The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1874-08-21
SPEECH OF HON. H. G. DAVIS
In Mineral County COnyen-
ton, Aug. Is, 1874.
CONTINUED from yesterdays REG1sTER.l
SANBORN-JAYSE.


lccting any money belonging to the
United States. whenever the same shall
be withheld by any person or corpora
ton, upon such terms and conditions as
he shall deem best for the United States.
This was tackled on in the Senate by
Frederick a. Sawyer, then Senator
from South Carolina, afterwards Assist
ant Secretary of the Treasury, and father
ed and pushed through in the House by
Ben. +. Butler. This very same act and
indeed the same clause of the act appro-
priatcd 81, 800 900 for the pay Of the rcSu-
lar assessors and collectors, whose duty 1t
was to discover and collect these very
same moneys 1t may be noted here rs
singular coincidence, that this very same
Mr.. Sawyer was afterwards placed III II
JOsition To further this measure by being
appointed Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury. You will also see that the
power of the Secretary of the Treasury
was unlimited us to the moiety he might
choose to pay these agents; he could pay
them one per cent. or one hundred per
cent. as he might choose. And here
it might again be noticed, rs another
singular coincidence. That shortly after
the passage of this act, contract was
entered into between Mr.. Boutwell,, the
then Secretary of the Treasury, and John
ID. Sanborn, by which agreement San
born was to receive one half of all moneys
collected bv him. The coincidence con-
sists in the fact that Sanborn was special
rrotege of Butler, who fathercd the
measure in the House, having been spy
for him during the war. This all looks
very much rs if there was II Credit MObl-
lier in this affair, in which the principal
officers of the Treasury Department and
some prominent Congressman were
stockholders.
Thus for doing that which it was the
sworn duty Of the assessors and collectors
of the Government to do, and for which
they are paid regular salaries, this. man
Sanborn and his cohorts, Jayne and
others received within three years in the
neighborhood of $l,5OO,O0O. This Is
what is known to have been paid them.
There is no telling how much has been
collected by these men and pocketed,
without any return whatever having
been made to the Treasury Department.
The custom seems to have been for
Sanborn to receive the money and trans
init il to Washington at his convenience.
He gave no receipts; he was not under
bonds; and neither the Government or
ANYBODY else had the slightest guarantee
of his fidelity.
These facts show that the otfense OF
the Treasury Department has been de-
l;berate. and they lead almost irreSlStlbly
To the conclusion that Sanborn has had
corrupt understanding with some person
or persons in high official position. The
Secretary of the Treasury gave the No.
Collectors and Assessors explicit and re-
pcated orders to give these men the use
of their books and all the assistance IN
their power, and prohibited them from
interfering in any way III any cases
which Sanborn Il Co. selected for them
selves. And when they needed legal
advice, the Solicitor of the Treasury was
always ready to cOnstrue the law IN their
favor. And it is limited that the exposure
of these frauds is what caused our Repub-
lican friends, Mr.. Richardson, Secretary,
Mr.. SAWYER, Assistant Secretary, anu
Mr.. Banteld, Solicitor, TO resign their re-
spcctivc positions.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
If had time would like to present
To you in detail the mismanagcmeht ana
corruption existing among the hepuOi'-
can officials of the city of Washington,
aS shown in the trial before the Commit
tee of Congress last winter to investigate
the affairs of the District OF COLUMBIA.
II is sufficient To say that that lnN'stlga-
ton brought to light so many rings ana
Jobs and 50 much mismanagemcnt ana
corruption that Congress abolished the
whole district government, ana PROVIDED
for the appointment of three c"hiiiliS-
>iuner> to settle up the affairs.
And Vet in the face of all the PROOF
against Governor Shepherd, President
Grant-who never deserts this class OF
mcn-appoints Governor Shepherd chief
of the Commission to settle up ms own
mismanagcd affairs. 1t is proper to ada,
however, that the Senate properly ana
promptly rejected the nomination.
Another instance and will leave tins
point. Whilst the investigation
was going on, MT CiuSs'
who was engineer of the WASH
ington Board of Public Works, was sum
moned before the committee to give tes-
timony. His testimony Implicated III
fraudulent transactions men VINO are
known To be President Grant 5 intimate
friends and associates. The committee
wanted himto produce some papers from
his office pertinent to the investigation,
and set time day or two later than
his examination for him to do so. Shep-
perd " Co. in the meantime met and
passed resolutions denouncing Mr.. CluSs
as periurer, and demanding of the Pres
ident his removal. Well, he was remov-
ed, and when the day came for his further
investigation. he had to inform the COM
mittee that he was no longer engineer,
and SO had no access to the papers they
demanded
GEN. HOWARD.
The Secretary of War in a letter to
Congress dated December 4. 1873. charg-
ed General q. o. Howard. who had