The Daily Dispatch: may 5, 1862., [Electronic resource]

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Federal Congress.
wholesale plundering of the Treasury.

We gave in Saturday's Dispatch some account of an exciting debate in the United Stated House of Representative, April 29th, on the report of the Government Force of Investigating Committee. The report of the speeches shows a wholesale plundering of the public treasury which will astonish many who are familiar with the thievish propensities of the abolition nation. We copy it as published in the New York papers of April 30th:

The House resumed the consideration of the report of the select Committee on Government Contracts.

Mr. Roscoe L. Cockling, (Rep.,) of N. Y. said he voted against raising that committee it seemed none could be so honest that it would be suitable to them with the unheard of power asked on that occasion it seemed unfit to constitute an advisory board to supervise questions of integrity relating to every Lean engages in the administration of department off the affairs. It seemed to him a wrong commission to take into consideration the honesty or fraud of all future contracts to be entered into with any department of the Government. It brought with it grave objections, and little argument could informed in its favor. Experience had demonstrated that every objection there made had been sustained by the conduct of the committee which had done grave and irreparable injustice both to individuals and classes. These, as well as the nation have suffered by the declarations of the committee. As the committee was a pioneer experiment at turned out badly . The gentlemen (Dawes) had there was evidence written, in a single year as much as the current expenditures of the Government during the administration which the people hurled from power because of its corruption. Now he (Mr. Couhling) remarked that if any man was warranted in making that statement, it would justify the people in resorting to anything but revolution to redress the wrong. The poisoned arrows, feathered by the franking privilege were that far and wide among the loyal States of the Republic. Like other remarks and statements the gentleman (Mr. Dawes) made, however deliberately prepared the this was one, on mature reflection, he would be willing to recall. The committee had proceeded on ex parte testimony in secret. Partisan ever were informed they were to be tried, and convicted, and stigmatized, and hung up to fester infamy; and, as a case in point, he said the committee had privily and clandestinely gathered evidence against General Fremont to blast his character as a citizen and soldier at the time he was in command of an army. They never informed General Fremont that he was aspersed, nor gave him the names of the witnesses against him and they afforded him no opportunity for defence. What good Mr. Conkling asked, had the committee done to affect the harm? He was not aware that one single fraud had been developed by the committee which remained unearthed at the time they pretended to dig it up. Mr. Conkling the Speaker what time remained to him.

The Speaker replied eighteen minutes.

Mr. Dawes, (Rep) of Mass.--The time will be extended to the gentleman.

Mr. Washburne (Rep) of Illinois-- to that. Mr. Conkling--I knew that, and do you know how I know it? Because the member from Illinois is the only man in the House surly enough to interpose objections in such a case.

Mr. Washburne rose to reply, when

Mr. Conkling called the member to order

Mr. Washburne (excitedly)--I call the creature to order.

The speaker demanded the preservation of order.

Mr. Conkling--The member from Illinois understands the rules of this House, and must understand that this is not the place for personal altercation. He knows the proper place for that is outside these walls

Mr. Washburne, (excitedly)--Yes, sir, and I am ready for it.

Mr. Conkling--No individual in this House better known than the member from Illinois that has and by what I say until convinced that I am in error and, the store, there is no necessity for any interruption here, Mr. Conkling, in the course of his remarks, said he regarded the committee as one of those ornaments too expensive under the circumstances to be indulged, and in this connection numerously committee on the allowance to the committee by their own order of twenty cents a mile for traveling and two dollars a day, beside other necessary expenses. He was unaware that any other committee had thus provided for themselves. If this committee have been engaged in assailing men into that characters, it was proper to know how much it cost. As a fine part was being put on things, it behooved them all to know whether any persons round the board had been getting any thing they ought not to have. A little mileage was a dangerous things like liquor, if it was tasted too much, the habit gets fastened.

Mr. Washburne, in reply, said it was the ‘"unkindliest out of all"’ when the chairman (Mr. Stevens) of the Committee of Ways and Veins the leader of the House, and holding the purse strings of the nation; recently rose in the House and attacked the committee in their absence, charging that they had committed more frauds then they had detected. The committee had been notified that they should feel blighting sarcasm and blistering invective and to-day they had listened to what might be called a painful from the extraordinary member (Conkling) from New York, who has attacked the committee for the benefit of thieves, contractors and plunderers who had for two weeks been holding high carnival in anticipation that the committee were to be destroyed. It would have been out fair to give the committee notice of the contemplated annihilation, that they might be prepared to die with decency. Why did not the member from New York make his charge like a man, and not like a skulking coward? The gentleman from New York has attempted to hold us up here a costing the Government more than we have saved for. He has gone about, figuring on the expenses of the committee, and sneaked in to the office to ascertain how much each member had been paid. Ten members said that no committee before ever took anything for travelling expenses. If he (Mr. Conkling) knew anything he must know that his statement was false for never was a committee charged with a duty by the House but that committee was always paid; and if here is a man here who complains of what has been paid or what was paid, to each of my colleagues, let him stand up and say so. When our fellow-members of Congress were pursuing their avocations and several professions at home with their families, this committee had given up everything in order to discharge the duties with which they were entrusted, and now a clamor is raised by the member from New York to have this committee discharged.--Let me say, that if the House believe the charges which have been made, the House will be unjust to itself, and unjust to the country, unless before it adjourns to-night it shall disband the committee, and place upon their front the brand of dishonesty. If we have failed to discharge our duty, if we are amenable to the charges brought against us, I call upon every member here to vote that the committee be disbanded. The House cannot get out of it, and I hope they will not postpone it; that they will not say there is no rule for such a course, but that they will vote at once to discharge us I am sure the committee will gratefully accept it — accept it, too, conscious of what they have done. They will accept it as a tribute to their fidelity, which has led them to be attacked by the member from New York, and by every plunderer, and by every thief, and by every robber, who has broken into the Treasury.--While we were thus employed, the member from New York was believing the Treasury and the office of the Quartermaster of the War Department, in order to get contracts for one of his constituents. He, sir, is a pretty man to come here and lecture this committee. He to inquire into the expenses of the committee, in relation to what it has saved, and what it has expensed! Sir, the history of this Western Department will show that in St. Louis alone we have saved the Government two millions of dollars by our investigation; and sir, in connection with these army contracts--one of which the gentleman from New York sought to obtain. we were told by Mr. More that it Congress and the Government would sustain arm, he would save $8,000,000 more. There are $10,000,000 saved by the Commission, on ordinances contracts, appointed on the evidence taken by this committee and on its recommendation. Among other things, we will save a sum of two millions. That a sum of twelve millions will be saved to the country by the committee — as large a sum as it cost to carry on the government of John Quincy Adams for one year. And yet we are held up here in spending the people's money. Yes, and how much have we expended? Twenty thousand dollars. But I will not talk about it. If any man wants to complain, let him stand up here. I scorn to talk about trivial expenditures for travel — That we should be with We knew whose path we crossed; we knew that the contractors, and the thieves, and the plunderers, who had the Treasury by the throat would be at our and we shall know also who were both in this House and one of this House. We, of course, did not expect their approval. They do not like the committee and its labors! O, no!

No thief ever felt the battle draw

With good opinion of the law.

The member from Illinois continued in a similar train in for some time. After he concluded--

Mr. Holman, (Cap.) of Ind., as a member of the Select Committee, briefly referred to the