Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-07-20
Senator TrumbuII'S Spring
field Speech.
Criticism Of some Of the Cor
ruPtlOns and USurpatiOnS Of
the Grant Ring.
"wbat is the liberal 11ovsmsnt7'
The Greeley and tts Grant Plaiforn.
DEFENSE OF PERSONAL LIBERTY AND
THE HABRAs CORPUS
tCONTINUEp.l


ressutaIives, and packed also BY an Obss-
quoua and partisan spsaker-I speak Of
fAoa Of which / have knoulsdge-a
committee, . majority Of which con
sisted Of the friends Of the Sec
Rotary Of the Navy, whose conduct
vas about to be Investigated. | waut to tell
you What that committee did, and / think
you Gill be Asiouished when / state the fact
thai q committee Of members of the House
Of Representative could have been found,
who we're so blinded by party zeal, so full Of
blgotry or ooWArdioe that they could not see,
or we're afraid to expose, violations Of Law
on the par. Of political associates. This
committee was raised at the instance of
Governor Blair, Of Michigan, . noble, in
dependent, and able Rspublican,-ths Gov.
sruor Of Michigan during the war, and as
ardent and true friend of the great prin-
cipes on which tbs Republican party was
organized as the Union affords Al hs in
stance, . oommittse was raised to inquire
into certain transactions in the Navy De-
pGrtmsnI, presided over by Mr. Robson, Of
whom you never heard, l will venture to
say, till his name was sent TO the Senate for
Secretary Of the Navy. That's so.
Among many of the things that this com
mittss was instructed TO INQUIRE into-for
can mention but few here to-night--was a
claim for building certain vessels for the
Government Of the United States during
the war. | have the precise figures here,
giving the exact amounts which the Gov
eminent contracted to pay for the construc-
ton Of the three vessels, Tecumseb, MAho-
pAc, and Manhattan. The contract vas
made 10 1862, and the Government agreed
10 pay to some contractor by the name
Of Sscor 81 ,3S0,000 for the construction of
these three vessels. After the contract was
made, the Government required some
changes in the plans Of the vessels, and a
Board OF naval officers was appointed to
suPsFintend them and to certify bills for ex
trs work, which they did to the amount of
more than 100000 The vessels we're fur. |
nlshsd, the contract price paid, and il Was
all settled and closed in the Navy Depart !
msnL in 1865. But these contractors, who !
had received more than 81 900, 900 for build.
ing tbs vessels and the extra work, came to
Congress oy petition, aud complained that
they sill had not received as much as they
oaghIi because they said that they were de.
lAysd IN thsir contracts oy the action Of the
Government, that while thus DELAYED the
price Of labor and OF materials advanced,
and they had met With great loss, and they,
therefore, asked Congrssg to allow them
something more. Congress, in 1867, passed
Law direct ng the Secretary Of the Navy to
lack into the matter, aud report TO the next
session. The Secretary appointed Board
OF naval Off Jsrs, who made an invesIigA-
ton. aud reported to Congress that these
SscoS oughI to be allowed SIl5 900 more.
I uaa round nuu, X nm = -Il......
to what they had already received, and put
into the Law these words, "Which shall BE-" |
nov notice the words, which shall be in |
fall dnohArRo of MI claims against the
United States on account Of the vessels
upon which the Board made the allowance
as per their report" Now, do any Of you,
does any lawyer, If there are any lawyers
b ere, knoW how to write q stronger
clause than that, to end this claim |
II you do, / do not (Which |
: $4,000 shall be il fuu discharge Of ell |
claims against the United States on account
OF ths vessels on which .as Board made |
their report" The Ssoors,in 1868. received !
these $4,000 and gave thsir receipt Do |
you not think that ought 70 have ended il ? |
A VOICE. should think so."l Would |
you bslieVs 1t possible that the Secretary Of !
the Navy woald, after ta&t, pay anything
more7 Voices mo No"l They had !
besn paid the original CONTRACT price and the !
extra work BY the former Secretary Of the
Navy in 1864 aud 1865; they had an allow
ance of $4,000 from Congress which by
law II WGs declared should be in full dis
charge OF all claims on account Of these
vessels, and should yOa noI have supposed
that that was the sud Of that transaction. |
Voices-Ges Yes Well, il was not
Laughter Mr.. Robson, in 1870, two years
AttsrWhrd, on his oWu motion, without any
ACT OF Congress authorizing is. proceeds to
this claim, and without coming
TO Congress Ai all pays over to these gentle
men $4,000 more. Well, that is not the
voFG, OF IL. He might ust As well have
paid them 500, 200, 900. The Congress ell
the Unissd States never appropriated any
money to paw these 500 900, bat the Score
larT Of the Navy took the money Appropri
Ased for other purposes and other years and
knew the old Republican party, in the dAys
oil ita purity, would not have tolerated such |
. transaction ~ this. But whsn this packed |
comm came TO examine this Transaction
lor'y Of its members reported that the
u Sc n only involved . mere difference
VI opinion a. 10 the construction Of the law,
and, In their opinion the, ssora,.rv had
construed it rightly. Laughter. And
mr.. hoheaon, instead Of being r,buksd. il
commended by the COMMITTEES. and i. con.
hausd ia othoe. 1t ia due to the Ohairman
o. ms oommitsse-Go'SruOr Blair, Of Mich
igAn, and one of his Associates--,ba CO..
mislee consisted Of Eve msmh.,s',o
that they disSentsd from the mai 1ritv rsDor,
and held that the TRANSACTION wa no. 49,
without authority of law, bat in direc, v;oi:.
ton Of positive statute.
l could dstain you here until daylight N.
morrow m'rning in detailing cases Of hi,
s.%s character which are justified BY the
actions OF partisan committees, appointed
NO, Tor the purpose of fsrreting out, g xpo,;ns
~A0 correcting iniqOity, bat for the parposs