The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1870-08-04
Charges of Corruption against
Gen. Butler.

Washington, July %.
HoTafI0 Ames, the inventor If he Anne:
gun, las fled bill in the equity court, O
this city, severely impilcaung Benz. Il.
Butler II taking 4 fee, while Iacmber OF
Congress. and on committee lnyestIgat
iBg the contract Of SAID Ames, and the
course CT the chiefs Of army aud navy ord
( nance regarding the same. The bill recites
that. In consequence OF unjus; acts toward
hun and others, Congress, on March 80,
F.. 1867, ordered thorough investigation into
all the transactions OF said chiefs, Us reason
OF which, before Jan. 20, 1870, there had
been presented to, and was then pending
+ before, the military committee OF the SEN
ate, charge u conspiracy against Gen
! Dyer and other official persons, charging
/ them with canSpiIng to conceal and cover
up all the personal Offences and official acts
/ 81 uialadministralI3a with which SAID Dyel
/ had been accused by the iJjl.t committee
or ordnance Of the FUrtieth Congress; that
/ as member 81 the On dinancc Committee,
Is. L. Butler had become familiar With the
circumstances ana facts connected with the
business Of Ames, and, shortly after the
charge OF conspiracy had been submitted
10 Congress, Jan. 3 last, respondent called
at Gen. Butler 5 Office for the purpose of
consulting Llm, and was there and then
informed by Whitney, the clerk of Gen.
Butter, OF desire ani disposition on the
part OF Dyer TO make an amicable arrange
nent, through Butler, with all persons
making charges on complaints against him,
and that ior the sum Of 50, 900, he, Builder,
would undertake 20 secure the withdraw
OF all opposition by the said dyer to the
payment OF the claim ofraspond mt, Amcs,
under his contract, and he would procure
through Dyer, the receipt, experimental
test, aad sale 0f.thc three additional cannon
steel cores, provided that RESPONDENT
Ames, would cause to lie wi!hddtavn from
Congress the charge Of conspiracy. lie
further states that, being much embarrass
cd by the nOn>payment Of his claim, and
TO terminate the unjust resistance TO the
legitimate prosecution Of his business, he
slgnlied his Willingness to accept such pro-
posal, and " huIeY made the memoranda
set out IN the origina! bill. inserting his
own mare, anu reqnring payment Of
$3.50 as earnest money, promising that, #
the arrangement was not carried out and
accomq ll,hed IN every particular, to return
1t. lie charges that, although 3 u. Whit
ney appears to be the contracting party.
yet the real party is Is. T. Butler, and that
he understood lie was contracting for the
services of Butler. He farther charges
that, not having learned thas DYER had
made any recommendation to bis three al.
ditioual gun steel cores, he has not made
any such, and further, as Butler has failed
to perform the agreement on his part he
Is entitled TO have refunded the earnest
money $3.50 Whitney comes into court
and prays that certain money due Ames
from the treasury may be withheld for the
payment Of the 5000 fee, en- the ground
that the agreement with Ames was fulfilled
the latter getting bis money, and the
charge Of conspiracy against Gen. Dyer
being Withdrawn. The developments Of
these two bills show up some Of The operas
tons Of the Washington lobby of the past
session in an interesting light While But
Ter did not get all his fee, it appears that
Ames got a private claim Of so, 900 pass
ed through Congress.