Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-07-22
FEE CASEoFCEN. oo.rsoyyAnD


think of the appearances which men of |
less conscious integrity much more care
fully regard" This is precisely what
was expected of the Radical members of |
that committee. 1t was foregone con-
clusion that they would whitewash How |
ard, so that no one will be disappointed
in their report. But it is fortune
for the country that there were
members CT the committee indie
pendent enough to state the facts as the
evidence shows tLem to exist. The
minority claim that the majority has Ia
bored to prevent full and fair investiga-
ton, endeavoring rather to conceal the
truth than to expose it. In the judgment
of the minority, questions were objected
to by the majority which were proper and
should have been answered, and time
was positively fixed for the closing of
evidence in support of the charges which
the majority of the committee would not
extend, and when the minority, as men,
bers of the committee, asked certain i'm
portant witnesses to be subpenaed 10 es-
tablish important facts stated to be within
their knowledge, the request was denied,
and the witnesses were not subpenaed,
though they could have been produced
and their evidence taken before theinvesti-
CATION was closed, and without delaying
the report of the case to the House. The
minority think that the first charge is
proved by the evidence; that Gen. How
ard used more than half a million of dol
lars of funds of the Freedmen's Bureau
for the Howard University, Hospital and
lands. Gen. Howard, in his written state
ment, admits this, but denies any improper
motive. One istance of the manner in
which he manipulated the funds of
the Bureau for his individual profit
will suffice. Take, for example, the way
in which he contriYed at one and the same
time to make the funds of the bureau
build church in Washington, and yield
a profit to himself on the building thereof !:
Gin 1867 religious society in the city
of Washington, known as the First Con-
gregationalist Society, designed erecting
a new church edifce Gen. Howard was
| a member and one of the trustees of this
society. He was made one of the build
| ing committee for the erection of this new
| building, and treasurer of the same. The
church, being without funds, at the in
stance of Howard issued bonds for the
purpose of raising money. He stated
| that he had bureau funds at his command,
and that he would arrange it so that a
part of it could be obtained. Consequent
" bonds to the extent of 10000 were
authorized and put at his disposal by the
trustees.
s'Gen. Howard then, as commissioner
of the bureau, transferred 81, 900 of the
bureau funds to the Barry Farm fund,
and then, as Treasurer of the Barry Farm
fund, transferring $25, ZOO of the fund to
the Howard University as a charity fund.
He borrows 81, 900 of this fund on his OWL
private account. He then, as President
! of Howard University, directs the trans
fer of S1S, 900 of this same fund, thus
obtained, to the First Congregationalist
building fund, of which he is Treasurer
the university taking the bonds-and
the remaining Sc, 900 of the same to him
self, in receipt for note and mortgage
held by him as his private property-said
note and mortgage having been given &c
him by d. L. Eaton in part payment fol
a house and lot he had privately sold tC
Eaton. Thus, through this winding way,
| S25, 900 of the public money finds its
final Judgment in the treasury of church
and the pocket of Gen. Howard.
In a somewhat similar manner $4,000
more of these bonds were put off by
Gen. Howard upon school at Richmond
in Virginia, against as much available
money appropriated by him as ''commis
sioner" to the purposes of the school,
but diverted by him as financier to thu
purposes of Howard.
The other charges of which the minor
ity of the committee find the accused
guilty are numerous, and include misap
preparations of bureau funds, imprope
speculations in lands belonging to th,
Howard University, and in being inter
ested in furnishing the worthless ''paten
brickn of which it was built The fina
charge is that he was one of q rim,
known as the ''Freedmeu's Bureau Ring,
and that the whole undertaking of Say
ings Banks and schools for freedmen wer
political machinery, and that he used tn
Bureau for his personal and politca
, profit. We give from the report sam
, pie under this head:
"This Bureau had its ramiication
everywhere; its officers and agents wer
to be found in every State, county, an
voting precinct of the South; no electio
could be held, but that some of them wer
: found on the spot, exercising politics
i power over the new citizen, and the lead
, ing candidates for the principal office
were the self-nOminated representatives O
the Freedmen's Bureau. A majority o
, the members of the Legislatures of tn
= so-called reconstructed States last yea
! were either taken from this class or tn
> immediate dependents of it; the civil gov
eminent, what there was of it, was i
< their hands. The Bureau was tue gres
, absorbent of the only civil authority there
4 Whenever this power was disturbed, a
appeal was made to Congress and net
= reconstruction ordered. To asce1tai
the whole amount of public money devo
a ted to these purposes and dis
i tributed through the Bureau woul
be impossible; no public record wi
. now tell it. The official report of Ger
g Howard to Congress in December las
S places it at about thirteen million dollars
This is very far short of the actual sur
disbursed through the Bureau. The cour
sci for Gen. Howard, in his argument be
o fore the committee, in his final summin
= up of the case, in the presence of Gen
d Howard, stated with his consent and az
. proval that this amount exceeded tn
sum, and ''ranged from $13, 900 t
1 500, 900, OO0." 1t is safe to conclude tha
e the latter more nearly approaches the tru
e amount. A large part of the amount IT