New-York tribune., 1876-03-03

the Senate OF the action Of tho House, Messrs Cymer
Robbins Blackburn Bass and Danforth these members
composing the Committee on the Expenditures Oh tno
War Department, making tho report.
Thus ended the most bitterly painful scene that ever
took place In this hail. the theater OF so ny exctng
The proceedings not being anticipated nor tne
which led them generally known there was at
first very large attendance In the galleries MI "oou
was speaking on the Hawaiian treaty in Committee
of the Whole, but on al in imation Of what
about TO take place be left his speech unnh'
ished, and gave way to q motion that the Committee
rise. Mr. Clymer, in malng his preliminary remarGs 70
tho House. and in subsequently reading from the CLERKS
desk the testimony which told In such plain and con-
vncIng the guilt Of tho man who had been so
trusted aud honored vsby affected and had to ex-
ercse strong mastery his feelings % suppress the
public display of his emotions He was particularly
affected when he came to read that portion OF 1t which
described the between the witness Mr. Marsh Mrs
Belknap and Mrs. Bowers (the sister or the then
Mrs Bclknap and herself holding that name) IN
the nursery where the pecunay prospects OF the nno
cent child were alluded to- and the other portion which
described the efforts made by the wife to screen the nus
band and the mental anguish OF the witness Struggling
between the desire 10 save his friend and the resolve not
to do SO at the expense Of his own soul Mr Cymer mao
to pause several times when be came to these pas
sages and his strong emotion won faVor Ior
from him all spectators During the proceed,
Inea Mr. Kerr occupied tho Speakers chair ana
beneath him at the Clerks desk sat his predecessor hr
Bainel evncng painful interest IN the story as tou III
tho testimony Of Mr.. Marsh. Many members "hoSe
seats are in remote part Of the hall took up poSos
in the area front OF the Clerks desk ana all the rest
occupied their seats paying the most marked attention
IN tbc reading Before the scene had closed the galleries
had all become crowded. including the Diplomatic gai
ery where the Danish Minister and HIS wife were among
the spectators There feeling OF relief expereneeu
by ali after tho vote taken and the affair brought 10
a close
The Committee appointed by the Speaker VIII to-mor
row proceed to the Senate Chamber ana communicate 70
that body the action OF tho House. The Judiciary COM
mittee tomorrow will also draw up the articles OF inn
and report them TO the House When adopted
by the House body WILL headed by is speaker ana
hj officers proceed the Senate Chamber ana demand
the impeachment of Mr.. Belknap. Then the senate WIN
fin parliamentary phrase take order for the lmpeacn
ment-that h arrange the time and manner OF conduct
ing tho riawhich Will be prosecuted on Ihe part Vi t"e
House by its Judiciary Committee.
The House then, at 6:15 adjourned, when IL was an
nounced that the Democratic caucus which hsd Deeh
fixed for tonight had been adjourned till Saturday night
THE BELKNAP EXPOSURE AN OLD STORY.
THE TRIBUNE TOLD THE SAME THING IN THE SPRING
or 1s72--ANoTHER OF THE Liberal SLAM
DERsD PROVED TRUE-wHERE ARE THE ADMIN
IsrRATIoN MEN Ow WHO WE'RE THEN so GLIB
IN pENoUNCING THE "GREELEYITE CAMPAIGN OF
sLANpERn-wHAr THE ADMINISTRATION WOULD
NOT INVESTIGATE IN 1S72-CRUsHED BY IT NOW.
From THE TRIBUNE, editorial pag, 16h Fsor 1876.
Another of the multfarious ways and means OF
fleeing people is brought to light in our Washing
ton dispatches to-day Indian traders are rapacious
and dishonest enough but the military traders who
copstrnctiyely sell goods at the military posts on
the frontiers and live in " "brOwn-stOne fronts IN
New-York CITY, are worse if that be possible. 1t
seems that one of the beauties Of the semi-mltary
administration Of affairs under which we live per-
mits the appointment of purveyors suffers or
traders, with exclusive privileges at the military
posts remote from settlements, and that these trau
ers whose monopoly is complete and amply In
trenched, farm out their profitable appointments
at rates which pay them very handsomely for the
influence with which they secure the job from
Headquarters. Ii must be apparent that New-fork
concern which gets forty fifty thousand dollars
year for letting out traders post at frontier FORT
makes that amount out of its political influence
Tho trader who buys the selling business OF the firm
makes enough to pay his bonus and his profits
Result robbery OF officers and soldiers. Will some
humane and enlighteded statesman, net AFRAID o
being called an adversary of the administration and The
Gepvbloan party see this suindlc cannot be broken up
Jorthwihf
Fyoa THE TRIBUNE 18th Fsb 1872 Washington dspateheE
WAsHINGToN, FEB. 15, 1S72.-Army officers sta
toned at posts in the West complain Of the extor
tions pracced by the post traders and OF the gross
abuses practiced under the law which authorizes
their appointment. These traders are given the eN-
elusive privilege of selling goods upon the military
reservations to tho officers soldiers, emigrants and
Indians The privilege is so valuable that 1T is OBJ
tanned by political or family influence at Washing
rbo m he
the business, but farm out the privilege to actual
traders for sums amounting, in some cases, to
$4,000 or $4,000 year. The traders
OCCUPY relations to the army similar
10 those the suffers held during the war,
with this exception, that the suffers were under the
control of the post commanders, and the soldiers
were protected against the rapacity by the power of
a council of officers to fix tariff OF prices at which
goods should be sold whereas the traders are ap-
pointed by tho Secretary of War, and, having no
competition and being under no control, charge any
price they please The suffers abolished at the
close of the war, and the COmmissary Department
was required TO furnish the necessary articles for
merly kept by the suffers, and to sell them to the
soldiers at cost price This law the COmmssares
found irksome and they have always managed to
evade it, Soon after it went into effect, the
Adiutant- General issued order allowing any one
to trade at military post who should show fitness
to the Department Commander. This was good
advantage for the troops for 1t gave them the adj
vantage Of competition, but it did not suit the
traders who have always sought exclusive privi-
Ieges 1t lasted until the Summer of 1870, when,
the recommendation of the Secretary of War, sec
tion was put into the Army bill authorizing the Sec
retary to appoint one or traders at each mill
tary post for the convenience of emigrants
freiVhiers and other citizens The section was