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FRAUD UPON THE TREASURY IS TREASON AGAINST
THE GO.VERNMENT.

SPEECH

OF

HON. C. H. VAN WYCK,

OF NEW YORK.

Delivered in the House of Representatives, February 7, 1862.

WASHINGTON, D. C.
SCAMMELL & CO., Pbinteks, corner op Indiana avenue and Second street, Sbd floor.
-1862.

SPEECH.

The House having under consideration the
report from the select committee on Govern
ment contracts —
Mr. VAN WYCK, of New York, chairman
of the committee, said :
Mr. Speaker : On the 19th day of April, 1861,
the world wasstartled with the recurrence of one
of those great events which marks an era in the
history of man, brands crime with a deeper infa
my, and exalts the virtues of a generous manhood
to a nobility almost divine, of which heroes
have boasted and poets sung. The parallel of
April 19, ItTS, was .complete; the days, months,
j^ears, and cycles of a peaceful and happy na
tionality had boriie the Massaehusetta soldier
from the field of Lexington to the .streets of
Baltimore. For a time the great American
heart ceased to beat. A national paralysis
for a moment, and then the people realized the
horrors and cruelties of this unnatural war.
The merchant left his counter, the farmer the
quiet of home, the manufacturer's shuttle
paused in its half-finished round, the anvil
rang not out the hammer's beat; the lawyer's
uftfinished brief lost its interest; the clergyman
folded up his sacerdotal robes ; mothers, with
the devotion of Spartans, bade their sons go
forth 5 the wife pressed more closely her new
born babe, as she gave a parting, and with
blessings and prayers the husband went forth,
probably never to return.
The nation offered up its life and emptied
its treasure into the lap of this great calamity ;
the rich bestowed of his abundance ; the widow
gave her mite, an only son, or a tear sanctified
with prayer. Not one of us can forget it.
History, in after times, will record this the
noblest moral exhibition of trne courage the
world has ever witnessed. •Scarce a whisper
of treason or murmur of discontent in all the
North, yet many of those who made the welkin
ring for truth and liberty, who professed to
worship the true God, wsre ready to cry out,

" Great is Diana of the Ephesians! " hoping to
crucify the spirit of freedom.
There were others, meaner, baser still, only
watching the opportunity to make merchandise
of their country's misfortunes, coin the grief of
the nation into currency, and-peril her institu
tions, if it could minister to their base cupidity.
One class commenced secretly sending intelli
gence to the rebels; the other rendered to them
no less valuable assistance by conspiring to
defraud the people and the Government. Al- -
most the same instant harpies besieged the
Treasury here, and the vultures in the North
snuffed the spoils afar off.
While the bridges destroyed by the rebels
were yet smoking in ruins, before the regi
ments impeded by their destruction could
reach the capital, the sappers and miners,
who knew the trembling necessities of the
nation, commenced the assault. It has been
said that in the panic of those times, watchful
ness on the part of public officers should not
be required, and the larcenies of plundering
hordes should be overlooked.
cattle contract.
About the time the' New York Seventh, the
pride of the Empire State,. composed of the best
of her citizen soldiery; of men of wealth, high
family position, education, enjoying the confi
dence of the community in all the relations of
life, with the Massachusetts Sixth, a regirnent
representing the intelligence and business oc
cupations of that wonderful State, side by side
were fording streams, building bridges, laying
railroad track, sleeping on the nntented field,
and when hunger was pressing upon them the
Seventh ^divided their last store of bacon and
hard biscuit with the gallant men of the Sixth
-f-a contract was made in this city by the De
partment with Dwyer, Laughman, Sibley, &
Tyler, for cattle, from two to ten thousand, at
eight dollars per hundred live weight delivered
here and five and three-quarters in Pennsylva-

