Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1872-09-05

Another Libel Exposed.

the State by Democratic orators and ech-
oed by certain shameless journals 1t is
not partic llarly pleasant duty, but it is
one we do not propose to shirk, though
the exposure of Democratic mendacitv
seems likely 10 monopolize a large share
of our space during the campaign
A few days since we silenced Mr. THoM-
AS A. HENDRICKS in the matter of 'gift
taking" by showing that letter which he
read purporting to be from Gene al GRANT
was "A Forgery. And we are now pre-
pared TO silence him and a whole crew Of
slanderous imitators by exposing onother
| libel coined by that same gentleman and
repeated by every Democratic speaker in
the State.
In his speech at the Academy of Music
in this city, Mr.. HENDRICKS said:
zone of the first acts of General GRANT after his
election as President was to veto bill allowing pay
| to soldier of the Third Indiana Cavalry for two
| horses lost by him i'll the public service"
| And the speaker descanted at some
length on this lext, denouncing GRANT as
no friend of the soldier, hostile to the vol
unteers, etc.
The cause referred to was that Of HEN
RY WILLMAN, private in the Third In
diana Cavalry, and we have obtained
from the proper bureau in the Treasury
| Department at Washington the following
history of it:
TREASURY DEPARTMENT.
THIRD AUDITORS OFFICE,
! August, 26, ls72
To the Editor of the Journal:
SIR: The case of HENRY WILLMAN, late private
Sd Indiana Cavalry, was prosecuted by w s
HOLMAN, Democratic member of Congress from
the Third District OF Indiana; and after giving him
all the facility possible, for several years to fur-
nlsh the evidence required to subsantate the claim
he failed to do so, and acknowledged that he was
unable to furnish the evidence that was considered
necessary to complete the case.
IN the first place. the evidence was hardly consid-
cred sufficient by this Office TO show that WIIINAN
had claim against the Government; and in the sec
cond place. it is shown that he orepaid for use
and risk OF horsesfa sum exceeding the amount of
claim. But, at the request of HOLMAN, the claim
was submitted TO the Second Comptroller Tor his
decision, and in submitting it to him il was reco-
mended that the claim should be allowed, and that
the sum allowed be carried to WILLMAN's credit,
on occount OF previous overpayment for us. and
risk OF horses. The Comptroller decided that the
evidence was not sufficient to warrant the allow
ance; ard them of the request of Mr.. HOLMAN
the papers were all sent to Congress, and special
act was passed for the relief OF said WuLMAN
which was vetoed by the President. Very respect
fully. w. II. GAINES
Chief of Horse-claims Division
Thus it will be seen that Hon. w. S.
HOLMAN, not satisfied with the decision
OF the Auditor and Comptroller procures
The passage of an act by Congress 10 au-
thorize the payment of a claim already re-
jected by the accounting officers of the
Treasury. Doubtless he smuggled it
through without letting its true charac-
ter be known and in all probability he
was promised fee of $50 for his servi-
ces. The following is copy of the act:
An Act for the relief of HENRY WuMAN. late a pri
Be it enacted by the Senate and House Of Repre-
sentatives of the United States of America in Con
gress assembled. That the Secretary Of the rrea
sury, and he is hereby directed to pay to Henry
Whitman, late private in the Third Regiment of
Indiana Volunteer Cavalry, out of any money in
the treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sum
OF Two hundred dollars, being the value oftwo hor-
ses and equipments owned by him and lost in battle
in Virginia, during the late war.
Having passed both Houses of Con
gress and gone to the President Tor his
signature, it became his duty to know the
facts. Learning that the claim had been
rejected by the accounting officers of the
Treasury, and that it was not founded in
equity, he vetoed 1t, as it was his duty
TO do. The following is copy Of his We
to message:
EXECUTIVE MANSION.
February 3, 1S11.(
''To the House of Representatives
Il herewith return, without my approval, House
bill No. 1885, entitled ''An Act for the relief of Hem
ry Wiman, late private in the Third Regiment of
Indiana Cavalry" for the following reasons:
"fhe records OF the War Department show that
Henry Whitman was mustered into the military
service April T. 1862 and that ne was mounted on a
private horse. 1t appears from evidence presented
by himself that his horse died May Is, 1862, that he
remounted himself on June S, 1862 and so confif,-
ued mount ed till October 1, 1862, when his horse
killed by the enemy, and that he not after
wards mounted on private horse.
''Upon presenting claim against the United
States for the legal value OF the horses lost by
him in the public service, the claim, after investf-
CATION, allowed; but it being discovered that he
was enormously paid for the use and risk of pri-
vate horse from May Is to June S, 1862, and from
October 1862, to April 80, 1864, during which pc
riods he had no horse in the public service, the
amount oveTpaid was offset against his claim.
leaving the latter fully liqudated and the claimant
indebted to the United States iii an amount not yet
refunded.
''The person named IN the act is not, in law or
equity, entitled to the relief therein provived, and
has no unsatisted demands against the United
States Z. S. GRANT"
The attention of Congress being thus
called to the trick of Hon. W. S. HoLL-
MAN, his little bill was thrown under the
table and his little fee was nOtpocketed.
The foregoing is a true history from the
official record of the case cited by Mr.
HENDRICKS against Gen. GRANT. The
facts show that HOLMAN was trying to
get through bogus claim, and that the
President, watching the public interest
more intently than the members of Con
gress, who had allowed it to be rushed
through, detected the little fraud and We
toed the bill, thereby saving $500 to the
Treasury-not much it is true, but enough
to pay HoLLMAN's salary as member of
Congress for nearly two weeks and there
fore worth saving
1t Is true IN one sense-a strictly tech
nical sense-that the President vetoed the
bill allowing WILLMAN for two horses.
But when the facts re stated, that WILL
MAN had already been paid by mistake a
sum larger than he now claimed, that he
was actually in debt to the government
and that it was the duty of the President
to veto this rascally little bill and prevent
the payment of an improper claim, the
act appears in its true light, and stamps
the version of Mr.. HENDRICKS and the
rest as barefaced libel.
1t is now in order for Messrs HEN
DRICKs and HOLMAN to rise and explain
Will they do it, or will they continue to
repeat this libel in their speeches? We
understand HENERICKs has stopped read
ing the forged. letter about gift taking
will he stop this libel and apologize for
having uttered it several score of times,
or will he continue it and solicit from all
honest men the epithet that belongs to
him who utters a SANDER and an untruth?
According to report of Prof D. A.
Ewing there are $3.50 school children in
South Bend