The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-03-18
ROTTEN 70 TIE VERY CORE.
TRAFFIC IN PoST ira DERSHIPs IN
TIL RITORIES.

A Suspicious Order by Prc.iden, Grant Or
vtrr Particular Friends-Systemntic OBJ
berry Of tho Soldiers bv tho scoundreis.
LARAMIE CITY, Wyoming Territory,
March 10.-when this reaches YOU the excite
ment incident TO the development OF bel
knap's rascslity will IN q measure have passed
away. will say, however, that many persons
are surprised that the whole matter OF the trafic
In post tradcrships was not sooner exposed.
IL must be remembered that at the time Bel-
kuap came into once the General Of the Army
had the power Of appointing traders at the milf
tory posts not In the vicinity OF towns" Del-
KNAPP soon saw how profitable the appointing
power could be used. and set TO work to have
the law 80 changed ms TO give the appointment
OF Traders to the Secretary OF War. ny adroit
manUuyrlng he accomplished his object, and
Immediately the shameful traffic began. A man
from Iowa by the name Of Hedrick became the
broker for the posts in the Western country.
They were oil put up for sale by this man and
they went TO the highest bidder. Not doubt
was expressed here, even at that time, az to who
were the persons who shared in the profits Of
these snles. While Hcdrick was the m an who
was generally to he consulted, Orvil Grant was
the person VINO did "A great deal OF the talking
and working. IL IL only about a wear ago that
OrNil Grant intimated that he could have the
post at Fort sill If he could get a responsible
person VINO would be honest In dividing thL
profits.
The persons who heard MIR. Grant make tbis
offer are Of tho highest respectabiity. onG hold
themselves In readiness to testify when called
uion. Fort sill is only one Of the places 1t
thought necessary To bleed. All Of the large
posts arc treated In the same way, and they
must have Welded enormous plumber. Take the
man Of rospectabilty. had been post trader
there for about hiteen yeurs. He was a generous.
klpd-hcaIted. genial man, whose just treatment
of both oificers aud enlisted men will long tie re-
Inemhered by them. Under Bolknap and the
new law he was forced TO give up his business to
a drunken politician nv the name of Mccormick.
who soon became such a nuisance to the post
that common decency demanded bis removal.
AZ that time there WAS firm OF shoe and
leather dealers at Omaha known as s. & J. IL.
Collins. particular friends Of orvll Grant. A
consultation was held bet ween these worthless
and II WAS greed that j. IA. Collins should have
the tr dership at Fort Laramie. TO the sur
prise Of every one here the following order was
verN soon received, signed by the President VI
the United States:
give the leadership at Fort Laramie TO j. II. Collins
IL preference to all others (Sign,d), U. S. GRANT
THIS order, from the Executive mansion, the
Collnses showed to number ~ persons. and
asked Information as to how they should man
age things. They have managed things nobly
for themselves as tho poor enlisted men. who
were the suffere :, can testify. They nave accu-
mulated lrge fortune. and i've like nabobs.
Their prices have been exorOitant In the K
IRENE. and az they have no competition at the
post they can well afford to pay $500 year,
which Is said To be the price OF course all
this money comes eventually out of the pockets
OF the poor enlisted men and their families,
ton the more he charges the soldier for the
wretched stun he sells.
Prices charged for many Of the necessary arti-
cies OF soldiers supplies are 50 great that II
they were given they would hardly be believed.
All the large posts are tie same. Fort Abraham
Lincoln, Fort Unou Fort FrttefmAn. Fort Rich
afdsop. and score Of other fotts have history
OF fraud snd corruption similar to that Of Forts
sill aud Laramie.
Let Mr.. Dent step up and tell what he knows
about Fort Union. Let MIR. A. &. Leighton. ira
der at Fort u ford, 2 m ide to give his eXueri-
ence On the witness ~ nd ana then late Major
Ierrll. Pdymaster OF the army, step up and tell
how a tr idershp IN Texis was obt lined for his
clerk, one Walluck. and how the man who had
The post before Belknap's advent was piunder.
90 and nnally squeezed out by this man W al
lack, who still holds the position.
Inc poor soldiers are also robbed by other
persons In high official positions. when John
a. Campbell now cork in the state Depart
menO, was Governor OF Wyoming, he subjected
the post traders in that Territory to forced con.
trbutturs, on the DretencS that money was
wanted Tor campaign purposes. and few. n any.
OF the traders dared to refuse to pay over. Let
MIR. Campbell step up and tell what he did with
that money. L can give the names Of traders
VINO sent the money to him. ! he trader at Fort
Sanders, a post not really worth Sl.DOe a year,
was called on Tor $500 by Mr.. Campbell, and the
money was sent to him.
II the committee investigating the accounts
OF the Var Department want q thorough history
Ol post iriderships in the Territories, le, them
summon MsjorGen. Tunis y. Palmer Of the req
ular army, and make him tell what lac knows
about the post traders business.