Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-05-11
WASHINGTON.
From our own Correspondent.
WASHINGTON. Anril Doth 1875

The great topic of interest for the
past week has been the report, author
lied to be published by the Democrat
ic portion of the Committee on Ex-
} penditures IN the Department Of JUS
tice, that Gen. Grant has ordered the
expenditure of large amount of the
t public funds unauthorized by law, for
election purposes and to secure his re
election. This charge is absolutely
an unqraliiedly false. What are
the facts in the case? About $50, 600
were paid under the direction of the
President and Attorney General to
Mr. John j. Davenport, Of New
York, who has been for several years
and still is United States Commission
er and Chief Supervisor Of elections.
The Sundry Civil Appropriation Bill
appropriated $4,000 to be expended
under til direction of the Attorney
General, IN the detection and prescott
ton Of crimes against the United
States. It was under this provision
that a portion Of the amount named
therein was turned over to Supervisor
Davenport to be used for the object
defined by the law. AS Chief Super
visor OF elections he has been engaged
for years in the work Of detecting,
preventing and prosecuting election
frauds which are ''crimes against the
United States and it was to enable
him to push on this invaluable work
that this money was paid to him.
When the "crimes against suffrage by
false registration, illegal naturalization
repeating and various rascalities of
that class" perpetrated under Tamma-
ny rule as managed by Boss Tweed,
under which ILoratio Seymour, in
1868, was counted in as Governor, and
served two years although not elected
are called to mind, every lover Of good
government without regard to party
will thank President Grant for this
effort to guard and protect tho purity
Of the Oallot-box.
The amount paid Supervisor Daven-
port was only about one half the
amount paid in Philadelphia for the
same purpose, .arge portion Of which
paid by a deficiency appropriation,
which was advocated by Hon Samuel
j. Randall, the present Chairman Of
the Committee on Appropriations.
The committee not meeting with pub
lie appreciation they expected in thus
accusing the President, are endeavor-
ing to conceal the facts and insult the
witnesses who come to testify before
them, when not testifying to suit them
as in the case of Supervisor Dayen-
port, This they carried to such an
extent that the New York Tribune,
although strongly opposed to the Ad-
ministration says: davenport, it is
perfectly notorious owed his appoint
ment as Supervisor Of Elections to the
fact that he had devised plan for re-
ducing the illegal democratic vote;
and what these Democratic Congress-
men expected to gain when they gave
him an opportunity to come before the
committee and tell all about it, we are
at loss to understand But now that
he has come it is idle to try to stop
his mouth. If we have any of the
story we must have it all Otherwise
when people find the committee brow
beating and insulting the witness at
the start, and then stopping in the
midst Of his testimoy, holding council
over it with closed doors, and finally,
folbidding him to say a word except
in direct answers to their carefully
worded questions, the suspicion will
get abroad that what the committee
particularly wishes. is not to hear the
whole truth. Dir. Dayenport's meth
DDS in Office certainly do not command
our approval, but he has put stop to
great deal Of democratic cheating
and there is no use in denying it."
The course pursued by this commit
tee Is fair sample of the course tax
en- by nearly all of the committees of
investigation Of the House of Repre-
sentativeS. They sit with closed doors
taking down as testimony what any
one may have heard some one else say
against the accused Republican, with
out the accused having an opportunity
of being present to cross-e1amine the