, 1866-07-23

prosecute before general court maftia
Major j. a. aaddock- Af. Dana vested hin
by seyeTal orders issued tn the name Of tb
Secretary Of Var, without the sanction o
powers. Among these was the right to ex
smlne the dispatches in all the telegraph oil
| tccs in the Western Division OF New York
which enabled violation Of the sanctity o
personal and business correspondence"
The conclusion arrived nt By the commit
tee on this second statement Is as follows
;" It i clear from the evidence that 50 tar frou
! Mr. Conklinc's appointment having bee1
made by Mr. Dana, and the powers witt
which he was clothed having been vested Il
him By Mr. Daua, the appointment aud ths
powers accompanying It were conferred OF
Mr. Conkling By the Secretary Of War hun
self; that Mr. Dams had nothing to do With
the matter except to prepare The papers uu
der the spt cibc directions Of the Secretary.
The next allegation Of General Fry against
Mr.. Conklins was Us follows: 'tHe {aIr
Conklinc) was as Jealous in preyentiug prose
cuttons at Utica as he WAS in making them al
Elmira, and the main ground OF difficulty be.
tween Mr.. Conkling and myself has been that
wanted exposure at both places, while be
wanted concealineut at one.n
In reference 10 that the committee says
No evidence was given before the committee
tending to show any direct edort ou the part
OF Alr. Conklfng to prevent the prosecution
Of any one in Utica ur elsewhere, aud the In.
quiry was, therefore, narrowed to the qnes.
tton whether be had In any manner neglected
to communicate to the department inforua.
ion which he ought to have given In relation
Ia ffauds upon the Government The com
mittee regard the action Of Mr.. Conk1lnr as
highly couimcndable-
Another Of the statements ofGencral Fry's
letter, which the committee was directed to
inquire into, is ia these words: s'For his
services In tllis connection, Mr.. Conkling re.
ceiycd On the 9Th Of November Inst from tic
United States, the modest fec Of 5000
whether be he received, as has been reported,
from Its district s., ,0N more for the same scr.
ylce, and whether he received additional fees
from guilty parties opposing The proceedings
at Uttca. am unable now to say"
In reference to that charge the report says !:
That such a charge should without auv
shadow Of cause I've made in any way seems
almost incredible; but that It should be
carefully couched In the forms Of insinuation,
showing timidlty and so1icirule Ia the an-
thor to avoid responsibility, aud should then
be written out and sent into Congress to be
rcad in the presence ol the nation, and pre-
served against the accused and his children
In the history Of Congress, presents as a libel
a case almost new; certainly singular tor its
bad eIninence Us wnnton and inexcusabla
violation of the rights Of n citizen and q
member OF the Government The use that
was made y the House Of that part Of this
charge relating to the fee ot &, 900 makes 1t
mined whether his being member elect Of
this House rendered II improper or Illegal
for him to take the employment ut its COM
pt1sati0n. and the tnsinuatiou contained In
this statement that the fee was excessive
renders It proper to Inquire whether 1t was
such As 70 the latter point the committee
had no hesitation In coming to the conclu-
zion that Nj. Conkling's compensation Tor
services rendered to the Government was
reasonable one- He Ind nothing to do with
liking Its amount that was left wholly 10
the Government He accepted the service
with reluctance md upon the most pressing .
and repeated solicitations Of the Secretary Of
Wnr. Hctooki 1t nt the sacrifice of other pro-
fes6lonnl business Of equal yalue, or Of
perhaps Greater value to him than he
realized for this. lie took 1t at time
when 1t was alMoEt vital to the interest
Of the military service In New York that
these services should he rendered. The COM
m1ttee are Of the opinion that the Secretary
OF Var rightly Judged that no one could be
counts, Tor the efficient discharge OF that
peculiar service, under the peculiar circum-
etunces under which It was undertaken aud
rendered. The duties he assumed we're dis
charged with consunmate ability, and with
integrity. diligence, and complete success.
involved the examination Of Large field Of.