4

nia. What facilities had Dwyer & Co. for
transportation which the government did not
possess. Government could lay its strong arms upon
railroads and use them ; could plant its gath
ering armies to guard the bridge and track. At
that very time an agent was sent by the De
partment into Maryland, who without difficulty
purchased cattle to be delivered in Washington
at six and-a-half per hundred live weight. Be
sides, direct navigation with New York was not
obstructed by the Potomac. Still more, if the
danger of transportation through Maryland was
an excuse for this contract big with profits,
why a provision that a portion should be deliv
ered in Pennsylvania if the Department desired,
and why were nearly 1,500 received in Harris-
burg, while scarcely 800 were delivered in
Washington? Notwithstanding the lions in
the way Dwyer & Co. immediately ,snb-let the
contract to New York men, so that without any
hazard or perils they realized over $32,000 on
about 2,000 head. They had no diificalty dur
ing the panic of those times in making this con
tract; why should the government have found
any? There is no pretence that either of these men
had any special courage in overcoming , dan
gers, or remarkable skill in purchasing cattle ;
two were railroad contractors, one particularly
near to the Secretary, one a lawyer, ^nd one the
winter before had been.in consultation and ne
gotiation with rebels for the sale of arms. Thus
treason and corruption were continued at the
capital.
AGENCY OF ALEXANDER C0MMINGS, ESQ. —
PURCHASE OP ARMT SITPPLIES.
Nearly simultaneous with this occured an
other transaction. On the 21st day of April,
the Secretary of War, although he well knew
the great ability and experience of Col. Tomp
kins, Quartermaster, and Major Eaton, Com
missary in New York city, wrote two letters to
AlexanderCummings, Esq. ; In one he "wants
him to aid the Comniissary in purchasing sup
plies, to assist the Quartermaster iti poshing
them forward." The other letter states that—
" The Departmont needs at this moment au iatcliigont
experienced, and energetic raan, in-uilw'ra U can reli/, to as
sist in pushing forward troops, munitions and supplies.'^ ' '
No man knew better than the Secretary that
these qualifications were already possessed by
the army officers in New York, on whom it Waa'
safe to rely. The Secretary then gracefully com
pliments Mr. Cummings :
"You are acquainted witlUJie internal arrangements and
connections of tlie railroads in Pennsylvania, over which
lor the present, they will have to pass." '
Can there be so much,' intricacy about the
railroad connexions in Pennsylvania, thati the
United States Quartermaster in New York o.r.
Philadelphia was not conversant with them ?
The^ Secretary thep adds the touching appeal
to his patriotism :
"I am aware that your private attlvirs may domandyour

time. I am sure your patriotism will induce you to aid mo
even at some loss to 3;onrself," '
On the 23d of April the Secretary again
wrote :
" In considSi-atiou of the extraordinary emergencies
which demand immediate and decisive measures, I hereby
authorize Edwin D. Morgan and Alexander Cummings to
make all necessary arrangements for the transportation of
troops , in aid and assistance of the offlcers of tlie army of
the United States."
Either was authorized to act in absence
of the other. On the 4th day of May Governor
Morgan delegated his portion of the power to
George D. Morgan. On the 24th the Secre
tary wrote :
"I sent you yesterday an official paper to act in connexion
with Governor jMCorgan by land, through Mary land and Penn
sylvania ; it is impoi^tant you should actpromptlj' in send
ing supplies. S. CAMERON.
Da. Cuioii..fa3.
This is the first time he recognised his friend
as Doctor. Thus armed, the Doctor seemed
suprfeme in his orbit ; instead of rendering aid
and assistance, he effectually superseded the
army officers. Major Eaton distinctly inform
ed him thai Ms services were not needed in
the purchase of supplies. Still, the Doctor com
menced buying over $21,000 worth of strawhats
and linen paUtaloohs, whiofi were worthless \a
the army, and not required by the regulations.
He employed a clerk of whom he knew no
thing — had never seen before. In his evidence
at first he did not know who reoommfended
him ; then he thought he was recommencled
by Mr. Thurlow Weed— finally said, "I re
member now that Mr. Weed told me he knew
all about him, and upon his recommendation
I took him." This clerk the Doctor suffered
to do all the buainessi and make all the pur- •
chases, except what were made by George D,.
Morgan. It is but justice to an influential and widely-
circulated paper in the city of New York, to
'say, that Since the World via.s united with the
'Courier arid Enquirer, Mr. Cummings hap, had
no connection with it as editor or publisher.
CHARTER OP CATAHNE,
The Doctor next appoints, Captain Corn-
stock to charter or purchase vessels. The
Captain, with a friend, goes to Brooklyn,
inspects the Cataline, and learns that her
price is from $18,000 to $20,000.' Instead of
purchasing or chartering, or recommending the
Doctor to do so, from the owner, his friend ¦
•suggests to Mr. Develiu that there " is a nice
opportunity to make something by (/ood man
agement." This was the 23d day of April, the very day
the propeller Daylight left New York with sup;
plies for the Vth Regiment and 200 recruits of
the brave and generous young men of that
city. The Daylight left without convoy, passed
up the fptomac without convoy, and loached
Washington safely. I never can forget tliat
2,Jd day of April and the trip of the DavliKht,
pr of that ga,llant b^nd who were leaving aU
the endearments of home and associations of

