The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1866-05-29

/
cial Figures.
wAsHnoIoS, Wednesday,, May q.
Among the most malicious OF all the ma
licious statements made by the Washington
correspondent Of the New York Tribune fol
the purpose Of injuring the President, and
placing him in false position before the
people, is that embraced in the following
paragraph, which appeared among the Wash
ington kilograms in the Tribune few days
ago:
Without the authority Of law President
johnson, among his earliest acts Of recon.
struction, ordered the sale Of Government
railroads and railroad running stock, iron
and materials, TO an enormous amount, 10
Southern men, on credit; he directed the
Quartermaster in charge to turn over the
property, and take the purchasers notes,
payable monthly, up to two years; the value
Of the property thus nominally sold, but in
reality given away, was probably S200,00O,-
900. OF course the notes, as they fell due,
were not paid, and it was never intended
they should be paid. They are under pro-
test here to millions. The Government holds
chattel mortgages on property, all in rebel
hands; that has been consumed in large part;
in part has changed hands; and the balance
contract Of purchase. The President refuses
to permit proceedings to compel payment, or
to recover possession Of any portion of this
immense amount Of the public property"
The above has been copied extensively by
the radical press, and referred to as ilustrat-
ing the Presidents policy" and as showing
his reckless Partially for the Southern peo-
ple." Had the interruptions writer Of that
paragraph taxed his cunning to its utmost,
he could not have produced greater num-
Der Of untruthful assertions in the same num-
Der of lines. In oil that was done with refer
ence to the sale and turning over Of the rail-
roads and rolling stock, the President, the
Secretary Of War, Maj. Gen. Thomas, and
the Quartermaster General had full authority
Of law. Except as to one matter, Of recent
date, Mr. johnson had, personally, nothing
to do with the disposition of tho roads and
stock, save to approve the General Orders,
prepared by the Secretary Of War, under
which the sales or transfers took place. Those
General Orders were published in all the
leading Journals, and set forth the terms and
conditions Of transfer and sale. The tunes
and places Of sales were well known, and when
the latter took place they were attended by
the leading railroad men and capitalists Of
the country.
The whole amount of sales, for cash and
credit, was about S20,000,000. About two
thirds Of the entire sum was for cash, which
was, of course, deposited with the United
States Treasurer to the proper credit. As
shown by the statement in detail hereinafter
set forth, and copied from the official records,
the sum total Of sales on credit was 81, AGO.
690.9l. The total Indebtedness Of the rail-
roads to the Government, including interest
up to the LIST Of April, 1866, was S7,608,-
345. 96.. On this there have been payments
amounting to S76s,655,47; leaving bal
ance due the Government, on the LIST day Of
April, of sc, 8S9, 690.49, from which is to be
deducted about $3.50 900 Of accounts in favor
of railroads for transportation, &e., now I'M
dergoing adjustment. So that the whole in
debtedness to the Government is at this time
about sc, 100000. This is secured by bonds
to double the amount Of original indebted
ress, and the Government has. beside, a lien
upon the property sold and turned over to the
railroad companies, which authorizes the
seizure Of the property upon default OF pay
ment Of any Of the instalments when due
All The property sold or turned over was
first appraised by disinterested persons, and
a fair valuation fixed by them. The Govern
ment never owned the railroads proper; they
were, many Of them, owned in whole or in
part by the States. A State cannot commit
treason, and the property thus owned could
not be confiscated. The roads were turned
over to their owners, and the rolling stock,
&C., captured from the rebels as rebel prop
erty, and also that furnished by our Govern
ment, was all that was sold. In one instance
recently-the case already referred to-the
President was applied to for an order to stay
proceedings against q railroad, and to prevent
the summary seizure Of the road under the
lien which the Government holds. The Pres
ident found that this company had paid up
the interest due the United States, and part
of the principal; that il had been paying off
the accumulated coupons and Indebtedness
that had accrued during the rebellion, and
that these extraordinary payments were
about us much as could be asked Of the rail-
road, which would be seriously embarrassed,
and probably ruined, If also compelled at
once to pay the late monthly instruments
due the Government. 4
The payments already made had enhanced
the Governments security to that extent,
and stay Of legal proceedings would not
jeopardize the interests Of the United States.
Under these circumstances the President
signed an order to stay proceedings for the
present. And this is his only act or partici-
patton personally in the whole matter of
sales and transfers Of railroads, rolling stock,
&C., since his approval Of the general orders.
heretofore referred to. The other failure to
pay the monthly instruments has been
brought to Mr.. Johnson's notice, and he does
not therefore refuse ITO permit proceedings
to compel payment" as charged by the Tn
bt1le. The notes Of these railroad cOmpa-
MES are not under protest here to millions"
and the whole statement Of the Tribune cor
respondent, from beginning to end, is made
up of exaggerations and reckless misstate-
ments Of facts. The following, taken from
the official records, is correct: .a-I
A tabular statement is given in the Times
Of all the sales Of railway material made by
the United States to railroad companies un-
der executive orders.
d The names OF the roads are Villa Valley
and Kentuckyj Maconand Bruins
wick; Montgomery and West Point; South
western; Rome Memphis and Ohio; Mem
phis, GAINESVILLE and Louisville Mississippi
and Tennessee Alabama and Florida East
Tennessee and Georgia Muscogee; Macon
and Western; Nashville and Chattanooga;
Tennessee and Alabama Central /; Mobile and
Ohio; Mobile and Great Northern; Mem
phis and Charleston; Alabama and Tennes-
see River Mississippi, Gainesville and Tus-