Year: 1876

Secretary of War, says the Augusta
Chronicle 81 Sentinel, came like clap
Of thunder from clear sky. No
jiitinaton had been given that any
such proceeding was in contempla-
ton No statement came by tele-
graph or mail that such serious char.
.ges had been made against Cabinet
officer. The members of the CONS
mittee made their investigation very
quietly and kept their proceedings
"a profound secret. The first intima>
tion. givon of their discoveries was
contained in the resolutions of i'm
parchment presented to the House of
Representatives Thursday, and which
were adopted by unanimous vote Of
it's members. From the statement of
the case sent by telegraph it appears
Shat General Belknap sold position
,as Post-trader at Fort Sill, in the
slndian Territory, to Caleb p, Marsh
for the sum of twelve thousand dol
lars and an annuity Of several thou
sand as long as the appointment was
retained. Their bargain was made
several years since, and the payments
have been made regularly since that
,time-the last installment having
.been received two months ago The
Secretary made clumsy attempt to
conceal Ills corruption or to provide
q shield for himself in the event OF
discovery at the expense of his wiie'a
fionor, by causing the money to pass
through Ills wife's hands. This ar>
rangenent continued up to the death
of the first Mrs. Belknap. After
that event even this flimsy cloak was
laid aside and the annuity was paid
directly to the Secretary of War
Tie ennity of man whom General
Belknap had dismissed from the ser.
vice brought the transaction to the
oars of an A abama Congressman
and tho Committee On Expenditures
ia the War Department traced the
anatter until Thursday, when tLcr
labors terminated in the resignation
and impeachment of one of the high


est officers of the Government of the
United States. Tho case seems To
have been made out 30 strongly thai
no defense was possible. The man
who bought the appointment was
broIght, an unwilling witness, before
the Committee and rather than com
NIT perjury, gave the history of the
whole transaction. Confronted with
March the Secretary could do moth
ing but make confession of his guilt,
apd ask for the mercy which could
not be shown. Knowing that i'm
peaohment was inevitable if he re


mained in office he sought to avoid
it By resigning his position in the
Cabinet, The President attempted
toTassist him to evade justice by ac-
cSpdng his resignation the moment
it was rendered. Forgetting what he
had said in the case of Columbus
Delano when charges of corruption
were pending against that man as
Secretary Of the Interior, viz: "Ibat
no officer of the Government would
be permitted to resign while under
fire. the President haStenod to ac-
cept the resignation of high officer
wh9ihad been proven guilty of the
grosseat corruption, in order to shield
bim from the punishment which he
go richly merited. Gen. Grant can-
not ha condemned too severely for his
conduct in this case. If his design
hadasncGeeded the Secretary of War
wonld have been permitted to retire
from Office and escape tho only pun


ishmont which oan avail to check the
crimes Of which he had been proven
3aihy!tIt is true that General Belk.
g8p gould have been indicted and
tEisd in the Courts for accepting q
hrihe hnt the chancea aro that ho