The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-09-04
THE STUMBLING OF THE SOLDIERS

An attempt is being made in this cit,
to "whitewash," Col. Binney, and hi.
accomplices, in the late fraudulent tran
sactions, by which the soldiers were sc
shamefully swindled, and to cast odiun
upon the Cabinet, accusing the highest
officers of the government of fraudulent
intentions and dealings. For the infor.
nation of the public, we will enter some.
what into the particulars, and show how
much the Cabinet had to do with it, and
how far Col. Binncy and his friends are
compromised. The Cabinet during last
winter, contrary TO the wishes of Mr.
Lincoln, decided that sevent-thirty
bonds might be paid out to the soldiers,
by paymasters, if the former desired
them in preference to legal tender-notes,
butt was optional with the soldier to re-
ceive them. General Ben. Brice, the
kind and upright Paymaster General OF
the Army then ordered all paymasters
to act in accordance with these Cabinet
instructions, and they were furnished
with the bonds, as well asw with currency
to enable them to carry out the object OF
the government, and to meet the de-
mands of the soldiers. Col. Binney took
W, 600, 600 of these bonds, contrary to the
wishes we understand of the head of the
Department, which he brought to Nor
folk; and here he at once commenced
putting them in circulation, by paying
them out to the soldiers-without allow
ing them any choice between the bonds
and the legal.tender notes. Now, it is
probable that many thrifty and care.
full soldiers, who were laying up their
money againsta rainy day, would pre-
fer the bonds, while others who wanted
it for immediate use, had rather have
their pay in the legal-tender currency.
Binney violated his orders in this le.
spect, and kept them in ignorance :oi
their rights.
The matter was understood by Bin
ney's friends in Norfolk. The soldiers
We're compelled to sell their bonds, and
while the Exchange National Bank OF
this city gave legal-tender notes to them
in exchange, for the full amount of the
bonds, the merchants and the First Ma l
tional Bank, being in the secret with
Col. Amos Binney, charged them eight
and even ten per cent. discount on their
seven-thirties. Thus large sum of
money was made by the Bank, which,
according to the admission of the CASH
Ter OF the First National Bank of Nor
folk and the confessions of several pay
masters under arrest, was shared equally /
between the Bank, Col. Binney, the
paymasters generally and their particu-
lar friends elsewhere in Virginia. The
government, it is true, lost nothing by
these transactions, and the citizens who l
were engaged in it were guilty of no
crime known to the law, still all were
morally culpable of defrauding the poor
soldiers. 4
This is not the only department, how
ever, where such things have been
done. We see that during the investiga.
ton now going on at Washington, one
broker acknowledged that be had made
forty thousand dollars off the soldiers in q
the same manner. And yet there are a
hose who, in the face of these facts. have | {
he impudence to attack the cabinet as ! y
he real swindlers, and to defend Rinney h
rs an injured man, and the Bank as q
yronged and slandered institution The II
INJURED innocents! But Binney is an h
honorable man, and SO are they all hon. a,
'rable men. Ketchum is an honorable Ia
nan, and so is Jenkins. Ii,