friends to encounter the perils of disease and
battle. I never can forget the universal dis
quietude in the great city of the contiiient. No
mails. No telegraph. A dreadful, solemn
suspense. Brave men, good men, fearing,
doubting, yet hopiug. Actuated by one im
pulse, ready to give all, even life, for the de
fence of the capital Washington founded, and
the flag the patriots of fhe revolution -baptised
in hlood.
No one could have believed that at such
a moment men could find leisure or inclina
tion to ascertain how something could be
made out of the griefs of the people' by
good management. Yet that very day, when
¦ sympathy for a bleeding country and the obli
gations of duty to' his employers should have
received from Capt. Comstock all his skill and
energy, his niission was used to benefit friends.
He knew Dr. Cummings was agent for the
War Department ; still he counsels freely with
Mr. Develin about the value of the Cataline,
and gives an opinion what will be paid for
her charter. Had she been cheap at $18,000,
his government was entitled to the purchase.
After yielding to Mr. Develin all the time he
required for the negotiation, on the 2oth the
boat was chartered by Col. Tompkins, he rely
ing upon Capt. Comstock, the authorized agent
of Doctor Cummings, the agent of the War
Department, paying for her use $10,000 per
month for three months, and if lost by war
risks, then Government to pay $50,000. ' Col.
Tompkins would not sign until Capt. Comstock
assured him t/iaf she was worth $50,000, and
thai it was all right- The Qaptaia knew the
value of the boat and what she cost ; Mr. Free
man, having an interest in her profits, swears
they did not pretend she was worth $50,000.
Capt. Comstock, however, denies that he alleged
she was worth that amount. The testimony of
Capt. Comstock shows the vast number and al
most unlimited power of persons at that time
assuming to act as agents for the Government.
He says :
" I was scut for by Mr. Weed to come to the Astor House
about the time of the commencetaent of these troubles. He
stated that he was an,agen( 0/ the Oommment, and had troops
and munitions of war to send to Washington by way of the
Lhesapeiilio, and that he-wished to charter vessels for that
purpose." « * « * "Afterwards, Cummings called upon
me and shbwed me the straw aulhoriCy thut Weed had shmm.
It had been transferred to him to perform the same service. "
• * * » "IsbouldtMuk that Weed chartered from six
to ten vessels."
This testimony was given on the 28th day of
December, and up to that time the committee
had no evidence or intimation that Mr. Weed
had been an agent for the Government or act
ing as such. The Department was liberal in
bestowing confidence and grants of power, but
that confidence seems to have been abused by
the transfer of authority one to the other. Mr.
Weed's absence from home prevents au exam
ination at present into the nature and extent
of.his agency.
The committee have not been able to show

