New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-05-07

J, of 1865, because I believed, and Mr., Sta,
i ton, the Secretary of War, when 1 wa
e appointed,
r That the law did not require 1t of any Arm
officer detailed.
THE LARGE DISCREPANCIES
, In Treasury statements are fully explaipe
, in the letter of General Balioch. date
December 90, 1873 the letter of Mr.. Terry
money clerk, dated December &c. 1874
the report Of the commission appointed h.
me, consisting of my two aid-de-camp an,
, the letter and endorsement of Hon. ]. M
BrOdhead, Second Comptroller.
"THE DUPLICATED ACCOUNT
One subject, though coming to motto,
after the ordering Of this Court deserve.
special mark from me, and that is the SIG
G52.57 voucher. This voucher rendered II
support of the regular appropriation account
dated March "a, 1871, put into the Treasury
at the close of that month of March is real
ly the error or the fraud
ADDITIONAL ON THE LARGE DIsCREp.
ANCY.)
For visited the Attorney General of the
United States, during the month Of January
after the letter of the Secretary of War. nj
January 5, 1874, part 2,) had been received
in Congress aud published to the country,
with reference to the bounty cases referred
to his Department for prosecution,
He told me that the large discrepancy of
statement of General BallOch in this letter
of the Secretary of War, had been referred
to him. l understood him to saw there was
nothing in the subject that he could act
upon or prosecute, for if he (Balloch) had
settled his accounts at the Treasury, as
required by law, it was all that could be
DONE.
The other, the duplicate, is true and right
intrinsically in every respect. That first one
escaped my notice and recollection altogeth.
er. The latter, which is correct, remember
to have seen with the other vouchers, as late
as January or February, 1872, Just before
went to Arizona. | thought the account had
gone into the Treasury, and so approved the
voucher when the interest account was rem
dered, but just as soon as Idlad an intimaton
from General Balloch, that he had discovered
the error, wrote to the Secretary Of War,
(see my letter to him dated February IL,
1874. | believe now that ought to have
asked that the March-24th voucher be can
celled, instead Of the other for that day was
certainly wrong put in so by clerk, either
by intention or by accident. / am having
this matter pretty thoroughly looked into,
and believe We shall be able to bring the
| guilty parties, if there are such, to justice.
l cannot accuse myself of even slight neg
lect in this matter, for l never signed an alb
stract without giving all the attention to it,
other pressing duties would allow. l could
not give that personal inspection to each
voucher, that an auditing clerk can do, and
was obliged to rely very much upon certain
confidential clerks that l;trusted, such as Mr.
Terry, MIR. Drew, Mr.. Cook, and Mr.. Blue,
who have testified in this case.
STATEMENTS WITH THE CHARGES
CLAIR VAUDEVILLE.
90. will now extend my statement to
such portions Of the documents accompany
ing the charges of the Secretary of War as
may seem to require explanation.
Page 8.-Remarll under 81. clair Naale-
rHe:
"a letter from the Secretary of War to the
late Commissioner, dated March 10, 1873, in
regard to this defaicaton, has not been re-
piled to. That letter called for a full report,
with a list Of the defrauded claimants. and
invited attention to the fact that no papers
showing the details Of the matter had been
transferred to the Adjutant General of the
Army" The letter was subsequently, replied
to, as completely as the case admitted of, lust
so soon as report in the case could be had
many papers are still held by the New Or
leans United States Court. My aide, Capt.
Sladen, Immediately following the receipt of
the letter referred to by my direction, drew
from the books Of the Freedmen's branch,
data Of all the reports and correspondence.
The subsequent discovery of the Mande-
vile records, and examination by Mr.. j. $,
Moodey, clerk Of the Freedmen's branch,
show the fact that papers showing the de-
tails OF the matter acre transferred to the
AdJutant General of the Army. These re-
cords were delayed EN- route, being detained
quite a length of time at the freight depot of
the Baltimore and Ohio railroad in this CITY.
l informed Major Vincent as soon as re-
oeived notice of the fact.
2l.-Page 9. Under the second heading.
remarks:
1.-The late Bureau has not complied with
that order,' meaning an order of the Secre-
tary OF the Treasury concerning General
Ballach's accounts. This assertion is an
swered by deuial, so far as l myself am
concerned, l have obliged every order of the
Secretary of the Treasury as promptly as
could with the clerical help at my command,
and now the reports of my subordinates and
myself have covered the entire requirements
OF the order in question.
RELIABILITY OF RECORDS.
Page IL. Major Vincent's letter this SEN
tence is used: 1.-The investigation, however,
has disclosed the fact that the records re-
ferred to are incorrect, and therefore not
rellable.' These words give sweeping
charge which my own inspections and tests
do not justify. l have discovered, at times,
some errors, and reported them, or had them
rectified, but close scrutiny shows the
leash books and other rec Ords now in fine
condition, and true, not quite completed,
owing to the sudden closing Of the bureau
and transfer to new hands, and the discharge
of clerks, but certainly bearing, to my knowl-
edge, no intentional wrong entry.
FAILURE OF APPROPRIATION AND REAP
PREPARATION.
%. Page IL, "This condition of affairs did
not result. as stated by the Commissioner in
his letter." above referred to, "by failure of
appropriation" but on the contrary, from
misapplication in part of ample apprOpria-
tons made by Congress for the conduct of
the,work in question:"
Permit me to state that $50, 900 of my Bu-
reau appropriation was by law transferred to
the Agricultural Bureau that s37 800 was
reapprOpriated from my fund to Lincoln
University, Pennsylvania, and to Wilber-
force University, Ohio that my estimate for
fulfilment of promises conditOnally made,
were cut down $4,000; that $lOO, 1000 was
cut off from my estimate for 1871, without a
corresponding diminuton of duties and re-