The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-03-25
THE CRIMES OF BELKNAP.
TlfE HTSTORy or THE FRiUDrLENr
HEI DSTONE CONTRICT.
A Trnnsnction that Exceeds in Infnmy the
Post Tradcr-hip Bribery Good Ground
for Additional Articles OF impeachment

/
| the House of Representative impeached Gen.
| Bclknnp he sent for the Republican Senators
| and members Of the Iowa delegation in Con
cress, Justice Miller Of the Supreme Court, aud
| ex-GOv. Lowe of that state, to assure them in
| the most solemn and formal manner that there
was not a single act Of his administration out
side Of the Marsh affair that would not bear the
fullest scrutiny The matter OF headstones for
the soldiers caves In national cemeteries was
alluded to as a possible scandal. TO this Bel
| knap replied that even in that he
tlrely free from the slightest suspicion, and
the investigation then In progress by the
House Committee on Military Affairs would
sustain this declaration. Three weeks have
| passed since that memorable interview with the
| Iowa Congressman, end the DEVELOPMENTS be-
| fore the Military Committee are Of such char
| acter as to warrant additional articles Of i'm
| peachment to be Immediately presented to
| he House. Ianlcking In post traderships
| was a tthng transaction compared with tho
s'upcadous joo which tho late Secretary Of
| War entered into with the bankrupt Tailor
! Bri lgcs Of Kcokuk. Iowa, TO erect hcadsiones
over the graves Of tho Union soldiers inferred
at ,,Iercnt places throughout the country. The
history is briefly and plainly stated fiom the
| evidence now In possession OF the Committee
| on Military An ,irs.
In ls;2 Congress authorized the Secretary Of
war 10 contract l"r lurW-hlnE uurao'e ne IL
stones over the soldiers graves. Nearly one
hundred bils were oreued in O,tobcr ls72
BelSnap rejected them all. In the following
March a definite appropriation Of 100000 was
made. The information gained 10y the first pro-
posll. enabled Belknap's friend, Bridges. t. rs
cettnn lfccisey wn1t ~" ok c1gid .e done
second proposals were asked for, l'elhnap
ani hif Trend were IN position TO pc.
come % is'crs Of the J 10. ON the day the ln't
bids were opened, quar- naSirf-Gch"ra Meigs
yti.n''l un!ll the eniire numoer lc's s9tN h"i h"i
lniorma and Irregular hid TO furnish the who's
numO-r oi stones Tor saYWN' which pa the
cyia,nrc shows WIS not deposited until after
t1c hour f'r receiving bids had passed. and
I wnitn. u 10 had hccn properi, nlcd and had been
lil wa not accompanied witn sample of ihe
nirrtir ii was pton ,sed 90 furnish. II was that
informal and irregular bid thn' Beikna9 arc.pt-
cf. n.ainst toe prrtesto oi Quttterma,tef General
A,r.-.. nnd ile .ri-inM of whrh VIII confront
STR. ieiknar in tine Impeachment tti ..
nHer liriit'~'s straw bid were two o'her
n'a-' boin straw "bn N,' th,Se tnr"e intn
& .,', i, .u sI. ,,t, +" II i,. u,u ',G ,nt
ION on me 'ntlre lpn a' hi- own usures.
nc nc ~. W. ~ ~ a9'l' 10 J." re Wu'' ~" '",lI in'Nt
i u,. 80 30, '.' "W ,1,'"u ,A,. & W ~ ~
@ .ru ~ m i,l - MD,',u , & ,F ~, ''l' @ va a..
bt hnd Ge. .sy f h, Sc' %
ni ,t n M.ri M i, :, a. ~ ~ '''o NJ, . u.s.
