The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1867-11-21
VOL. IL


gain which must wound the public
morals 1t has tended TO the demoral.
ization and corruption Of the army and
navy by the exhibition of the vast re-
wards which havo accrued from this
trade and from the temptation and
bril- cry with which they hfve been
constantly assailed Ills believed to
have led to the prolongation of the war;
and to have cost the country thousands
of lives and millions upon millions of
treasure
The object of the existing laws has
been almost entirely cvaded. The tes-
| timony before the committee discloscs
the shameless and reasonable charac-
ter OF The trade which has been carried
on within the rebel lines with rebel
agents, and for the use of rGbcl armies
The amount of supplies nocessaryfor the
support of rebel armies which, under
the cover Of this trado, has been sent
! through the rebel lines at New Or
leans, Memphis, Norfolk, and other
! places, almost surpassos belief Nego-
tlatiOns have hccn entered into, and
correspondence carried on, by citizens
Of the United States with rebel agents
to deliver for the rebel government
| provisions and other necessary articles
20 sustain the rebel armies, in return
Tor cotton
Your committee have had no oppor-
tunity 20 examine, to any considerable
extent, into what has been done under
the regulations Of the Treasury De-
partmcnt, SINCE the passage of the act
Of July 2, 1864, except so far as relates
TO contracts entered into 10y Hanson
a, Rislcy, an agent authorized to pur-
chase the products of insurrcctiOuary
States, at Norfolk, Va, but who has
been located in Washington. By a
/ statement sent from the Treasury De-
partmcnt to tho Srnatc, it appears that
thus agent, from November /, 1864, 20
January 2I, 1865, made contracts with
s'Nty.one persons to purchase over
$50, 600 bales Of ,otton. How many
bales of cotton have been contracted
for, or purchased, by agents as Now
Orleans, Memphis, Nashville, Beaufort,
Port Royal and Pensacola, has not yet
been ascertuined, but probably not less
than 100000 bales.
The actiJn Of this agent ut Washing
ton seems 10 have been characterized
| by much irrcgularity and carelessncss,
though nothing has appeared to chal-
/ lcugo the Official integrity of Mr.. Risley.
! There seems TO haze been no system
governing the making of these con-
tracts and no uniformity in tho re.
quircmcnts necessary TO obtain them,
Some parties made aflidavits that they
owned and controlled products IN IN
surrcctionary States; others made ap-
| plication in writing; others made overbal
Implication; and no particular kind OF
| proof seems To have been required that
the parties were loyal and responsible
men, acting honestly and in good faith.
! Persons holding office undOr the gov.
crnmcnt Of the United States appear us
contractors, Contracts, certificates,
aud Presidential orders have been mas
terially altered and changed. 1t Is in
proof that orders of the President have
| been altered without his Rnowlodge or
consent.
Immense contracts have been made
| with particular individuals. in the pro-
| pricty Of somo of which. at least, the
committee al not able TO concur They
have failed to become satisfied with the
contracts made with several parties,
and particularly with that made with
Samuel Noble, for the enormous
amount of 250 600 bales of cotton, il
appearing that thus Mr.. Noble was re-
Gently from the rebel States, ind that
no sufficient evidence was required or
received Of hs loyalty, honesty, and
| good faith. or thu, he either "Owned
or controlled" this very large number
o! bales of cotton And it may he here
stated. that, in .ho Judgment of the
committee. it was never contemplated
by the existing laws, or by the Iegua,
tons under them that such vast con-
tracts were to be given out to such
small and peculiar class Of persons,
and III the manner which has been al
lowed In many other cases besides
that Of Noble thoro was tho same want
Of evidence in regard TO the ownership
and control Of cuJton, and II is appa-
4 rent that in most instances these con-
; tracts were made with parties who
neither owned nor controlled products
in nsurrectionary States, but who OBJ
tanned the contracts, certificates and
executive orders Tor tho purpose of
speculation, Nor were your commltteo
satisfied in relation To- the contract with
i Wilson, Gibson 4 Co., for ono hundred
! thousand bales Of cotton. tits in owl
dence before them, that for the pur-
pose ofpart payment of this amount
ofcotton the parties nave some time
since shipped from the city Of Now
York two vessel loads of supplies, and
among such supplies largo amount
of articles necessary to the support Of
II armies M Meats. 70 the ynlma OF thirlu-