The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-05-12
Howard.

IfGen. Howard desires to save anything
whatever of his reputation he should i'm
mediately close out the remnant of it at
cost Much of the world suspected all
along that he was singing and shouting
and praying with the negroes a good
deal more than Heaven requires of the
Chris ian who carries his hands exclu-
sively in his own pockets, and the investi-
CATION of Mr.. Woods charges, which is
now going on, has already confirmed that
suspicion. His conspicuous piety was as
mere cry of" stop thief" to divert the
popular gaze from those little schemes of
personal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF his which
have cost the Government so many tens
of thousands of dollars
A majority of the committee before
whom the investigation is going on are
the political friends of General Howard,
but they are powerless to shield the char
acter for honesty and piety he has taken
so much pains to build up, and it is being
rapidly swept away. 1t has been proven
that he purchased the ground where the
Howard University now standsan erect
ed the building out of the funds appropri-
ated by Congress for the Freedmen's Blu
reau. They have also proved that General
Howard was largely interested in the
manufacture of patent brick, out of which
, the Howard University is constructed !;
that the money for these brick was paid
out of the Bureau funds. 1t is also In
evidence that he asked and received an
acre of the land purchased for the How
ard University by the Bureau funds for
| himself, and that he has erected private
residence upon tall at the expense OF
the Bureau The trustees of the University
have testified that the Institution is pr
vate corporation, in no sense connected
with the Government; that the Govern
ment has no control Of it and does not re
ceive any revenue or benefit from it. AT
the same time it is held that the money
for its erection was paid out Of the Gov.
eminent funds, and that the salaries of its
professors and teachers are now paid out
OF the Bureau fund. Builders and archi-
tects have testified that the material known
as the patent brick, out of which the
building was constructed, is worthless fol
building purposes, and that it would not
answer for private dwellings, much less
for large public building.
Many other facts are TO be developed
before the investigation is ended. A mum
Der of other witnesses against Howard are
ready to testify, and it is said that charges
of still more damaging character will be
made and sustained by overwhelming
proof. This Freedmen's Bureau was al
ways fraud and a swindle, intended fol
political and personal purposes. Hun
dreds of men have grown rich from con
nection with this trooly loil' institution
They had two chances at the flesh pots.
IN the first place, they plundered the Gov
eminent; in the second, they tleeced The
ignorant negroes. In the South the agents
of the Bureau squatted on lands belong
ing to others, paid no rent, and used tn,
negroes to till the soil. While doing so
the latter were fed and clothed at Govern
ment expense. In Washington another
class of men quartered upon this fund
men, like General Howard and others
who claimed high standard of morality
yet fl0ated with the tide and looked ou
for wrecks upon the shore, if they did no
light false beacons to guide them there
L0uisciHe Courier Journal, Nay 4.