The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-01-03
SAMBO AMONG THE SINNERS

ISAMB0 AMONG THE SINNERS
HOW THE LOYAL FREEDMAN rs
TREATED BE THE GRANT RING.
They Fill His Pockets out OF Govern
ment Bounty and then Empty them
for their Own Benefit.
A Washington correspondent of the SaVan-
nah News has been showing up, in rather
lively style, some of the peculiar operations
of the hangers-on of the Grant administration
In Washington, and especially of the philan-
thropic gentlemen who have constituted
themselves the especial custodians of the cash
Of the colored people of the South. After
giving the particulars Of score of shabby
transactions, the correspondent says:
It Is not pleasant to relate these things. but
/ regard 1t duty to the colored man, whose
friend have always been, and who needs
care, work, education and protection. he
needs true friends-not such as seek to enrich
themselves by making merchandise of his Gre
duIlty and his ignorance. -,
It may not "startle," but 1t certainly will
astonish some persons to know that nearly
$50, ,OOO. 900 have been drawn from the treasury
of the United States to pay bounties and ''sddi-
tional bounties" to colored troops. Compare this
large amount with the number ofcolored troops
IN active service as shown on the muster-rolls
| and 1t will at once be apparent that some one
| has been extensively engaged In the manuiac-
| ture of 'scolored troops in need Of bounty, and
that large amount Of it went into the pockets
noteglltmately entitled to 1t. Indeed, 1t ls safe
| to say that at least one.third of this large
amount never found the ''colored troops"-
TLN ,kO1a frrfrY inrr
bounty and Traditional bounty to troops, as
devised by Congress. was extremely pernl,-
cious, aud opened wide field for fraud and
corruption. It was done By Republican Con-
gress ior political effect, and General schenck
has at least the credit OF being father OF the
scheme For time no distinction was made
between white and colored troopsso far as re:
lated to bounlies. The money was deposited
in the treasury. and paid out through the pay
master generals Office by an officer of the reg
ular army. Two gentlemen now prominent
In the Ring which rules Washington with
such an iron rod, conceived plan OF sep
aratlng the coored from the white troops.
allotted as bounty for ''colored troops' that
they could use it for speculative purposes.
They suggested the scheme to General How
ard, and showed him what field 1t would
open to enterprise and profit If he could only
get control Of the funds appropriated to pay
C0LOEeQ troops, auu nave tue rFceuiudus oa'-
ings and Trust Company made Its depository
Instead Of the Treasury Of the United States.
The'general took to the idea very kindly, and
with the assistance Of the gentlemen have
referred to, sool had authority from Congress
to separate the colored from the white troops,
to take charge of their bounty fund,
and disburse it through the Freedman,s
of an accommodating Congress? What more
could his TWO friends, with whom the scheme
had originated, and who needed accomm0da-
tlous. require? By its act Congress gave Gen.
eral Howard and the Freedman's Bureau al
most unrestricted control Of millions OF dol.
ara of the governments money, enabled him
to fortfy the bank, and be kind to his needy
friends. Bailocb, examiner Of the Freedman's
Savings and Trust Company, was appointed
disbursing officer for the payment Of boun!tes
10 colored troops, and at once dignlfed him
self with the rank and title of brigadier-gene-
raj. have now brought Balloch and Major
Hodge face to face, one drawing his money
white troops, the other making depository
of the Freedman's Bureau Bank and paying
bountles to colored troops. And here let me
ash; why the Freedman's Savings Bank, or
any other bank or trust company, should be
.coi,sidorod-a more sato depository tor gov
ernment funds than the Treasury OF the
United States? Free access to so large an
amount of money seems 10 have had similar
effect for evil on those two men, Hodge and
Balloch, and both iell under the temptation.
Their crimes, 80 far as Intention and example
are concerned, are very much alike. But their
treatment has been very unlike. Hodge
used s460,0O0 of the government money 10
speculatlons, was detected, made a manly
confession, was promptly arrested, separated
from his suffering family, imprisoned In
fortress, tried by court martial. degraded and
sent to the penitentiary, where he now lies
immured In felon's cell. Hodge had no one
to come forward and make good his deacien-
CIV; no powerful friends to shield him with
their political influence. Republicans In
Congress, especially those who are now doing
so much to shield corruption, point their
fingers at Major Hodge In his cell, hold his
severe sentence up as case OF party purity,
and an example of how promptly the admin
istration deals with defaul,ers. But the very
same Republicans refuse an investigation into
Balloch's affairs, and for the reason that 1t
would invoke thorough overhaullng OF the
affairs Of the Freedman's Savings and Trust
Company. This very likely would disclose cer-
tain things and bring out the names OF certain
high officials with whom the administration
itself might be found to have an unpleasant
connection. But Major Hodge was amenabe
to military law; and military tribunal was
neither dainty nor tardy In dealing outjustice.
The public have not, up to this time, known
to what extent Balloch's defalcations have
gone. The public knows that he invested
large amount OF government money In five
twenty bonds, used those bonds as If they
were bis own, and regularly drew the interest
on them, In gold, aud pocketed it. But this is
only part, and a very small part of the delln-
quency. There was more ingenuity in Boil.
loch's method OF doing business than that
adopted by Hoge, 1t must be confessed.
An honest secretary of war moved as
promptly in the Balloch case as he had done
In the Hodge case, and would have dealt as
summariiy with him had he been amenable to
military law. There was o line beyond which
he could not go. He could Investigate and re-
port the delinquency, but justice must come
In and do its work through u civil court.
Brlgadler.General Bailoch, disburser of MIL
lions OF the peoples money, was found to be
no brigadier-general at all. He was simply q
foreigner. of whose antecedents little was
known. And here again must mark the diff
ferent treatment these two men received. AS
soon as General ShriVer had reported on Bal
loch's "lrregularitles,n the Freedmen's Bu-
reau. the Savings Bank, the Seneca Stone
Ring, the board of public works, and, indeed,
all the different ring Influences that General
Howard could muster, were brought forward
to throw the shield of protection over him. In
short, Balloch Is promoted and Hodge suffers
In felon's cell.
THE WHIRTON-KETCHUM TRIIL.
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