The daily gazette., 1876-08-05
THE REPORT OF CLYTER'lS s
Committee,

The report of the Committee on Ex-
penditurcs in the War Department
shows that Mr.. Clymer and his asso>
ciates have worked faithfully and en-.
ergetically during the session; and
they have succeeded in unveiling
many of the processes by which, since
the war, Republican politicians have
contrivcd to make money out of the
military establishment. The record
of this committee is in inself COM
plete answer to the charge that the
present House has accomplished moth
ing. For eleven years under fol .ner
Congresses, the Committee on Expen-
ditures in the War Department had
not met, and now, through the faiths
full performance of its duty during a
single session, it has discovered sys-
tem of fraud which little zeal aud
vigilance in former years would have
prevented from growing up, aad has
convicted some of the highest officials
in the Administration of bribe. ! and
corruption. This report alone suffic.
to prove the necessity of change in
our Government, thorough sweeping
change which shall permit the people
to examine from end to and the meths
cd in which their affairs have been
conducted. These revelations, and
the effort which it cost to make them
prove the folly of trusting party
with power so long and so implicitly
that it gets beyond criticism and care
less of responsibility
When wrong gets firmly established
its overthrow is desperate adventure
Clusters share in the exposure even of
such transparent rascal as Belknap
cost him the favor of his superiors. He
risked his reputation, gave up his
chance for promotion, and perhaps lost
his life, through his desire to convict
arogue who was swindling the soldiers
whom it was his duty to protect. Mr..
Clymer's share of the same work
brought on HIM deluge of abuse
For dcnouncing the Secretary of War
he was assailed with the vilest ISLANDERS
from one end of the country to the
other. His associates on the commit
tee were likewise attacked with inve-
terate malice. Happily they have
been triumphant, and the lies levelled
at them have recoiled ON the inventors
The results Of. the labors of this COM
mittee may be briefly summed up. 1t
is established clearly that President
Grant violated the law to give his
brother Orv'' an opportunity to ms'l
money.
1t is proved that he made use of his
official position to force business men
into the clutches of his brother and
his brother in-law, who, through their
influence at Washington, leYied a sys-
tematic blackmail on postAtraders, that
was little short of actual robbery. Mr..
Grant seems to have been as ready to
sacrifice communities as individuals, to
the greed of his relatives. He destroy
ed Brule City in their favor with the
same GOODNESS with which he ruined
Barrow and Du,fee and Peck. There
is little reason to believe that in pers
petrating these public and private
wrongs he was ignorant of the nature
and scope of his acts. The committee
have also shown conclusively that
there was egr'arly organized ring
for the sale of post>traderships, a nd
they set for'h at length the profits of
some of tue members. The guilt of
Belknap Is, of course, universally
acknowledged. They prove, moreover,
thnt the law was violated to pay Cow
les s. Co., the moth-exterminators a
fraudulent claim. and they convict ex-
AttorneY-Williams the flagrants violr.
tion of his duty in order to me-, the
payment possible. The whole story
of the moth contract, by which profit
of 1924, ,S77.54 was made and divided
out of contract to the amount of
$4o3,S75, is pretty ii.rstration of the
growth of great frauds from eontemp-
tible sources,
But, besides its work in the convics
ton OF rogues, the committee has de-
served well of the country for what it
has done to virdicate honest Men
foully slandered. 1t deserves the thanks
of the country for rescuing the fair
fame of Michael e. Kerr, threatened
by foul cor spiracy. Its action in
establishing the purity of DIR. Pendle-
ton against charges as indignantly
urged as they were vantonly and mali
ciously conjured up, is not less COM
mendable. Never in the history of
this country has public man been
more unfairly or more wickedly held
up to general reprobation than was
Mr.. Pendleton until this committee by
full, fearless and searching investi
cation established his innocence of
charges brought against him in the
fatuous hope of warding'off in part the
force of the blow, struck in the expo
sure of Belknap, at the Administration.
To have vindicated the guiltless and
classified the guilty is the highest
praise such committee could deserve,
World.