Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-12-18
rAe Ercsdmen's Isnreau,


The Secretary of War sent the follow 4
ing communication to the House of Re
representatives. on Wednesday, in relation
to certain Irregularities connected with
the late Freedmen's Bureau:
WAR DEPARTMENT, NAsHNGToN,l
December 10, 1878. 4
To tie Speaker Of tho Houss Of Repre-
se1ttdtioes, FaShingtoga,s ID. q.
SrR,-In the course of business con-
nected with the settling of. the affairs
and paying the unsettled claims of the
late bureau of refugees, freedmen and
abandoned lands, certain developments
have been made which ] deem it proper
under the circumstances to submit to
the House of Representatives for such !,
action as may appear to be right. On
the assumption of the duties by the
Acknowledgement, under the act of Con-
gress approved June 10, 1872, and War
Department general orders No. 65 of
1872, there was no reason to suppose
that such developments would be made
hence no special search was made bear
ing upon them. But complaint after
complaint was made that claimants had
not received from the late bureau their
bounties, arrears of pay, etc, and the
said complaints were referred in. the
course of business to the second auditor,
with whom rested all settlements,
and the final adjustments of the
accounts. 1t gradually became. ap-
parent that vouchers to q considera-
bic amount were fled as it paidand cred
it taken for the amounts, when strong
proof was presented that the claimants
had not been paid and in a similar
manner developments embracing other
subjects came up for consideration
From the incomplete and disordered con-
dition of the accounts of the late bureau
when received by the adjutants general,
and from the fact that examinations
had to be made in two offices of the
treasury department to arrive at the true
condition Of certain accounts and claims
so much time had elapsed that the trial
of the late commissioner by a general
court-martial became barred in part un-
the statute of limitations before it was
discovered that he was properly anena-
hIe 10 trial at all. Though it is true that
he could not be brought before a military
court on the same specific charges, yet
for the reason that they would be more
or less dependent on the transactions
which are barred the trial would hardly
be productive of public benefit, and also
for the reason that the honorable house
of representatives has already ordered
and had an investigation by a committee
mon the affairs Of the bureau of refu-
gees freedmen and abandoned lands,
have deemed it best not to. give the ease.
10 a military tribunal, but to- submit It
and fhe entire subject to, the house OF
representatives. The department OF
instice however, has been furnished
with some cases, and others are to fol-
low, of apparent malfeasance, With a
reonest to institute either a criIaina suit
or q civil suit TO recover the moneys. be.
longing to the United States, or both
s1tifs. as may be proper, against such OF
tbe officers and agents OF the late bureau
as NAV be liable. In this connection at
tention is called to the correspondence
with the attorney general, found here
,vifh The late commissioner, Brigadler
General O. O. Howard, u. s.. A, has
been promptly uniformed of the absence
of important records, and OF the appa-
rent exhibits against him, with view
to his offering explanations and supply
ing the missing records. How faf ne
has done this win appear by the, cores
pondence printed In the reports. la one
| item stated at one hundred and TIVE nty-
| one thousand dollars, not accounted for,
| il will be seen that the accounts cannot
lie produced, and no attempt has: ;Deen
| made to prove what. has. become OF the
money. Accounts covering the money
/ in part are alleged to have existed, but
| the disbursing officer, George w. Bal
| loch,s has stated that as they were not
! considered of much Importance they
| were not kept IN the eases with the 9TH
| er accounts. The said accounts have
! disappeared: and it seems that neither
/ the late commissioner nor the hate dis
| bursing officer can account for their, dls-
7 appearance. This item is known: as ., the ll
/ retained bounty fund, AS to the iilisaI,-
plication of the public funds the records
| are in evidence, and these Irregular 8
4 and violations of law seemingly have had
4 much more to do with the .conIusioh Oh Oh
the records than their defective conditloa J
i and the almost entire suspension OF
work by the late bureau. The respon-
liability and accountability attached 10