Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-04-18
The Sale of Arms Investigation.

The Senate committee TO investigate TIE
alleged sale of arms to the French met til
mCrnmg.
JGmes H. Scrire, Chief Clerk of the Treasury
sepaItment, was s~orn;-Senator Hamlin asked
the witness whether any of the money paid into
the Treasury under the act making a?propria-
Tors for the fiscal year ending june 20, 1ss1,
wa used ey the Departmen without tito re.
alluded TO was passed July II, $50, twelve days
after the FISCAL year commenced. Ii WAS there
fore impossible 20 carry the act into effect from
the st OF July. but the Department did the best
IL could under the circumstances Witness
planned at seine length what was meant by COW
erislg moneys into the Treasury. IL had always
been decided that proceeds of sales of old sns;c-
nal, condemned stores, etc., should be covered
intos'he Treasury to the credit OF the apprepria-
tary Boutwell, saw the bad effect of the usage,
and at his instance witness prepared a bill at the
session following MI. Boutwell, . coming ints the
planned the provisions Of this bill to the Heuse
committee, but il was not acted till last year,
and passed the House unanimously, and became
law in March, ISL
Senator Schurz examined the witness at
length regarding the law and t e practice under
IL witness said that practice lad long pre-
vailed allowing dlsbursing officers to expend tor
one purpose moneys applicable to another. Ar
ofieer might not have Immediately at hand the
money to pay certain bills. aad he would there
fore pay them frcm another fund, and snbse-
quehty the necessary transfers would be made.
All proceeds of sales OF stores credited 10 Il
appropriation from which the stores we're pur-
chased. twas utterly impossible TO carry into
enect tie ftth section OF the act of Juiy y, 1870
without at le2l1 nine months time. The amount
OF money drawn from the Treasury by the War
Department during the fiscal year ending july
l. 1871, was 81 ESQ 600. OF this amount over
$500, zoe were paid back as proceeds OF sales of
ordnance and ordnance stores. That amount
was rot re-usedby the War Department, ard is
still IN the Treasury, and would remain there
until the end OF the fiscal year ending June 80
1913. when, uDder the seventh sec ton of the act
Of July 18th. il goes 20 the surplus fund
Senator Logan ss'ssd quite a number of que
tons Of the witness rs TO the practice of the De-
lartment, and vas several time interrupted by
Senator Carpenter.
be witness, isl answering Gen. Logan said
tie Secretary OF War do not have the money in
his-owr personal hands, but the money was in
the Is nds OF the disbursiag officers.
Senator Iogan.-Of cSurse, / understand
that; lat The charge is Izade to the War De-
par,,ne1it.
SeLatoT Carpenter.-wel. let the witness 90
on.
Senator Lccan.-Now, NJ. CARPENTER. am
Trying 10 'sl't stand this matter and am ask
ing quCsti,sss myself. 4 have rot interfere, d
xllh This cCaoIuittcc much, and have never ask
ed gu: st!oES before; but this matter / want TO
undtTstand. CLAIM the same right here a. any
other member OF the committee and will have
it. have not inteTtered with yOE, sir, in cues
TORS yOu asked.
bic Will take my hat and GO home.
The examination was then continued by Mr.
Logan.
Alter number of ques. ions by Mr.. Schurz,
the committee adjourned until o-morrow
morning.