New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-04-21

There is another officer who has been re
Gently investigated, only slightly so,
think, one of the Cabinet officers-the sec
rotary Of one Of the departments,and wha
few years ago, during the war, the govern
ment entered into contract with certain
persons to build some war vessels. Ate
the contracts were made, the government
changed the plan somewhat, and it i
alleged that they delayed the contractor
in the completion of the vessels, by which
they suffered loss in consequence of the ris,
in the price of materials and labor. In tn,
year 1866, two years after the war wal
over, they complained that they hat
suffered great loss by reason of thi!
! action Of the government, and asked to
be paid. Congress passed law author
izing the Secretary of the Navy to convene &
number OF officers to examine into theil
complaint and see what, if anything, wat
due them. That board met and reported
that there was due these contractors, in
consequence Of the action of the govern
ment, $1l5, 500. ThereupOn, the govern
ment of the United States, through its Con
gress in 1868. passed law directing Sis, SOC
to be paid these contractors in full of al
claims growing out OF the construction Of
these vessels. That money was paid and re
ceived. Don't you think that ought to have
been the end Of it! But it was not. Oh
no! Next, without any law, the Secretary
organized another board and told them to
| inquire into this matter, and they did ex-
anime, and they reported that the contract.
board, now, of his own subordinates. There
! was no law directing him to appoint this
board, as there was IN 1867, by another
Secretary. But he appointed it Of his own
volition, and then what does he do? Why,
he pays them this 500, 900 besides. What do
you think of that's And he not only pays
that money, but he pays it without any APP
preparation to pay it with. The constitution
of your country declares that money shall
only be paid out of the treasury in pursuance
of appropriations made by law. What author
ity had he to take the money appropriated
in 1869 and 1870 for work done in 1867, or
before that The officer might just as well
have taken 500. 900 out of the treasury with
out any examination at ALI just as well
have taken any money as to have taken the
particular money he did. He not only
account that had been settled, but also by
taking money that had never been apprO-
priated for such a purpose. What is the
answer to that9 The answer is that that
was his construction of the law. Laugh
teri What would you think of the con-
structiOn of q contract that one of you had
made to pay one of your employees $4,000
on contract in full of all claims growing
out Of the transaction, and he was to come
to you afterward and recover $685. 900 of
you, and you, offering your receipt, were
told: - My construction Of the receipt is
that you pay $4,000 more" There is no
excuse for it, and if the country was not
full of these violations of the law
and plunderings of the Treasury,
such transaction as that would
create an indignation through the whole
country; but there is go much of it that you
overlook these breaches of the law and
misappropriations of the public money.
(Applause.l 1t ia said by some, ''Oh. there
was no intention to do any wrong" The
question is not one of intention. An abso-
lutte monarch may govern his subjects justly
or he may Cypress or enslave them. The
question ia not whether the military officers
who are detailed to perform the duties of
civilians or whether the secretaries pay
money on accounts which are justly due.
The question is, had they any authority to
in this case. Due or not due. there was no
authority in the secretary to open his ac-
count and pay this $93, 900 besides. have
thus briefly, fellow citizens, stated to you
that slavery has been abolished; that the
rights Of all the citizens OF this country
have been established; that the rebellion
has been put down; the States restored to
their former position in the Union. All
these questions have been settled, and
to disturb them or to agitate
the public mind in reference to them
must do SO for the purpose of diverting at
tention from the living issues of the times.
[Applause.] And what are thosel l have
tried to state to you what they were. They
relate to the encroachment by the Federal
government upon the rights of State and
local governments. They relate to am
nesty and to securing the equal rights of
ton of the Republican party. They relate
to reform in our revenue system by which
taxation shall be reduced, and SO arranged
as to bear equally, as far as possible, upon
all branches of industry, without increas-
ing one branch for the benefit of another.
[Applause.] They relate to the publication
OF the civil service, and the administration
of government, by which plunderers shall
be driven from power-fcries of "Good,
hands of honest men. Now, why can not
this be done! Ihad hoped, fellow citizens,
that all this should be accomplished
through the instrumentalities of those
having control of the government.
But the experience of the past session of
Congress and the present session has salts
fed me that these reforms can not be &C.
through the agency of the rul-
ing spirits now controlling them. [Applause.]
every amnesty bill that is offered by limi-
tatiOns and homogeneous amendments. Pro-
Tossing to be for civil service reform, they
viii do nothing practically to accomplish it.
[Applause.] Processing with loud voice to
be in favor of the fullest investigation and
the correction Of abuses, they appoint COM
mittees contrary to all parliamentary pre-
applause] land all common sense,
f the object is to find out whether abuses
Exist; SO organized as to be controlled by
he friends of the accused, and from which |
every person is carefully excluded who be-
ieves that abuses exist and wants a strict |
Investigation. [Applause.] Had that course
been pursued in New York, do you think |
7ou would have unearthed these frauds |
suppose when it was discovered that mill |
ions of dollars had been squandered in
his city by corrupt officials, and those |
officials had been called upon to ap-
,oint committee of investigation and had |
elected their own committed laughter]- |
hem? Why, it took your. committee of |
evenly, with the assistance of the ablest |
awyers in America, months to ascertain |
where the money of which you had been |
obbed had gone and who had received it; |
md think it is only within few weeks |
,ou have been able to find it, and l don't |
hink you have found it all yet. Is it any |
Wonder, then, that these committees have |
My seen the surface of the corruption with |
which nearly every department of this gov
rnment is reeking! Why, fellow citizens.
'efore this war began the ordinary expenses
f this government, excluding payment of |
interest and pensions, were less than $780,
100000 per year. What do you suppose |
hey were last. year, More than $780,
10000. Is there any reason for this Why,
will be said, perhaps the country has |
rown and business has increased. True;