Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1876-04-28
THE COST OF GRANTISM-CO CORRUPT
USE OF PUBLIC MONEY
How the Campaign of 1872 Was
Fought and W0n-One Hundred
and Fifty Thousand Dollars
Sed-DaVenpOrt's
Raid on the
Traa
TFeaSufy.
From the Baltimore Gazette.

vi
Treasury.
From the Baltimore Gazette.
WAsHIE:zTo:i, April 81.
All the efforts of the supporters of
the administration will now be dir ct
ed to raising cloud of dust und, r
cover of which the real facts in regard
to use of money from the secret ser.
vice fund of the Department Of Justice
for partisan political purposes will b.
obscured. The bottom facts in the
case are quite simple, and the public
can readily understand them To
enable the administration to sustain
self and maintain the supremacy of
the republican party in the South the
enforcement act was passed May 81,
1870. To extend the provisions OF this
act and give the radical politicians the
opportunity of utilizing the vast ma
chinery of the Fedora, courts to con
troll elections III Northern as well as
Southern States, the enforcement act
was amended by the act of February
%, 1871, which provides for the ap
pointment of supervisors Of cleo
tions ana the swearing i'll of an extra
force of deputy United States mar
halls The machinery which was thus
placed under the control of the repub-
iicAn party managers was made IL patent
engine to control elections. It was
determined by the men who own and
% iittle johnny Davenport in New
York to use the powers thus placed Ill
their hands unscrupuiously ana con
vert it to the worst possible uses All
the ex raordinary things which they
could 10 under the act of February
%, 1871, could be paid for out of the
appropriation for the expenses of the
ULlted States courts. But this was
not sufficient: they had board of dep
uty United States marshala sworn in,
and a number o. supervisors of ell, c.
tions-two In each voting precinct
and over all this they had Johnny
Davenport as chief supervisor 70
asc4 rtain exactly what amount of
money was used to iefray the ex penses
incurred iegltlmately under the act of
Feb-uary %, 1871, in New York city
during 1872, the committee on expepd-
itures III the Department of Ju >tce to.
day sent to the Treasury Department
for the vouchers. These showed that
there was paid for the service of SUPER
visors and deputy marshals $50. 900.
In addition to this there were extraor-
binary expenses, amounting to over
Sl5 600, which the judges of the courts
would not certify.
The Jaw requires all these accounts
to be paid from the appropriation for
expenses Of United States courts, to be
certified by the Judge OF the District
or Circuit Court. The 3I5, 200 of ex-
traOrdinary expenses were for the rent
# room III the filth-avenuo Hotel,
which was used by Davenport aud the
republican State Central Committee,
and carriage hire and the like. For
the first item the bill was $500, and for
the second 81. 800 These accounts
amounted il all to something over
$4,000. The accounting officers Of
tic, Treasury Dep .rtment objected to
this, and Dave nport went to the Presit
dent and got his written order to have
them passed. In addition to this,
Davenport, as chief supervisor, had an
account of bis. own, which amounted
lii all to $lS, 555 35, which was allowed
and paid in November, 1872. Now
add to this the 1922, 900 be received
from the secret service fund of the
Department of Justice, and we
have an aggregate of about $l40 COO,
which was disbursed during the Pres
idential cam paian of 1872 ia New York
city under the direction of Davenport.
1t must be borne in mind all the time
that under The law not one dollar OF
money COZ ii be iegitimately expended
without the certificate of the courts
The account for $4,000 of extraordi-
nary expenses did not have, and the
S22, 600 which came through the chi.
of the secret service division was ex-
pended independent of any law. There
were no vouchers of any klud returned
either to the Treasury Depar ment or
the Department of Justice. Thus it
will be seen that the case against
Grant grows worse and worse as the
bottom fact are uncovered. and it may
be safely concluded that as this piece
of jobbery is uncovered all the admit
ted shrewdness oflittie Johnny Dlven-
port and his confreres cannot explain
it away.
John J. Davenport, the chief SUPER
visor of elections in New York city,
arrived here tlris morning and un-
packed his trunk in the den of Gem
eral Benjamin +. Butler, whose resi-
ience IS conveniently located near the |
capitol as an asylum for the Jnynes,
and Sanborns. The com |
mittee on expenditures in the Depart |
ment of Justice first examined Mr.. |
Au!d, a clerk i'll the first comptroller's |
office who produced the vouchers on |
which money had been paid during |
The election times in 1871, To and '73. |
Those for 1872 showed that Marshal |
bill for supervisors and dep
1ty marsh Is WIS $50, 900. In addi-
ion he was paid over SIS, 200 for ex-
expenses. which included
Jack hire and DIVES and suudry re-
r4shments for the boys. Sharpe's
asst bill was approved by the Presi-
lent, who vas of opinion that what
sver amount of money was expended
~ republican officials in New
York, even if it was for liquor
md gars, was for holy cause But
title Johnny Davenport also got his
hare. The vouchers on which the ac-
counts for the year 1872 were settled
ave Johnny over Gig lteen thousand
dollars, and in addition he also got
thousand dollars from the
ecret service fund. The committee
igured up that the people of the
were taxed one hundred and
orty thousand dollars for election
in the city of New York
lone in the Presidential election of
872, when Grant was and
lected at the peoples expense. This
fternoon little johnny appeared as a
7itness. accompanied by a sable-hued
lfrican, upon whose forehead great
rops OF perspiration flowed like little
ivulets as he deposited a portion of
be books and papers brought from
suffers house in evidence of his great
bility to serve the ADMINISTRATION.
ohnny did not get we'll Into his evil
ence, and so the committee adjourned (
le examination until tomorrow.