Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-11-17

more so than the justice of the case and
the honor of the country demandss y ooA
The Negro Soldiers and Sailors
Swindled by Freedmer1e Bnreau
Agents.
The Cincinnati 4Gueette, of SATURDAY,
through ito Wsshingtono correspondent.
unveils gigantic system of fraud perpe-
Ei8edmeRs Bafean, who, instead of aiding
the ignorant blacks, as the Freedmen's Bu-
reau officials were professedly placed in of
flee to do, have been engaged in system
of plundering the colored soldiers, sailors
and marines. By the laws of Congress,
these colored soldiers, .who fought pobly."
andthe, ,sailors add marines. WHO reside or
have resided in any State where slavery
existed in 1860, who have money due them
from the Government, for back pay, prize
moneys, or bounties, are paid through the
Freedmen's Bureau and its agents in those
States. 1t tappears that the plan covers these
States and reaches far enough back
In Washington to secure all needed in
formation and assistance. Those who are
parties to 1t have combined to delay the
pSynent Of these Claims after the money
has passed out of the Treasury and into the
possession of the Freedmen's Bureau off,
cials and IN the meantime, having obtain
the postofice address of the claimants or
their legal renresentatives,the' principals
in the office, who are now travelling for the
purpose to represent to them that the
chances are that such claims may not be
settled for q long time, and then offer to
buy their claim, foraless than half, its face
for cash, taking the claimant. receipt
On presentation of their. receipt the full
amount is paid over at once: The matter
came out through application made by
those engaged in the enterprise to certain
parties 10 farnish capital to prosecute the
business on large scale. Those applied
to showed sufficient interest in the matter
to learn the outlines Of the plan, and then
made IL known instead of taking part In it,
Those prosecuting the swiHdle represented
that the average cost OF buying up these
claims had been only 40 per cent, and that
10per cent. would fully cover all costs Of
travel and information from the depart
ments.1 The gentlemen fmportuned to fur
nish funds weregassured that tevery dollar
Invested could Sc doubled IN few weeks
as the claims unpaid and delayed amounted
to several million dollars. There has
passed, Through the Frredmen's Bureau
from the Treasury Department in checks,
and cerfihcates on account OF colored SOL.
diers and sailors during the last year the,
sum Of $3,4o0 900, and the only guard
against the, wholesale. perpetration of the
kind Of fraud alluded to is the individual
honesty Of the agents bthreuahous the
country, which IS. perhaps, the poorest se-
curly, the poor deluded dafkey. swindledg
In the house OF, his political friends, can
flayes sssnissd bee seiiso2 sii giiI.a.ds 7ialidQ
s,The Gazette, in calling attention to this
gigantic fraud, says: tsvs 10 ;ggSEs .. aSslsa
e..There have been, tor some time grave
suspicious entertained by the best friends
of the Freedmen's Bureau, that its ma
cbinery was perverted extensively to the
accomplishment of ends quite foreign to
the benefcent objects for which it was
called into being. Our dispatches from
Washington this morning will doimuch to
justify these suspicious. The Freedmen's
Bureauwas organized TO be an, assistance
to the poor and protection to the op-
pressed. Such, q. system of organized
beneficence was needed. There can be no
questioning the fact it has out-lived its
usefulness to the freedmen, and appearances
indicate that some connected with it have
employed their opportunities for personal
aggrandisement, and perverted its methods
OF charity into methods of extortion."
ttThe Freedmen's Bureau has l''outlived its
usefulness" ostensibly it was started to
protect the negroes of the South-it has
t,<<n khoir
ushered into existence as an electioneering
machine, to coerce the South into negro
sufrage, and to iorce, by aid of the, bayo-
ref,s the electoral votes of the Southern
States, for The, Radical nominees 1t has
been 30 successful in this latter that by
4tdof Southern States forced to 60 Radical,
asd other States deprived Of their voice in
the Electoral College, Gen. GRANT is eleet-
ed Presidents when, without the aid Of the
Freedmen's Bureau and the standing army,
he would have lost every Southern STATE,
and the Democratic nominees shaxe been
elected, The success Of Radicaiism shows
that the Bureau has stoutlived It's useful
nessn becanse Raaicalism, having now
accomplished Al u sought can afford to
slsy It aside" ,o,4 ,.-,r-,...5.
Organized for dishcnast purposes, 1t is
not at all to be wondered at, that its agents
have been engaged in Successful scheme
to plumber the very men that Radicalism
claimed, that they were paid to protect
The poor darkey fares badly when his ie-
norance is taken advantage of, to plunder
him in the house of his friends - il"G
Dayton Ledger. ar
This excellent sheet publishes a card from
Mr.. Mr..VALLANDIaHAM, which says that, pro-
posing to devote his whole time to the
practice of tie law, he has leased his half
OF the Ledger Office to H. ELLIOTT, Esq,
who has had charge chiefly for year and
more past, of its editorial columns. Many
ofits most widely copied articles Mr.. VAL
LANDreHAM adds) have been from his pen,
n 3 L-- l.. AZ