complicated facts, labyrinth OF frauds and
riilnnles. The record Of the trial makes
sune fifteen hundred pages OF matter, aud
resulted not only in discovering and punish
Ing these crimes against thc Government, but
MISC IN the conviction uud punishmrut or the
Acting Provost Marshal General OF Western
New York, Major Haddock, aud In the re-
coyery from h1fn Of fine Of SD, ,o11, paid
INTO lie United States Treasury. besides the
further sum Of over S2oo, coo, which he was
constrained to pay over after the commence
,nent OF the prosecution. The committee
hare come unanimously to the conclusion
that the conduct of Mr.. Conkling in entering
that service, and In Its management through
ont, was not only Tree from any improper,
selfish or unpatriotic motives, and trokn all
just grounds Of rcproach, hut lis services
were slrEularly able, faithful, and In results
valuable TO tie Government. The commit
cpces, that there y as no constitutional oLJec-
lion to Mr. conkling's accepting the oillce Of
JuoGe Advocate
Undcr the heading Of the "Animus OF the
Blaine Letter. history is given Of great
fraud perpetrated upon thc Government In
Hughes, described as then notorious oounty
brokers In the city Of New York 1t is shown
that General Fry had an interview With Al
len, In which lie made an auycmcnt that
Allen shohld 60 to Utica, md told hin he
wanted evidence that would implicate Mr.
Conklips in frauds there, because he had set
himself against General Fty. Fry added that
he wanted him to get evidence against Conk-
ling ut MI hazards. It appears also that sum
Of ilfty -four thousand dollars bounty, appar-
entity due for a lot Of ficttcions recruits
(bounty jumpers), enlisted In the ofi1cs Of
Allen, Riley and hughes, in the carrying ont
Of q scheme concocted by Colonel Baker was,
1f Erx. m Euf
f,f1n as il ii was bona Jide transaction. AZ
ter giving dctalled history OF, this tzansac-
ton the report says :-*tu there be any cir
cumstances In the testimony which are sus-
ccptible Of further explanation, either by
Gen. Fry or Col. Baker, to both OF whom
tee have not had the benefit OF their knogl-
edge, rs neither appeared as a witness In the
caEe. As your committee have a1ready explain
cd, their Investigation Of the matters with
which they have been charged W the order OF
the House has thus far been confined to that
b,aDch Of the case reiatatlng to the charges
made by Gen. Ffy against the Hon. Rose.e
Copkiine, leaving The other branch OF the
cake relalinc to the cbar2cs made Us the Hon.
ltoscoe Conkllng aEaiust the Provost Mar
shal General untouched. Whatever evidence
there may be contained in the reports Of
your committee which may raise question
touching the management OF the Provost
hlhfE0Hl GeuE{s1e d pHIczaA9 4A9 oCt1A AAAt1h+-A
solely on account Of Its supposed relation 10
the motives Of Gen. Fry in toe publication OF
hie charges against Mr.. Conkliug, as has al
ready been explained. So lar, therefore. as
the committee have deemedi pertinent for
that pnrpose they have heard and considered
1t, and for no Other It would be premature
and might work IN Justice II yonr committee
at this stnge Of Their Investigation were to
pronounce atIirmatively In advance upon
brunch OF the case only col1ateraliy introduc-
ed, and still further to be heard and consider
cd. Your committee, therefore, refFaln Alto
ccther from expressing their Judgment upon
the guilt or innocence Of General Fry on tho
Allen. and his connection with tie Hoboken
cDlMtmcnts." .
The conclusions arrived at by the commit
tee arc as follows:-Yonr committee, having
fully aud ca.fully considered the charges
against the Hon. Roscoe Coukfing contained
III the letter Of Gen. Fry, arc unanimously Of
opinion that none Of the charges In the letter,
whether made directly and openly, or iudi-
rectly and covcrt1y, have any foundation 10
truth, and that the conduct OF Mr- Conkiiug
In relation to each Of the matters nVcstlgated
By the committee has been above repFoach,
and that no circumstances sufficient to excite
reasonable suspicion have arisen which could
justify the attack made upon him in the let
Ter Of Gen. FTy. The several charges against
the Hon. Roscoe ConklIng contained In the
letter Of Gen. FrY being unsupported by The
testimony In any one material particular,
although ample opportunity was afforded, at
the cost Of much time and expense, to enable
The writer OF that letter 10 furnish lis proofs,
the committee ought not to refrain from the
expression of their condemnation OF the de-
ubcrate act of public functionary In tradu-
cling the of1}cial Us we'll Us personal character
Of d member Of the House Of Representatives
Of the United States by the publication Of q
III. t,r