The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1876-03-25
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

Congressional Committee.
Applications for documents,
speeches, and other political matter,
and all communications relating to
the business ct the committee, should
be addressed TO the Secretary, Hon
James E. Harvey, 1924 + street.
Washington City.
Editors who send. their newspa-
pers TO the Committee will be fur
nisiIed with all documents free of
charge.
HESTER CLYMER, Chairman.
W. ii. BARNUM, Trca.urer.
JAMES +. HARVEY, Secretary.
1t will be seen that Hon. Hester
Clymer. Chairman of the Commit
tee which investigated the Bcll>nap
scandal, is, also, Chairman of the
National Democratic Congressional
Committee, and no man better fitted
for the position could have been
chosen. Mr.. Clymcr is a gentleman
of particularly suavc and agreeable
address, and, upIuesti"nably, a man
ofgreat ability. The committee are
fortunate, also, in securing the ser
vices, as secretary, of Hon. James
+. Harvey late L. $ Minister TO
Portugal, :, man of lctte rs, Il journal
ist of note, and a man OF varied and
extended information, whosc large
acquaintance and experience must
prove of great value to the party.
THE DISTRICT INVESTIGATION.
Tire investigation of the affairs of
the d. strict Government and of the
Boar, Il Of Audit, which is being con
tinued f.'om day to day by the
House Com mittee on the District of
Columbia, dis closes n sysies of Off
cial swrndltng and robbing by
wholesale and retail. that complete
" throw into ti'e shade the crimes
of Tweed and his as 'ociates IN New
York This and OF. e. inveslIsa-
tions that the sever Al Committees
of the House are dill envy pursu-
ing disclose the astounding act that
there has not been, for years, an
honest man in any promih INT posi-
ton under either the Fed. ri or
the District Cove rnmcnt; ano that
even the men in subordinate pt u
tons who have had any Opportunl
ty to steal have invariably followed
the example set them by their Off
cial supcriors. There has been, re-
ally, no law, in the proper accepta-
fl IN of that word, administered in
Washington for Il long time. We
have been under n sort of provost
marshal rule. From the President
and his 4binct down to the Chiefs
of Bureaus, and from Judges of the
District and The District Attorney
down to the Constablcs, utter disrc-
gard of the law, where anything
could be made by violating it, or
where the interest Of any OF the Va
rious Rings were al sake, l,as been
the rule.
MORE OF BELKNAP's RAsCALITY.
Another one of Secretary Bcll<-
maps post-trading operations has
bone to light. The informant is
G. S. Bell, a man well known in
Washington. He will give his tes-
timony before the committee short
Iy. At the close OF the war, Bell,
who had been a scout in General
S. A. Uurlbut's division, was APP
pointed to the Secret Service De-
partmcnt on General Reynolds
staff, i'm Texas. lie remained there
for several years, and, in 1872, learn
ing that the post leadership ut Fort
Davis,a station on the Western from
tier of Texas, had become vacant,
he came to Washington to secure
the vacant post leadership. lie
brought with him letters Of recon-
mendation from General Reynolds
and other prominent gentlemen.
Shortly after hi. arrival here, he
went To Secretary Be!knap, exhibit
ed his Recommendations and asked
for the position. The Secretary APP
peared somewhat indignant at being
approached personally upon such
n petty subject, in"smuch rs the
post-tradership at Fort Davis was
not a very large affair. Bell, being
hlgh-tcmpercd, replied sharply, and
left the Sccrctary's presence. He
| had gone no further than tho en-
trance to the War Department Of
| fee, however, when a clerk of Mr..
Belknap came after him to return
! for few moments. Mr.. Bell did
as requested The Secretary treat
ed him kindly; sail that the post
leadership ut For: Davis was vacant,
but that il was worth to him $1,000
a year. Bell said he would consider
the proposition but concluded that
$4,000 per annum was more than he
could pay for the privilege of OBJ
tanning the post, and did not accept
it. He is willing to testify to this
statement, as 4 fact.
GRANT RECEIVES 4 PAIR OF PONIES For
AN INDIAN POST TRADER SHIP.
As soon as the Committee can get
at it, well known gentleman OF
unimpcachablc integrity Will testify
to IL fact W hich places the President
in a hardly less ,iis-siI ceiul position
than that of BcIknap. The gentle
man to whom refer holds himself
ready to swear that, on Il certain oc
casion, he went to the White House
aud introduced to the President
gentleman who wanted n pOst-tra-
dcrshIp on an Indian agency. This
gentleman made his application, and
? after having made it, then remarked
= 10 the President, in the hearing oil
the witness, that, in traversin@ rhe
Indian country, he had come across
the finest pair of Indian ponies