rr'a't t ,,,l ''' n, INV, ., .r,
sS,, - ,b. ,,," ,,,,, INA , NO., ~, ,, l ,, -,
| be furnished. The shape. Thickness. nud letter
ins were all changed TO make the cost us ltilc as
po,sinle' ana he JOB nrch'dnlo 1" tLe Sc. etap
ahd the Ne"Nhh thll Z. ten. nelsS hnding
himse.. pcwerlcss to interfere win the ffGadu-
!ehi contract reserved me rlsnt unueF the law
w nNr ,he sip@nes mes latn,uiil ntpeCleu AZ !he
% nn ~ eNerglsinE ~ 'nis rsh' rsle,,eu
q i.rGo hHlnusr or WORTHLESS stones rms was
a., .c - - y, H." v"n.r',tur' , % NJ ~ prsNent
@ @su IL nv.NndHp vluo,vu LIN tne 'SSnes S
=, ,'l Il .e !i,.,'ts%n % Nv IA, Vi 'llrs' Aghh Gen
'.',-- 'N' ot,'is i'ui'' ~. w VI 'we.l9' w
sto'p' ~ ~ 80, @ le, .ii' W.. We ~ .tru,
N'F.1oNl,' Muo ar', ltti tueih' aha LOT uihe
'hH i,htu M wM,nt .l,iieu.l m @ ON. ,,. ,,.,.. .,..,,
AZ AZ '.s Itii, t '.'r . !. ""S ,.'H' 's'-s N"lu
~ IT, ne ',Vun" Htl.n M.utI H. ln, tt w W ,e,te-
~ FD W AZ, nnu @ ne ,',.S' is GOV Guy .i @ the way
a'1'!ten ~ TIL rhi''ul' Wu"iu ue lo1nWH no WottnleS-,
a' n fii i w. ~ r ~ i" '"ii,nie ii,ie
"iil L., - , ,'' - @ ',tl"s .e'r
49," ~ IN, 'T'' rii 10 - 80 u., '"e .v', "a "a
i,, 90 n,ot eiit va ro. ~ , S.,i ,t "s
riss.9n TO s. Petersblrc ana rive In. prest-
G.i,5 The fio5t tn 5rter S"I Sr to tha r'',n-
, -, n,,,,rt,'o,,, ,,. ,"',h
W.I ,g,sli wsS errrnarhnd' hut he declinsS To-
M "n r,s io rd ~ 49,, t'i''u , 10
l. L.r'...r Com. wo~id be- lie rink OF Sivior
/ ,i. rss,I ~ W. - a., -, -, t,''r.-t.e ''.-te
Xxx, tne pr,siJent hi unon he nam, cv,,.di
- ,''e t7U ,i ~, "i'' '"e "hllN i
MI ,o, re,Vrn vnttI fan1ary. I,;s' h, vHi'b
i, H. wa. cx.s,'ed no irt ,yo,'i, "a I,,iind
M. money laid, and MeiSs w"uid he p"~orIes.
~ '"-'i
MLkNAPs PARfNERs ADVANTAGES.
l. wild thu. be seen that from l,,3 down TO tho
d'pafire u Ncigs ia .Iuly lnst i,r t'tlD,e. on a
.,i az i,-,ecti 3f The lete Srrrat1ry Of Il r. ex
et'- .a e,ri.. n,v.ari H., tnya.; nrii ,es with nh
ai. horn, 10 M hc IN. mos he % p,ssinly could
| out of the contract. The evidence turther
,, ,, r , ,',, 49,, r." l lufl ",'l,on @
~ '"', ili"" "ili""g ~" 'u'ee, auetTu l'"es.
% ~" ,",,s,''' $4,000 r. M MIa,.r - ID US oyer
T., ,.,, ,.,it ti, ,,,,a ,f ~, 49,, "u"S & ,a'
- , 'f it ~, - ,'', '"'' ,i ''o '..Nl'.
., ,''l. - ~ ~ ,, ,t,,,,Ht,' '"r ."',iIt't
,'.'.''. ~ y a. i,.llRL's ~ 9.er ~ mo
% W ~ IT,, ~ lS M ~ m "i u, ir,, .r-
saV.nso of oy. sg. i,N MN thtt n,.l',. ~ ,n'
. ,i~ .,n.,,r ., ,. ,,,r , ,'' l ~, ~, 'n'
vi jr tho ho.'.t ,,. an n, nti '"e ~ -. 'ila
",,vs ~ tie v,tr,mr In ,,en u" H ,, ,o' ~, a."
-',,r - i.f,n, ~ " al " yar,,. 10 - ~ Nv =,
tli vr 10 MIN. ', r .-e.oi,eH si.-i
Gr tt.;,s Cn ti' rot,r ,,t1 i, ~, ~, ~ - ~ ~
,i .o ,,b,h 49, W. 'te a. a.
t, @ M ,h ~, ,,s ~ T ,i 'ui,', ,' M ina
i,, -, ' ~ w., w. i',, =, ~ '',v , t,,,N
~, ltrtd,s Az IN tb Tx , m r,'',ot, ] n,
i fsyv rnn, 'u ~ hr ~ '''''v ~
,i " n, tb.t " r,s i -, ~ ~
W.t asserted tnat II ~. rn,civ Tia ,ontrsrt NJ ,'r
NJ nn,ver was To- have "A tnurth intercst In the
rr d,s. -" '''
~ unpo,rs that since the rc.ignntIon ~ mol
-, T. a ,,ar,,r. Nv, te.,, 49,, ti,i, i,,,