Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-03-21
ALLEGED TREASURY FRAUDS.
Redemption of $4,000 in COunterfeiI
BOnds-Eighteen Millions Missing.

his specifications upon the general charge
made by him in the House of Represents
atives few days before regarding the
SlS,000,000 fraud in the issue and cam
collation. of government bonds. We
print portion of his remarks, with the
remark, that while Logan is not the most
credible witness in the world, he adduees
facts which tend to confirm all the suss
picions in regard to this matter that have
been long time ahoat Clark, the prin-
ter of United States securities, has a
soiled character, and the rOttenness of
the times and the compatibility of public
men at Washington maintains him in his
place Rascality is rampant, and if the
manipulation of two billion of bonds
passes clean through. all hands it will be
a miracle
Mr.. Logan said:
If you take the reports Of committees on
the treasury, you would think it was filled
with angels, with the Archangel Michael
at its head Oh, no; there is no such thing
as corruption there! | called the atten-
ton of gentlemen to these things, and
asked that they should be inquired into,
and in answer they insinuate that | have
made charges which were not true-that
had no foundation in fact. l call your at
tention to another fact | ask the question,
and want you to tell me whether it is or
=. IL hat
the Treasury Department has redeemed
some serenity thousand dollars Of counterfeit
bonds a fact which has never been made
public.
Now, are you going to again charge me
with stating something not true 1 heard
| al IN your OicR committee room this morning.
| do not know whether it is true or false;
| hope it is false. | hope, sir that it is
not true; but is not for me to say anything
about it. merely ask the question. Mr..
Nedle, the man lohO destroys the bonds, came
TO me some three lCeeks ago and told me this.
and the reason why wanted this evidence
printed was this: | venture the assertion
there is not an honest man in the House
who heard the statement he made TO me
who would not have done as | have done,
and asked for a committee to Investigate
it. Let us have the evidence, and see
whether it does not bear me out. That is
the reason why | want it published. Mr..
Neale told me there had Recer been an IN
stance before Of destroying clean, white, smooth
paper, which did not have on it a scratch
of printing. Mr.. Neale so told me that
clean paper, with no printing, paS sent TO
hin, to be destroyed. He said that he acas
Ii al - ,.of,eo1 10 do boc,,,ao
such q thing had neUer been done before.
When blank sheets get between bonds
and are blNrred or mutilated they
are what are called statistically
destroyed. That is what he told me, and
that when they called upon him to destroy
blank paper, new and perfect, without a
scratch, unblurred and unmarried, said 10
represent IN bonds $lS,640,000, he refused to
do IL. What else did he tell me? lie told
me a few days before he heard that there
was rumor in the Treasury Department
that SOC, 100000 Of bonds had been stolen, and
his impression was, when he was asked to
do this thing, that it was TO cOper up these
frauds. That is what he told me, and that
is what he this morning swore to. This is
the reason why l asked for the evidence to
be printed. Such were the facts upon
which made my statement. | made the
statement and asked for an inquiry But
gentlemen say, do not these things get out
do not say there is fraud in the Treasury
Department, for then our bonds will go
down; we must telegraph that somebody
has made a misstatement. You must not
say a word about it whitewash it !; do not
whisper about it; if you do your bonds
will be deprecated. So, if the robbery is
committed, You must not tell about it. If
1000 of counterfeit bonds are paid by
the Secretary, you must not mention it.
Why? Because across the water they will
think that half our bonds are counterfeit,
and they will become deprecated in the
market. That is the argument made.
Mr.. Neale told me this thing had never
been done before. He swore 80 before the
committee He told me, furthermore, that
when he was required to sign the receipt
for SIS, 643 900 bonds destroyed, he would
not do it, and then, as they obliged him 10 do
It, he trent and got committee Of three men to
certify that they l0ere blank paper and not bonds
Gentlemen may examine the books for
themselves, and they will find this is the
only instance where such a certificate has
been made. Now, / ask you as honest
men, looking at that certificate, what il
would be your duty to do2 Would it not
be your duty to call the attention OF Con-
gress to it? Well, but these gentlemen
say this is all right. OF course it is all
right. Certainly it is all right. They say
that no fraud has been committed. / do
not say that there has. There may not
have been fraud, but say this, that what
Mr.. Neale said to me about this record,
and the statements made TO me by him and
by Gen. Spinner, were sufficient to make
any man believe that there was fraud COM
mitted against this government. ! did be-
lieve il. | believed it honestly when |
made the statement to the House.
Now, | want to go little further.
made statement to this House not long
ago about the sale of bonds, and the differ
ence between the price for which they were
sold here and the price for which they were
sold in New York. | have had dozen of
these treasury men after me ever since. l
have had them come to my room l have
had them send for me | have had the
Secretary of the Treasury send for me
but | have never been weak enough to an
swer the call of any of them.
believe, before my God, that there are
men in that department trhO are defrduding
the government, not only in the sale Of its bonds,
but by gioiHg out copies Of yOHr dies, so that
your bonds may be cOltnterfeited beIiere
your bonds hare been duplicated =; IJeliepe the
department has paid duplicated coupons Of
your bonds ; / 6eIieUe Il has taken counterfeit
notes Which mere sent there for redemption and
set them oROat oger the country again. The
department has done all these things, and
yet il finds defenders in both ends of this
Capitol.
THE Radicals in Louisiana are in de