for whom the steamer was loaded. It has been
intimated she was loaded by private parties, to
be run, however, at the risk and expense of
the Government. And when she could not ob
tain a clearance, her cargo was in whole or
part sold to Government. If this be so, it will
account, for the Doctor's purchase of straw
hats, linen pantaloons, London porter, Scotch
ale, Dutch herring, "butter, cheese, and all."
Collector Barney swears that on the 27th
April Mr. Stetson, in whose name the title had
been taken, called on him, demanding a clear
ance to Annapolis. When asked how she was
loaded, and to whom the cargo belonged, he
replied she waa loaded with flour and provis
ions, and belonged to several of his friends.
Mr. Barney refused to clear her. Stetson then
said the provisions were for the army. Bar
ney replied that as the property was not Gov
ernment property, but property of individuals,
that he could hot clear her except by a request
from some Government officer. It is but just
to say hare that Mr. Develin was evidently in
duced to purchase the vessel at the suggestion
of those who were acting for Government, and
that Mr. Stetson, in every thing he did, was
frank, candid, and made no concealment.
When Mr. Stetson again called on the Collec
tor "he brought a note from Mr. Weed, stating
that the cargo consisted of supplies for troops,
and requesting a clearance." Mr. Barney de
clined, but saw Mr. Weed and explained why
a clearance cojild not -be granted. Mr. Weed
said "it was all right, and would be arranged
in some other way.'X He concluded not to give
a clearance unless requested to do so by Gen
eral Wool. He saw the General, and requested
him to be careful before he gave orders for a
clearance. A pass, however, was obtained from
the General, which he regretted; for Monday
morning he sent an order to the Collector re
voking it; but the fugitive had escaped, with
the condemnation of the Collector and General
Wool upon her. Her voyage was an unfortu
nate one ; after two mouths' service she was de
stroyed by fire.
The question recurs, who were the friends
referred to by Mr. Stetkon as the owners of the
cargo? It is necessary to go back and see
who had any interest or connection with the
transaction. Mr. Freeman, who had a , one-
tenth interest in the profits, swears, after first
declining to do so, that he rgoeived, as part
security, for the purchase-money of the Cataline,
four notes, of $4,500 each. As follows:
One note by John E. Develin, indorsed G.
C. Davidson. One note by Thurlow Weed, in
dorsed John E. Develin. One note by G. C.
D-ividson, indorsed 0. B. Matteson. One note
by 0. B; Matteson, indorsed Thurlow Weed.
These parties must all have been in New
York city at this time. The only other person
besides the Captain and crew was James Lar-
kin, who went on the boat, he says, as purser,
although he finally concluded his duty was to

6

act as check upon the Captain. This man was
appointed by Mr. Develin upon the recommen
dation of Mr. Davidson. No one seemed to
take any interest in loading the vessel except
Mr. Develin. Col. Tompkins knew nothing of
her cargo. The Union Defence Committee
knew nothing of her cargo ; and when Dr.
Cummings waa asked if he knew anything of
her cargo, said, " Not a particle." He relied
entirely upon and trusted to the clerk, Mr.
Humphreys, appointed upon the recommenda
tion of Mr. Weed. It must be left to surround
ing facts who were the friends referred to by Mr.
" Stetson, and whether the boat was first loaded
for private speculation ; and when no clearance
could be obtained, Mr. Cummings, through
his clerk, purchased the cargo for Government,
so that a pass could be procured. General
Wool's hesitancy in giving a pass to the Cataline
probably induced a representation to General
Scott that the condition of his .(Wool's) health
required repose from arduous duties.
The Doctor was certainly a, remarkable
agent. The Secretary wants an enA'geiia, in
telligent, and experienced raan, of course — one
more so than the Union Defence Committee,
or the army officers in New York ; one on whom
lie can rely ; yet the Doctor apparently takes
no interest but to draw and pay the money.
When he was called on especially to aid in
purchases, he trusts it all to Mr. Humphreys,
his clerk. When vessels are to be chartered,
he doesn't deem it worth while to examine
them. He good-natnre'dly s&ys he took it for
granted that what the owners said was true.
He was certainly a confidence man. The Sec
retary says, notwithstanding the pressure on
his private business, he is sure he will aid him.
Yet the Doctor repays this generous and un
bounded confidence by knowing nothing, abso
lutely nothing, of the purchasing of articles or
loading of vessels.
Two million dollars, by the Secretary of the
Treasury, were placed in the hands of a com
mittee of high-toned, honorable men, to be paid
out on the order or requisition of Mr. Cummings,
without" his producing to them any vouchers.
Strange as it may appjear, while this money
was there to respond to his requisition, he
draws $160,000, and deposits it in his name,
with his private account, in one of the city
banks. Stranger still, four months after his
agency had ceased, he leaves no vouchers with
the War Depastment. The War Department,
in its generous confidence, seeks no settlement
with the Doctor, nor an inspection of his vouch
ers. Such were the prominent transactions occur
ring at a time when a man's generous instincts
should freely have offered everything to his
country. This was the cloud no larger than a man's
hand which increased and spread until the
whole sky has been wrapped in gloom, and men
go about the streets wondering where this

