Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-01-02
WASHINGTON.
State Reception.

bbdte GScCopaAOns
WASHINGTON, Jan. 1.-The New Years
customs were thoroughly observed and the
Executive Mansion was crowded for seve-
raj hours with the diplomatic corps, at
tended en- masse by the Cabinet and the
Supreme Court fully represented, while
Congress, the army and tie navy, and clti-
zens were on hand in large numbers. Most
of the Cabinet members also held reeep-
tions, and the home of Gen. Sherman was
literally thronged with army officers.
The Freedman's Bureau-A Rotten
state OF Affairs.
Special to the Cincinnati Gazette.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 30.-The Secretary
of War is ready to send to the House, in
response to its resolution, thereport of Gen.
Vincent. of the Adjutant Generals De-
psrtnent, Of his inspection of the Freed
mans Bureau, when the War Department
took charge of the same last summer.
Though tie resolution called for this re-
port alone, other papers will be sent in with
it, which are necessary to full explanation
of the matter. Gen. Vincent, in obedience
to instructions, seized all books, and papers,
and records of the bureau, and then pro-
ceeded to a thorough investigation. He re-
ports that the records were throughout in
utter confusion; that not only was this true
of The papers Cf the headquarters them
selves, but of the records of the Assistant
Commissioners for States; that among the
latter, records of one State were mixed in
great confusion With those Of other States,
and that papers and documents pertaining
to one part of State were scattered among
those pertaining to other sections of the
same State Many important records and
papers were totally missing; large number
Of colored soldiers discharge papers were
living loosely around, evidently where the
last one handling them had chosen to
throw them. The records showing, or
which should show, financial operations,
were in the same state of inextTicable con-
fusion.
The papers secured showed very ques-
tionabie transactions, involving large ex-
pendituTes Of public money upon favorite
schools, churches, aud religious organizs-
tions; also, that many Of the expenses Of
Howard University were, directly or indi-
rectly, paid out of the later appropriations
of this Congress for the bureau, although it
has been 3 private institution for several
years. They also show that all appropria-
tions made for specific objec,s by Congress,
and which could not legally be applied to
other objects, were used indiscriminately
for all purposes.
The report of Assistant Surgeon Billings
will probably be sent in with that Of Gen.
Vincent, as it forms part of the same III
spection. 1t relates to the condition Of the
Freedman's Hospital. There the same If
regularities were found to prevail. Nearly
all the expenses OF the medical department
of Howard University had been paid out Of
appropriations made by Congress for the
hospital. Most of the students in this de-
partment of the university had been given
rooms and board in the hospital, and eZ-
penses charged to those of the
hospital, and paid out OF the public
fund. In addition, q number of those
were entered on the pay rolls of the bureau
as temporary clerks. The same was true
of q number of students IN other depart
ments of the university. Appropriations
made by Congress for the hospital were
added to the moneys Of the Freedmen's
Bureau, and expended indiscriminately,
The result was a large deficiency in the
hospital account, amounting In the matter
of rztions alone bought from the COmmis-
sary General on credit To over 81, 900.
The records a,so show that the professors
of the university have been paid on the
rolls of the bureau.