The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-04-30
Omcial Integrity.


On the 18th inst, Mr.. A. Z. Bateman,
4 member OF the firm Of BateEan & Co,
bankers, Washington, D. c., IN letter
TO the Secretary Of War, charged that
Gen. d. G. Swain, the Judge Advocate
General Of the army. having obtained
from the bank . due bill for q, 900 de-
posted and checked out the deposit and
then sold the due bill, and further that
Gen. Swain assisted to negotiate with
the bank army pay vouchers which
be knew TO be fraudulent Before action
had been had by the Secretary, Mr.
Bateman formally withdrew the charges
saving that the difference between Gen.
Swain and himself had been satisfae-
torily settled. Nevertheless the Secre-
tary referred Mr.. Bateman's letters to
Gen. Swain with an Endorsement upon
the one first received, 'sfor such remarks
as he may desire to submit upon the
allegations made in the written commu-
nication, and for any. application he may
desire to make" The reply of Gen.
Swain was not satisfactory to the Sec
rotary, and, on his recommendation, the
President has ordered a court of in
quiry to investigate the charges.
In hisletter to the President Secretary
Lincoln says:
Mr.. Bateman's business adventures are
not entitled under any circumstances. to
the protection of the War Department, but
the integrity and unrightness of the officer
of the army who reports upon every court
martial proceeding, which it is the duty OF
the Secretary of War to submit to the
| President for his final action, is a matter
of the deepest concern to the President and
to every one of his military subordinates.
The law requires that conduct unbecom-
| ing an officer and a gentleman" shall be
| followed by a sentence of dismissal from
the military service, and the President
alone can mitigate the sentence. If there
could be any distinction every considera-
| ton requires that more than any other
officer Of the army the Judge Advocate
General should be free beyond question
from an imputation of such conduct.
1 ~ 10 q AAAtSCA va W AhNAC
fore, that when the Judge Advocate Gen
eral was given an opportunity to comment
upon the charges in question, he, in respect
to the first charge, either was not able or
did not see fit to make an explicit denial
of its essential part, or to give in detail
such facts and cireumstarc es as would show
the falsity of the charge. Instead of DONG
80, he has contented himself with state
| ment which contains nothing to which
Mr.. Bateman's allegations might not pos
sibly be truthful supplement.
So in respect to the second charge-as-
sisting to negotiate army pay vouchers
with Bateman & Co., which General Swain
knew to be fraudulent. and duplicates of
outstanding accounts-General Swaim's re-
Spouse fails to notice that the charge as
made by Mr.. Bateman refers, not merely
to negotiation of army pay accounts, but
to negotiation of pay accounts alleged to
have been known to General Swain as
fraudulent, and to that element of the
charge no allusion is made in his response.
1t is not overlooked that the final clause
of the response-asking for its publication
refers to the accusations as false, but his
specific answers to them are evidently
intended to be found in what has gone be-
| fore.
If there is no proof to sustain the charges
made, or il the circumstances can be ex-
| planned so as to remove every impression
Of improper conduct on the part of the
officer in question, | am of the opinion
that the welfare of the military service re-
quires that the proper steps should be
taken for his yindication. 1t is not per-
sonal, but an official and public matter.
He has not, in my view, recognized this
necessity; and as he has not done so | am
compelled TO recommend to you the APP
pointment of a court of inquiry to examine
into the accusations above mentioned, and
to report the facts developed by their in
vestigation and give their opinion there
on.
In the charges and correspondence,
we find no admitted fact inconsistent
with Gen. SWANS innocence, and it may
be that the court of inqriry will find
this to be case where an attempt has
been made to collect a debt by means
more creditable to a black mailer than
to respectable banking firm. Never
theless it is clear that the interests of
the public service demand that tie
matter should not stop where Mr.. Bate
man and Gen. Swain were content to
leave it. The Secretary has pointed out
with much astuteness the weak points
of Gen. Swaim's defence, and he should
have the opportunity of strengthening
his statement that the accusations are
false.
When the sentiments expressed by
Mr.. Lincoln in his letter to the Presi-
dent shall be the guide of the executive,
legislative and judicial branches Of the
governments civil as well as the
military departments, then will the work
OF the ssformer be ended. We believe