The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1867-09-28

| The paving of $3.50, 900 for the old steamship
| Illinois. which was not sent to sea, and by
a trick was got rid of by letting the authori-
ties of New York have her for quarantine
| purposes. Her estimated value by officials
| of the navy department., to whom the ship
was offered, was 100000. The transaction
| took place a proposition of the quarter.
master general for appraisal being sup
pressed) just before some important elections
in states that were supposed to be closely
balanced between parties. There are Indi.
anians who are posted on this subject.
There is no end to the like profuse and ex-
cessive prohigacy of Mr. Stanton. So mon
strous was his wild and wasteful expendi-
ture for ships and vessels that it probably
far exceeded that of the navy department,
with its thousand ships, grim sentlnels at
every port or inlet from Hampton ROADS
to the Rio Grande. The treasury RECORDS
should also be unsealed to exhibit the vast
treasure that was allowed in defiance OF Id"
over the heads of comptrollers, ana au9ieors
upon accounts under the military head.
They should be unsealed, that the people
nav know of the vast amount of public
money that has been lost by defalcations of
nnblic officers. Their names should be
known, and the radical influences that keep
them in Office or prevent their prosecution.
1t were interesting to know what partiality
existed, and why it existed, in reference to
allowances for railway transportation? Fo.
instance, why was the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad company paid for service which it
never performed? Why one-half cent q
mile more was paid to said road for passage
of soldiers than was paid to any other rail-
road? Why the value of labor and mater-
ais of the government was not deducted
from the charges of said company for CON
struction or repair after rebel raids upon the
road during the war? Whether the gov
eminent did not make expenditures for con-
struction when damage had arisen from
other process of injury than by destructive
rebel ineursions? Why said railroad COM
pany received over hundred thousand dol
lars yearly for carrying mails, which, in fact.
were not carried at all on the main stem of
the road? Why the said company were al
lowed to purchase on credit millions of dol
lars of government rolling stock, thus being
enabled thereby to realize every dollar of the
trumped up accounts in millions of dollars,
by way of extra charges? What wonder is
it, in view of all these rivers of profigacy,
running to the deep gulf of $4,000, 200, 900
for war expenditures, AS stated often bv
Mr.. Thaddeus Stevens), that the people
should be sinking under excessive taxation ?
What wonder is it that portions of the re-
publican press are clamoring for the taxa
ton of the bonds of the federal government?
What wonder is it that profuse and lawless
expenditures to carry elections, and make
fortunes for thousands of shoddy snobs, has
thoroughly corrupted and depraved the lead
ership, great and small, of the republican
party? Is 1t then, strange that the party is
in state of dissolution andthaw' through,
out the country, and that its ascendency has
been shivered to dishonored fragments in
Connecticut and California, and that there is
cheering prospect of its utter destruction ii
the great central states at the October and
November elections