Year: 1862

mcnt there is indubitable evidence abroad
in the land that some body has plundcr
cd the public treasury well nigh in that
single year as much as the entire current
yearly expenses Of the Governments dur
ing the Administration which the people
hurled from power because Of its corrup
ton" And further, that those heavy
measures Of taxation which have been
brought forward by the Committee oil
Ways and Means would "lall like a
dead pail upon the public, unless before
them goes this assurance, that these vast
and extreme measures instituted to re.
susciate and revive anil rcplcnish the
Treasury, arc not merely for means to Gil
other and longer, as well as the already
gorged pockets ofpublic plunderers."


But, sir, passing on from the evidence
OF fraud and corruption in the manage.
ment Of our public affairs, as furnished by
the proceedings Of this House, | procced
to other fields. The result OF the labors
Of this committee arc before the country,
and can do no more in my brief hour
than to extract a few conclusive sentences.
But investigation Of this kind. has lot
been confined alone to this body. The
other branch Of Congress has had the sub
jcct Of official delinquency also forced up.
on their attention. / hold in my hand a
report Of the Senate Committee on Nayal
Affairs, relating TO one single transaction
in which the Government suffered los.
Of $4,000. | read from its concluding
portions:


at is said to be necessary, not only that
justice should be done, but that the public should
be satisfied that it is done and in this view youl
committee regret that in the city Of New York d
man could not be found to transact this busincs.
/ Tor the Navy Department, out Of the family con
! nection of the Secretary, for however pure and
honest his purpose may have been in selection, ii
cannot fail to give rise to suspicious that othei
motives than single purpose to subserye th,
public interests may possibly have Influenced Til,
choice hat was made. The timc too, at which
this arrangement was made by which such a vast
and disproportionatc amount Of the public none,
was paid for SO inconsidcrable service was pc
culiarly unfortunate. TIE country was cngagct
in war in which its very existence was at stake
The nation had been aroused, and was contribut
Ing men and money without stint to defend the
national life, yindcate the national honor, and
restore the rghtful supremacy of the Constitu-
tion and the laws. The energies and the Industry
OF the country were TO be taxed as they had new
er been before, and the pressing necessities Of the
Government had compelled it to resort to new
and untricd sources Of revenue. The hut of poy-
erty and the mansion of wealth were alike called
upon to aid in bearing the burden which rebel
lion and civil war had thrown upon the nation
All this was born, and would have been DorI
| cheeriully, if the tax payers had seen or beer
convinced that their money was to be faithful,
| and economically applied to the purposes 70
which it was raised. But when they see immcns,
sums layished upon personal or political avorite.
for small and inconsiderabe services confidence
in the Governmet is impaired public credit i
plralyzed, and the very existence of the nation i:
| imperiled.'


And in commenting on this alarming
state of corruption in the Navy Depart.
ment. very distinguished Senator, Mr.
Hale used the following strong Ian
guage:


''When the country was taxing itselfas it nev.
cr had before, when twas bleeding at every pore
when new and untricd sources of revenue were
resorted to, when you were taxing the ncccssarie,
| of the humblest inhabitant of your land, anC
when the land was straiuiug itself and all its citi
zens, and they were sending their young men t,
the field and giving their money to the Treasury
at that time and in that hour when it seemed a,
| if the very existence of the nation stood in the
scale, doubtful which way it was to turn, George
ID. Morgan merchant of New York, brother
in law of the Secretary of the Navy, was rcceiy-
ing from the hard earnings Of this hard taxed
people compensation equal to about TWELVE
THOUSAND DOLLARS a MONTH.


lie further says:


81 regret to see what has been stated in sever
nj n tlp hat Ill, 4 H.:
an honest Transaction, not that it was a fair one,
not that it was one that deserved to receive the
appreciation and sanction of the Government;
but the excuse is, that it is not half 50 bad as
what has been done in other cases; and | have no
doubt that is true. Ihave no doubt that if some of
the investigating committees 90 on they will find
that there have been transactions compared'wit
which $4,000 was a small sum, and that it will
be considered ungracous to call up one of these
petty offenders that las only taken so, 90 and
deal with him when there are others going of
staggering under the load of hundreds Of thou.
sands.


"1 ou are about to call upon the people for
large taxes; you are about to call on them for u
large loan, and large tax to pay the interest II
that loan, to maintain the public faith and to en-
able your armies to prosecute this war successful.
ly ask you, Senators, with what face can you
90 home TO your constituents when Trey see this
thing which they all know aud understands when
they that so, 600 have been paid for the SER
VII cs of one man for less than six months, at
time of such distress as this, and appeal 10 your
own people and ask them to come forward and
put their hands in their pockets and their shoul
ders to the wheel and forward this car! Sir, |
do not know what other men may do: | can not;
dare not Ishoud expect the finger of scorn from
the hut of poverty TO point me out as reckless
and iaithless for being here a member Of the
Senate, in this hour of our country's peril, if
failed to rebuke prohigacy in the expenditure of
the public money, let it be when and where it
may"


Again, this Senator exclaims, from his
extensive knowledge of the management
of our affairs:


81 do not know but what may over estimate,
entirely over estimate, the character Of this trans
action; but | tell you, sir, believe and de-
clare it upon my responsibility as a Senator Of
the United States, that the liberties Of this couu-
try are in greater danger to-day from the cor
ruptions and from the proagacy practiced in the
various Departments OF the Government than it
is from the open enemy in the field"


Sir | might here pause and dwell up
on this terrible accusation, coming from
quarter so high and SO fully entitled to
credit. A hostile army has been for a
year in sight of this Capital. Treason
has uSurped by far tae largest portion of
the territory of the United States our
rivers have been turned to blood our
mountains have become Golgothas our
valleys are the burial places of our first
born, slain in battle the wall of moth