The sun., 1872-08-07

money that the Naval Department allowed them
| and the account being closed and settled in
! such way as, under the rules Of the depart
| mcnt. never to- I've opened again, filed n petition
| before the Congress- Of tho United states asking
| Congress to rcinvestigatc this claim and allow
them some more money. Congress listened to
| that petition. and In 1867 we passed law au-
| thOrizng the Secretary az the Navy to appoint a
| board Of naval officers to look over the contract
and ascertain u these PARTIES were entitled 70
dollars they had already received.
| Congress directed the Secretary TO report the
result W that Investigation at the next sess ION.
| when Congress assembled In lSs this board Of
| naval officers made report stating that IN
their opinion the ScCors, under the circum-
| stances. considering that the price Of labor had
risen while the contract was being executed, and
that they had been more or less DELAYED 10y the
| changes made In the plans 10y the Government,
| were entitled to sllb,GO more, Congress there
| upon passed a law directing the Secretary of the
| Navy to pay them Sll5,0O0 more, but in that act
| we put clause that provided that that payment
should he In fun discharge of all claims on ac-
count Of this vessel. Now that was pretty strong,
wasn't III
RoBEsoNs s93coo.
Could amy Of you write i stronger?, did not
Know how To. II shall he In fun Ot all claims on
account uf these vessels They took the $lljtU
that Congress gave q en- In 1868. What next do
present Secretary of the Navy, Mr.. Robeson,
without any authority from Congress, and with
out any knowledge of Congress. CONCLUDED to
have tho caln investigated again. They came
to him and wanted some more money. He ap-
pointed board Of officers from His department
to examine their claim fJr the purpose ~ asccr-
tanning whether Or not they should have some
more money.
They made the examination. taking the state
ments that were filed, and they said thcy thought
these men ought TO have StG.OOO more. Laugh
teri Thereupun the Secretary Of tile Navy took
money not appropriated by Congress for this
purpose and the Constitution OF the country
saws NO money shall be drawn out u the Trea
sury except h. pursuance Of appropriations made
ly law. But without any appropriation he took
| S"lUD Of money and paid II over to the Secors
In $50. Now This matter was all Investigated
last winter-and investigated, | may LAY. 10y
| friendly committee. For although that invosu-
| CATION was moved by Governor Blair Of Mchi-
| gan' an honest and an upright man, and the war
Governor q that state, and Republican from
| the beginning Of iiepublicanlsm-he moved the
| investigation. aud committee Of Ave was an
| pointed. Of which he was the Chairman. But
| three members ~ the committee were not
| fay )rable TO unearthing the abuses in the Navy
Department. aud they Threw all the obstacles
| they could in the way of the invest CATION. and
acted really rs the attorneys Of the parties
| transar tiuns Of secretary RObcsun.
HOW Mvcn DfD RoBrsoN GET?
Now what safety Is there when man can Dc
| that Voice How much did the Secretary
! g,tf'l / do not know. am only stating the
| far'.. You may draw your own nfcrences. |
| do not propose 10 say that he got anything Now
| what apologies wece made for himy All the
ap.l"gy wa that he said he understood the Jaw
differently he thought the low meant that IL
| the vessels for this Sll5VU. rho committee re-
ported that IN their opinion, aud that 1t was one
! gtess ~ the United states HAD become so cor
| rurt through III. onicial patronage. and so de-
| pendent upon Executive favor, hat N II ready
| tn cover up these corruPiions The majority OF
| the committee not GOV Blair and one of his
associates; hlt majority o. TINS cnmmiuce-
/ on the part of the Secretary as to the meaning
| Of the law, and that hc WAS not to blame for
| understanding IL differently from what other
| people did.
| There arr two or three answers to that In the
| first place the law T. plain. In the next place hc
! did not have any money to pay without taking
piirp,.cs hut sti this is right Now II l. one of
| the etmUlptUfs have rrfIp Int IuWtgTfa AL ltft-
coin said IN reference To slavery that he Wa in
| favor uf saving the country II he could with
| slavery, hat without Il " he must. Now ] am
| for stoppn these corfuptinns with the Repu'-
lican party II can. hut without the Republican
| party If must.
THE cuoRrESSTNG FRAUD.
| Now Wilt you of another thing I can tell
! you II one cor two; don't know Of but n few
| viii iell YOU something about the Post Once
| Department Now these facts j have stated.
] tcuow-citiLens, are all reported In Official reports
aud acts Of Congress. sometimes bring the
! the law and read IL for himself. state these
| facts. and stand responsible at any time to make
| them good to anS int lligent man that wants To-
! see %" testimony. In lSb, sixteen years agu,
| Congress Of the United states passed a law TO
| pay the contractor who carried the mails he
| tween salt Lake city and the Pacific Ocean for
| losses he had sustained in consequence Of the
| deprcdations Of the Indians. | think the first
| act passed in 1856 allowed him S@s.Uo hut he
! came to Congress again, and in letd ~, another
| allowance Of s21.UO.
He was not satisfied then. A man by the name
! Of thurpcuuiug, thinking Congress had not al
| lowed him enough sued the GoNcrnueut In tine
| nited states Court ot Claims -, N"shngtGn'
ana IN ms leullol or nl Winrh ne hlru ne
| canned laat ne "usht 20 nave S'hvp more. he
| tpurt ol thhnl- tNaniheu MS case ana urciutu
!h'! nhu ho Jurisul' .i,'l. 81 u tn9t was not
thdl claNs oi vialUhs thht u,vN nuu IlEit 10 M
N'sutd,'; re ul,h lrl,u tuc Or ostIhStcI-"ehefdl,
10 serH hy c"uIu n't ger sonnet lhE more OUT
9l MN, ihc luSlihhsieI-urhelu uttlueu tnat
| he Wus nov th'ltieu ~ ailEtnlht, lhat was Nli
resW.'.; NnI i Sths pTeseilI Instlhast a.
IHs I- az ',t ,,se -, w ~ 'He s,ihs
~ 80" tl,l'A, @ su,rttucu ~ Ethtll.E
| master General To examine into This claim, ~
| Cborpcuninc's and settle H. Mind you the
! p"stnnster'1i Mad rriect cd il 0ncr ' ''''
| ,,,,,,,.,, - s,,so.n
| 'hIS"ELLS : Sf'""'
This resolution got through some how or other
| In the confusion of the cluSin: hours OF Com
| grcsr, without, perhaps, being known to one
| man IN twenty Ihereupon. after II had passed,
| Mr.. Earl, who before Mr.. Crcswell was ap-
| pointed Postmaster-ticnefal hal been his law
| partner, practising law In MARY land MIR Cres-
wel, when he came 60 WasiinEion as f"st-
master-Henertl, brought Mr. Earl his law part
| ncr, WIN hlin. Mr., hail was appointed llist
Assistant Pvstmastor-,ienerd.
Mter tls MI passed, AMI ait'r Chorptnning
| presented ms claim again @ the Postmaster
| General MT Earl the ola law partner Of the
| roetma-tt -tteneral, resigned ms position as
| ftr-t Assistant and thereupon, being good
| ". q. b