The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-04-27
GRANTS CORRUPTION FUND.
THE SEC RET SERVICE MONEY
USED FOR ELECTION PURPOSES.
Fifty Thousand Dollars Paid TO Lille John
ny Davenport By order Of the President
Whence came the Enormous Fund that
Helped to Elect Grant for the Second Term.

Oeen Surmlbeu JIlaJ Jne Administrator
used large sums Of the public money for
election purposes, but the positive proof
of this malfeasanCe has never been OBJ
tainable until to-day 1t was quite gen.
orally believed that in 1S72a vast sum of
money was used to perpetrate election
frauds in North Carolina, whereby the
Grant party controlled that State, and
thus gave the first sensible check to the
Greeley tide which was until that time
sweeping everything before it. Subse.
quently it was just as well understood
that the Radical party saved Pennsylva-
MIA in October by the most lavish ex-
penditure of money. With the multi
piled Federal otiice.holding element at
least sixty thousand strong, assessed ten
per cent. on their salaries. a vast COM
mission fund would result therefrom :;
but even this, with the addition of the
assessment Of Belknap's post-traders,
would not have afforded one-half the
money spent in Pennsylvania alone in
1872. Whence came the balance of the
enormous election fund annually dis
bursed by the Radical managers? In
New York city, for instance, it has been
patent for years that johnny Davenport,
as Ben Buffers INSCRIPTIONS pimp is fa-
miliarly known, had tens sof thousands
to disburse at every important campaign,
and the bold and desperate manner in
which he welded the vast power of chief
Of the supervisors OF elections is known
of all men in New York city but it was
always mystery whence came the
money nee ,ssary to the execution of his
gigantic election schemes in the interest
of the Administration. This mystery is
at length made clear, and the revelation
discloses the fact that from the Presi-
dent of the United States, through the
Attorney-General, down to the chief of
the Secret Service Division, came the
order to pay over to Davenport the peo-
ple's money in order that ballot-boxes
might be stuffed, and gang of repealers
hired to aid all the plug uglies of Phila-
delphia to roll up enormous maiorities
for Grantism and Kembleism in the City
of Brotherly Love.
COL' WHITLEY DlSCLOSURES,
On Thursday last, April 13, Col. H. c.
Whitley, was called before the Commit
tee on Expenditures in the Department
Of Justice and examined in regard to the
use made of the money annually appro-
priated since 1871 to he expended under
the direction of the Attorney General for
the detection and prosecution of crime
tln TTnitoI L. IL IL
first to evade the questions which were
put to him, and manifested strong de-
sire to shield his superiors, under whose
orders he had acted. He, however, soon
discovered that the committee were in
possession of sufficient data to render it
impossible to truthfully withhold all the
facts from them. He denied most en-
phatically at that time that he had made
any corrupt use of the money which he
disbursed under tie orders of the Attor-
ney. General, and his subsequent disclos-
ures make it apparent that he told the
truth. When he was asked by the Chair
man of the committee if he had not, in
point of fact, paid large sum of money
from the secret service fund to we'll
known New York politician, he admit
ted that he had, and then asked thal he
might have an opportunity to consult
counsel and examine his papers at his
home in Cambridgport, Mass. before be-
ing called to give details in reference to
this transaction. The committee, after
consultation, agreed to grant him the
asked for delay, and COL Whitley at once
left for Boston. He returned this morn
ing, and was to-day examined at length.
MONEY PAID TO JOHN I. DAVENPORT.
He said, in substance, that it was his
desire to keep back nothing touching his
late official connection with the Depart
ment of Justice. He had consulted his
counsel in relation to the subject matter
of which the committee was inquiring,
and he told him that the only safe course
to pursue was to make clean breast of
il. To enable him to do this, Whitley
said he had in the short time at his dis.
posal overhauled his papers as thorough
iy as he could, and found vouchers for
S35 900 paid to John l. Davenport dur
ing the years 1871, 1872, 1873 and 1874
1t was his impression that he had paid
more money than this, but he had been
unable to find receipts for any more than
the amount above stated. He was still
inclined to believe that he paid Daven-
port in all about $50 1000, and he thought
that with further search he would be
able to find the vouchers for that amount
or something near it. Ever dollar of this
money he testified was paid upou the or
ders of the Attorney Genera, who al
ways assured him that he was acting
upon the orders of the President. These
payments first began in 1871, just before
the elections of that year, and regularly
every year thereafter, as long as COL
Whitley was chief of the secret service
division. Just before an election Daven-
port wanted large sums of money. Al
various times Whitley objected to hand
ing over the money, and the peremptory
orders would be given to pay it. He
was not satisfied with verbal orders. He
wanted written instructions to that effect,
and so he refusedto pay. Then Dayen-
port wrote letter that he had just had
word from Horace Porter that the Presi-
dent wanted the money paid, AID he in
structed the Attorney-General to order
III PAID. DUT6 6HOuSu IllO OluOl CauiO'
The first instructions he had in writing
came from Attorney-General Akerman
and are as follows;
THE MONEY ORDERED TO BE PAID
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE,
Washington, Aug IS, 1871. !
Col. II. C. Whitley so Bleeckerstreet N. y
S1R-In addition to the sum which you
have already been authorized to spend
under the appropriation for the detection
and prosecution of crimes against the
United States, the sum of $1,000 will be
placed in your hands, to be used in the
furtherance of the object of the appro-
priation in the city Of New York. Mr..
John l. Davenport, United States Com
missioner, has been in conference with
the President on the subject, and will ac-
quaint you with the particular work in
view. You will, of course, see that none
of the money is applied to any purpose