Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-03-10
BeIknap's Fall.
GIN ". T. surRxax's OPINION OF II.

GIN ". T. sUrRnAN's OPINION OF II.
Said Gen. Sherman, II have never bad
anything to shock me as this shameful dis
closure. am astonished beyond measure:
| have known Belknap long time, and
never had occasion to doubt his integrity.
know that his previous record Is without
blot. lie has ALWAYS been regarded a
man Of scrupulous honor.
..Of course, do not know tae cause, but
having lived in Washington during ms ten
ure Of Office, | can form pretty good idea
of it. In nv opinion his downfall Is due
more to the vicious organization OF Wash
ingtou society than any thing else. refer
to the ridiculous extravaganza Of those who
move in the first social circles at the capital.
Very few cabinet officers are able to live
within their means none can beg in to live
within their salaries While | was there
the only member of the cabinet who could
stand it was Fish: with his income Of $780,
900 a wear he could afford to pay almost any
price for social privileges nevertheless, it
cost him $4,000 year. Mr.. Chandler,
who has gone into the caOinet since | came
to St. Louis, is another one whose private
fortune is 50 ample that his salary is no
object 10 him Outside of these two none
of the public officials in Washington can
live within their salaries. | left Washing
ton chiefly because my salary would not
support me and because did not consider
the society there the proper place in which
to rear family. IL received 81, 500 regular
salary, besides So 600 for rent and horses,
making SIC, 500 in all. outlived this
amount every year by several thousand dol
ars. | had to keep open house all the time
Nv family rarely had any rest from enter
tanning people, most of them utter strangers,
in whom we could feel no interest. Besides,
everybody consider themselves priv
legged TO practice extortion upon
any person who holds a prominent
place in Washington. Gias companies, house
furnishers, marketers, etc, always charged
me exhorbitant prices, simply because | was
General Of the Army. Now, Belkrap got
IS 900 year, and had no outside resources.
He had fashionable wife, ambitious TO lead
in society. She must have money, and there
was no other mode of getting 1t except by
resorting to unlawful practices. In my mind ,
this is the key to the disgracetul conduct OF
the Secretary Of War"
(" DO you not attribute, to some extent,
the corruption which has been discovered in
the sale Of trading posts, to the present
system OF managing that service ~
" do, though the system Is not nece-
sarily corrupt one. The Old pan was much
safer and made dishonesty more improbable.
No man could get the appointment OF post
trader, or sutler, as they were formerly call
ed, until be had secured the recommendation
of the three senior Officers next 10 the com
mandant Of the post. The name of the per
son selected By this council of three was sub
mitted TO the Post Commandment. lie indOrs-
ed and forwarded it to the Secretary of War.
The recommendation always secured the ap-
pointment The officers ALWAYS selected some
applicant who was known to them, and to
whose society they did not object. Quite often
il was some former fellow officer who had lost
his position in the army. During the war
the matter was lett pretty much 10 the Gen
eral of the Army, "a was also the case
just after the war and during the ser
vice Of Gen Rawlins as Secretary Of War
When Gen. Belknap came into Othce, in
1863, he removed, without consulting me,
the sutler Of Fort Laramie, putting in his
place man who was obnoxious 10 the
officers at the post. Ousted Belknap. ap-
pointee and restored the old trader, though
after the Congress Of 1870 passed the act de-
priving the General of the Army OF all
jurisdiction III the matter, and giving ex-
elusive control thereof to the War Depart
ment, Belknap reinstated hIs man. | thought
It was unfair to deprive the officers OF
voice in choosing a trader 1t seemed des-
potic 10 me, ant not 10 accordance with the
genius OF our republican institutions.
Living out IN the far frontier, a. It were in
little world to themselves, | looked upon
II a. wrong u force the soldiers to take
any person they did not want. Bat the act
was passed ami the army officers ct course
submitted
Has there been much complaint about
Belknap's post traders
"Oh, YES, there has been good deal Of dis
satisfaction. Some OF the fellows appointed
were regarded a. suspicious characters, and
their society obnoxious to the officers, but
the question had been taken entirely out of
my hands, and ! could .av nothing without
Interfering with the bushes OF the >ecre-
tary Of War"
I'm view OF recent developments. would
you not recommend re-establishment Of
the old system OF appointments
" would. 1t would. in M opinion, be
more satisfactory not only to the army,
but the people generally. 1t would make
fraud almost impossible, and would be more
lust "