The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-04-04

A Gigantic Ring which Has Robbed the
Government of Millions.

A Gigantic Ring which Has Robbed the
Government Of Millions.
From me Congressional Record.
Mr.. willis send to the desk resolution, on
TSe clerk Hi'9 ad 'se f gHsIu' p'V''V"'
Re'oirei That The secretary Of the Treasury he and
~ hereby roqurs ed to INSULT to Il House llsl OF
s e c9tn claim pein!,d to a, ana ~, gI 10y ~ ,n ac
also the ham Il the Original owners and tier aces
9 rs,Mencg to"ct er with INC naqfs and p,.ss oi
any inform ton nc tnc seer tary uf thc treasury, nay
ing fees in "a case ana also whether he Know- or
has any Information concernil0 the 'xi-tcncc ~ any
reia 90 70 uch ann and 80, what such know Rouge
Orinf rna Ion Is.
The resolution vas adopted
WASHINGTON, Arril 3.-Tho above resolution,
introduced by Mr.. Willis Of New York on March
II, will reveal new field Of fraud and corruption.
II for a long time been very well undcrs God
by those I'm position to know, that n fOrmid-
able and corrupt Cotton Ring existed, and that
through its manipulations the Government had
been robbed Of millions Of dollars. To trace
the history Of this Ring from its origin In the
Treasury Department itself, AZ the close Of the
war, up 10 the present tune when It has ASSUME
ed gigantic proportions, would require a great
deal Of space.
Il will be within the recollection Of many
readers OF THE Sun tn t. Just before the close 81
the war, what was called a Bureau Of Cotton
exemplary Christians and clerks aud agents IN
charge Of this bureau, which in many respects
not unlike that great humanzing institu-
ton. the Freedman's Bure ~, entered II with
more piety In their souls than money In their
pockets. IL very soon became evident that
these poor but very pious gentlemen had struck
richcs, for they began to ride In their coaches. to
dress their wives In costly silks and satins, TO
buy lots ana build houses, and to furnish the
lnf tar IN I'm . nj
here was something so mysterious about the
way in winch these then accumulated their
we lth, ia I the matter soon became the scan
dal or the town, and the concern earned t'r
itself the uncnviahlc sohriquet of " The Bureau
OF Cotton thieves" IL was not an uncommon
thing to see q m II VINO went into that bureau
without money enough to pay his washing btll,
riding in MS own carriage and DISPLAYING dla-
monds 10 less man wear. Lucky follow lie
clerk or agent In tue bureau Of Cotton
lhievcs.' II would be remarked. ~ he drove
al ug PcnnsNlVanii avenue. Exactly how these
men came to ne so very well of while they wrre
attached To this n0urishiug bureau has never
been Gle riy explained. II has been charged
that they were In league with outside parties,
ana rec wed ldixe sums OF money for giving
them valuable inform lion IN regard 10 claims
Hut the gentlemen OF the Bureau OF
Cotton Thieves did not restrict their heneVo-
lent opei atiOns within an, such boundaries. IL
Is said. and believed, that a truly loyal Assistant
secretary of tive Treasury vas the first to DIS
cov-r" fichcs in THIS wonderful bureau. And
1t J. also std and believed, that he resigned his
oniro Tor the purp 'se oi forming combination
with outside parties, with view To accumui l.
|
be able to follow an example 80 ilu-t tous.
the gentlemen 81 the bureau dropped out one
by one, and suddenly became partners II at
tOrneys Tor the prosecution of cotton claims.
his cOtton-claim business having become
very profitable, those engaged in IL made no dis
Ruise Of their RAPIDLY acquired wealth. Claims,
too, began to increase IN magnitude and num-
Der, until the Secretary Of the Treasury became
alarmed at the drain they were making on his
surplus funds. In truth, the more OF them he
raid the faster they increased In number. II
these claims were genuine. and the ATTORNEYS
rt.H q nnre 81 ~ n lDrp
especially the state Of Louisiana, must have
teen covered with cotton at least two feet deep
at tho end Of the war. And now we have the
proof that they ere not genuine that probably
seven.tenihs OF them were what Is known as
The suangcst thing Of all Is that neither
Boutwell, nor Richardson's attention was at
tracted to this method Of plunderlng the Treas
ury, and they paid cut claims Tor millions OF
dollars without making even an ordinary exam
nation into their merits. Ii very different
win Bristow. He had no. beer Secretary OF
the Treasury long until he found there cor
ruption IN all its bureaus, and. as the country
knows he began Fighting T.. How much OF a
lee do you get IN that casef" he inquired OF an
attorney who had just got cotton claim for
per cent" was tn reply. made with smile 1t
nj once occurred to the keen-wltted Brstow
that If the claim was a genuine one, and the
owner Az honest man, he would not give
one-half Of II to ms attorney. The Sec
re; ry 4 once ordered II thorough invesu-
gittOn into this matter, and the result Is
the discovery Of n gigantic Cotton Ring.
w Sa Il. Yss hesdgIaeFs Now H@sh,net M
bile. Memphis, New York. Boston and Phila-
dephia
Inc Government IL in possession OF facts
which prove the existence oil a. formidable and
| corrupt combination as the.Whiskey Ring. and
| tn { the Iiehsury has been robbed of Sll ,OO,0OJ
by II. The IN ode OF operation was to 70 into re-
note poitions OF Louisiana and other States,
| wnere cotton was raised In small Qudnti-
It's and get poor and ignorant men TO
make AFFIDAVIT that john Thomas, or some
| other imaginary individual, was truly los al
man during the war, and that he mad ten,
fifteen. twenty, or ATTY bales Of cotton.
whicn the Union forces DESTROYED or carTied
away when they took possession. The market
| price for such an affidavit seems to have ranged
| non ten TO thrly uoil r.. In some instances II
reached ~ high as nifty. Out OF these pure uase Il
afi avits the lting IN several cases manufactur-
| ed claims mounting to three ana four hundred
thousand dollars each, and got the money. Inc
| Department of justice l. now making All effort
| To get some of the stolen money back, and 20
| bring the criminals to justice; but II Is most
| hkelv That We shall have To reiy on BrIstbw for
| "A fun exposure of this matter, and the institu-
| ton Of "a vigorous war on the thieves. which he
! Proposes To make Ms soon as he Is done with
| the crooked wnlskey thieves. COLUMBIA