, 1873-12-19

the caso Of Con. Howard, which accompanied
tho recent lottor Of Secretary Dolknap to Con-
groas, give tho facts on which tho Secretary Of
War tnahos Ills ohargoa Of fraud and ,nalfeasanco
aga[nst tho Commissioner Of Trcotlmon's Affairs,
Tho substance OF their disclosures ia that Com
missioner Howard spout largo Sims when no
expenditure had boon authorized; that ho mis-
appropriated fuuda intruatcd to him for eDe-
citic purpoBos; that ho has willfully refused to
comply with tho ordoia Of his nuperiors
to ronlor vouchers and accounts, tho non--
production OF which ia boliovod to 10
designed to provont disclosures OF illegal
procoodingH; that ho 10 managed his Duroau
that itB operations were noodlossly suspended,
md 10 misapplioa its fuuis 81 to defraud no.
ouly tho United Status Treasury, but tho coloroa
soldiers and sailors mud THAR families, whose ill.,
toreBts he was appointed to guar.l.
One Of tho funds In Commissioner Howard'B
lands was kuown MS tho trotained bounty
aud the Inspector General report their Inability
to nscortan what lts amount iB cr ought 10 10.
Tho War Department ordered tho Commissioner
toroport tbs condition Of tho fund In January,
1873, and several timos since. but tho orders havo
mover boon complied with, and Gen. Vincent
states hfs belief that tho neglect was Intentional
md necessary to p,ovont undesirable disclosures.
Over &71, 900 OF this fund woro inyested in
Uuited S.atos 7-30 bonds In Juno, 1865, A.
though thoro WAS no warrant Of law for any
auch procedure. OF tho income which was OBJ
tainod in this way, amounting to several thou
sand dollars, tho War Department couli ncvcr
get any account, and 1t waH as unsuccessful in
ita attempts to hnyo the income OF tho Bureau
from certain rontB accounted for. Tho total Of
this rent aud interest wae about SO, 8,00U.
Nothing In tho conduct OF tho Buroau was
moro shameless than the manner In which the
vouchels wore maao to disappear, aud tho pre-
varication, not to say lying. Which naturally won't
with their disappearance. At first, tho demand
Of the Government for the rendition of tho &C.
counts and vouchers In connection With the "re-
tanned bounty fund" WAS mot by tho plea
TINT this fund Was not public money. and ita diB-
bursemont was mattor for private settlement
only. When d reference to tho United States
atatuseB overthrow this proposition, It was
pleaded again, after months OF delay, that tho
vouchers hal not been preserved, because tho
Second Comptroller Of tho Treasury Ind decided
TINT such disbursements as they represented
needed not to be accounted for. The Second
Comptroller denios that lie made such a decision.
Not only did the Bureau refuse to file vouchers
nft rr1o frd do h,tS &on
from tho Auditors Office largo number
which had boen alseady placed there. In
consequence, tho receipts and expenditures
Of this retained bounty fund are unao-
counted for, and it cannot bo discovered
what its amount should be, though it ia stated
by both Gems. Vincent and schrivcr at about
$121, 900. There is no doubt that Gon. schriyer
puts this matter in it's truo light when he aays
'Wheu 1t il remembered that those accounts were
for period Of more than throo yoars, and
therefore Of considerable volume, 1t is difficult
to belteyo that they aud their Duplicates, which
must have been retained, are all lost or mis-
placed and that their non-production when
called for specially by tho Secretary Of War Ia
not designed to prevent tho disclosure Of aome
irregular or illegal procoodings."
Fur the fiscal year 1879, Congress- intruased
Commissioner Howard with $l65,000 to be used
for certain well-detned purposes; s87.5o0 for
the payment Of bounties aud other Claims Of
colorod soldiers and sailors, aud 78, 900 for tho
Froodmen's Hospital at Washington. Con. Vim
cent, after careful examination Of the manner
in which thcse sums were expended, reports that
no leas than 370, ,5G2.48 was expended without
warrant Of law for objects not contemplated by
Congresy, md lie recommends tlat tho Commits
sioner be compelled by legal measures to make
restitution. An equally iuoxcusablo and cruel
irrogulasity WAS the unlawful expenditure, for
ordinary purposes. between January aud March,
1871, Of $47,8o7 Of tho fund held
for the payment Of tho claims OF
the co!orod troops or Of their repro
sontatiycs. They were legally aud morally ap-
aud thelr divorson to any other purpose was
illegal and Immoral. It la worth whilc here to
notice tho gcandalous but characteristic fact
that those expenditures woro made, despite tho
fact that the records OF the Bureau represented
TINT no disbursements had taken place during
the period In question. Again; the paymouts
having boon illegally made ia tho absence Of auy
appropriation every voucher was post-dated. 80
that they might seem to layo beon ma1o offer
March a. 1871, when the appropriation was 1e-
ceiyed. Tho checks, howover, remain to show
by their dates that the payment WINS made before
TINT time. III commenting on these peculiar
proceedings, Gon. Vincent states their roault to
have boon tho complete suspension Of tho opor-
ations Of tho Bureau In 1872 although. had tho
moneys intEustod to 1t bean legitimately ,isod,
ita work might easily have been continued with
succcss. Almost oil ita clerks aud agents were
discharged, the local Offices were closed, the pay
ment Of bounties discontinued, and tho colored
ri sptu no,opr than re tha 1ous