thing will end. The mania for stealing seems
to have run through all the relations of Gov
ernment. Alrnost^'from the General to the
drummer-boy ; from those nearest the throne
of power to the merest tide-waiter. Nearly
every man who deals with the Government
seems to feel or desirg that it would not
long survive, and each had a common right to
plunder while it lived. Even in the matter of
the purchase of two sailing vessels, two men
of New York, to the crime of larceny, a'dded ^
the sin of perjury, that they, might rob from
the treasury $8,000. In the case of the Stars
and Stripes, the President of the New Haven
Propeller Company, after taking from the Gov
ernment $19,000 more than she cost, took of that
amount nearly $8,000 to line his own pockets,
and in excuse to his company pretended that
he had to bribe an ex- member of Congress
to gain an audience to the head of the bureau ;
and from that insinuation an honorable, high-
toned ex-member of Congress, in Connecti
cut, had been subjected to calumny,. That
President, before the committee, testified that
after taking $19,000 in profits from his coun
try, he was so anxious to serve her in this, the
hour of her extremity, that he appropriated
nearly $8,000 of his colleagues' money to his
private use, so he could devise some machine
to take all the Southern cities, and no one get
hurt. Colonels, intrusted with the power of raising
regiments colluding with contractors, bailer-
ing away and dividing contracts for horses, and
other supplies, to enrich personal favorites ;
purchasing articles, and compelling false in
voices to be given.
While it is no justification, the example has
been set in the very departments of Goyern-
ment. As a general thing, none but favorites
gain access there, and none other can obtain
contracts which bear enormous profits. They
violate the plain provisions of the law requiring
bids and proposals, on the false and shallow pre
text that the public exigency requires it. Should
this last as long as tjfte Pelopenessiau war the
same excuse would "be used. The Department
whijh has allowed conspiracies after the bid
ding had been closed, to defraud the Gofern-
ment of the lowest bid, and by allowing the
guilty to reap the fruits of their crime, has
itself become particeps criminis.
Who pretends any public exigency for giving
out by private contract, without bids, over one
million muskets, at fabulous prices? Who
pretends a public exigency to. make a private
contract for rifl ng cannon, to the amount of
$800,000 ? PENNSYLVANIA HORSES.
Kentucky is proverbial for her splendid
horses. Her loyal citizens would have been
benefitted by sales to the Government. Who
will pretend that the public exigency required
thit when cavalry regiments were to be'tor-
warded from the State of Pennsylvania to the

