer OF the public
money. that there was public document charg-
ing him with fraud. and made by the purity 10
which the gentleman belcngsf That's the issue
If he has anything to. say on that ! shall be
happy to hear him That is all have to saw
Mr.. Stevens do not feel very much disposed
to controyert the remarks of the gentleman from
New York. Two years more ago took oc-
cason to say to the Administration. and es-
pecially to gentlemen on that side of the House
that did not think they realized the magnitude
of this contest. said to the Administration |
believed this war would be more expensive and
carried on with much greater pertinacity than