The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1866-05-30
Scandals about the Provost Mar
shal General

A bitter feud, says the N. O. Picayune,
Jig raging between; g en- Fry. Provost Mar
shall General during The late war, aud Mr..
Roscoe Conkling, a member Of Congress
from the Utica District, New York. The
difficulties are Of old standing, but they
broke out into open copfict,a few days
since, by an attack made by Mr.. T6hklihg,
on the floor Of the House of kRepresenta-
tives, on the management Of the Provost
Marshal's Bureau by Gen. Fry, in New
York Gen. Fry responded in letter to Mr..
Blaine, member of The House from Maine.
which was read in the House, defending
himself and assailing Mr.. Cohklingt in re-
turn, for corrupt practices.
Mr.. Conkling said :-9''
Ifa committee for the purpose were APP
pointed, he MR. sConkling) would under
take to make good assertion that in the
Western Division of New York, the Pro-
vost Marshal's Bureau, as"it was admins
tered. was one carnival of corrupt disorder,
and then the public, would know whether
the head of the bureau was d man capable
Eof administering it, capable Of seeing the
difference between honest men and thieves,
orwhethep it was administered by a lnan
who had the capacity to do what, but, for
the want Of another quality, he would have
done, and that was, the food ofscorruption
that went unchallenged, month after month,
all over the western part Of the State Of
New York. 's'' 80 2 y
Gen. Fry charges against Mr.. Conkling,
that in April, last year, lie obtained extra
ordinary powers from Mr.. Chase. A. Dana,
then acting Secretary Of WARY now the
editor of the Chicago Republican, and with
out notifying Gen. Fry, and without the
knowledge Of Secretary Stanton, exercised
and abused the right. to examine the dis
patches in oil telegraph Offices in the West
ern Division of New York, which enabled
a violation of personal and business cores
pondence. Gen.. Fry says:
For his services IN this connection, Mr..
Conkling received, on the 9th of Novem-
Der last, from The United States, the mod
est fee of $4,000 Whether he received, as
has been reported, from his district $4,000
more for the same service, and whether he
received additional fees from guilty parties,
for opposing proceedings in Utica, am
unable to'say ;'but, as hereafter shown, he
wasias jealous in preventing prosecutions
at Utica as he was in making them at Ell
mira, and the. main ground of difficulty be-
tween Mr.. Conkling and myself has been
that l wanted exposure at both places,
while he wanted concealment at one.
HeScharges that Mr.. Conkling was at the
same time receiving pay as member OF
Congress and as Judge Advocate,and after
reciting causes Of complaint against Mr..
C.'s course, closes nthese bitter words;
Hecan, therefore, only escape The; charge
of deliberate and malignant falsehood, as a
member of Congress, by confessiDg an M
pardonsbIe breach ofdaty as. Judge Adyo.
cate. He held both, Offices aud took pay
for both, and at the same time ssHe has
certainly been false to honor-in one, and
perhaps, as the sequel may show, both.
The House, after spicy debate, which
came to be quite personal between Mr.
Conklingsa Mr. Blaine, adopted q resoln-
ton for the appointing Of q committee Of
examination into all the facts alleged by
both against each other. A rich develop.
ment is looked for.