land of the dark and bloody ground, it was
necessary to transport, at great expense, the
remaining disabled, diseased horses left in
the Keystone State? My colleague on the
committee [Mr. Dawes] a few days since
spoke of the peace-offerings to Pennsylvania
politicians, and referred to the horses of Col.
Williams's regiment.
, There is yet another case. A contract, not
made upon the responsibility of the Bureau,
as the lale Secretary said, but by his express
order, and refused to be made until so or
dered. I refer to the contract to purchase
one thousand horses, to be delivered at Hunt
ingdon, Pennsylvania. Such a horse market
the world never saw. The first inspector — an
honest man — of, the first hundred rejected three
in five.. The next day owners refused to pre
sent themselves, and by some legerdemain he
was removed' and others siubstituted ; then
horses of all ages, from two to thirty ; of all
diseases and defects, secret and open, were
from day to day received. The whole neigh
borhood were in arms. The people remonstra
ted. Lawyers and clergymen were present at
the inspection, and sought to deter the bucca
neering crew by open condemnation ; the in.
specters heeded not this clamor, but ordered
the' horses to be ridden upoh-,the crowd, to
drive them away, if possilile. Horses, , with
running sores, which were seen by the in
spectors, and branded; and if one outraged
aommou decency he would be rejected, and
an opportunity sought the same day to pass
and brand him. Immediately the horses
were subsisted by private contract to favorites,
at thirty-nine cents per day, and they sub-let
to farmers, from twenty-four to twenty-six.
Oyer four .hundred of these horses were
sent with Colonel Wynkoop's regiment, and
the papers at Pittsburg report some actually
so worthless they were left on the docks.
The , remaining five hundred were left at
Huntingdon for the benefit of contractors.
In that single transa,ction, over fifty thou
sand dollars were stolen from the Govern
ment. Si(ch fiends in human shape care not
for exposure; a felon's doom through life
should be theirs; and the labors of your com
mittee will be of little practical value unless
Congress shall by law punish with severe
penalties such enormities.
CONTRACT BROKERAGE.
,At onetime it would seem there was an in
tention to establish a hugh contract brokerage
system. The testimony of Mr. John Smith, of
Kingston, N. Y., powder manufacturer, shows
that in the month of May he proposed to give
Mr. Weed a per centage for a powder contract.
That he went to the Astor House,' met Mr.
Davidson, whom he had never seen liefore ; in
quired of him for Mr. Thurlow Weed. During
the conversation he asked what Mr. Smith
wanted of Mr. Weed : on being told, he inquired
of Mr. Smith what he could afford to pay ; he

replied five per cent.; Mr. Smith also says that
Mr. Weed asked him what he could afford to
pay. That afterwards at Washington, he handed
his propositions for powder to Mr. Weed, who
took them to Mr. Cameron. The result was
that Mr. Weed was authorized to write a letter
to Gen. Ripley, the head of the Ordnance De
partment, to divide the contracts for powder be
tween the States manufacturing. It is sonje-
what strange that the Secretary should appoint
Mr. Weed as his messenger to carry his wishes
to the different bureaus. Mr. Smith understood
that he was to pay Mr. Weed five per cent.
Mr. Laflin also testified that his powder firm
demurred to paying Mr: Weed five per cent.;
that Mr. Weed gave them authority to make
1,000 barrels of powder, but they preferred
having the authority directly from the Govern
ment. He also testifies that the patriot, Dwyer,
who figured in the cattle contract in May or
June, at Washington, told him if he would give
five per cent, he would sell all the powder he
could make ; but Laflin declined.
Favorites obtain contracts when frequently
they have not the pecuniary resources to ful
fil them, and not manufacturers of the articles
or be delivered. The professional politician
to the retired ex-Member of Congress, who
has a large contract which requires much ma
chinery and great mechanical ingenuity, ev
idently takes it as a speculation ; takes it to
enrich himself, or extort from the pockets
of honest industry; takes it to sub-let to skill
ful manufacturers at ^educed prices. The
Departments which give contracts to men
knowing that they have not in and of them
selves the facilities for executing them, are rep
rehensible and deserve s^ere censure. What
excuse is there for ah honest department to
pension this gang of middle-men. All the ill-
gotten gains found in their pockets is so much
stolen from the Treasury.
Even in the Treasury Department — pure
and upright as I believe the Secretary to be —
what business man could justify, or who, in
his own transactions, would allow, that a con
tract of over half a million expenditure should
be competed for by only two firms, who could
combine and unite? It is no answer to say
that the work is done as cheaply as before ;
the spirit of the law has been violated and
the millionaire enriched ; besides, the products
of all departments of labor are cheapened by
the stagnation of business. In this m;atter of
the bank-note contract, as in some others, un
derlings control the affairs of the Department,
they say who shall approach within the charm
ed circle, they say whose papers shall be put
on file and whose shall be gladdened by the
eyes of the Secretary.
The soldier who, borne down by disease and
overcome with fatigue, is found sleeping at his
post,' you punish with death ; while the miscre
ant who holds his festival at this carnival of

8

blood, rides injiis carriage, drinks chanipagne,
and dines with Cabinet ministers, you treat
with differential respect. Do you say Govern
ment cannot banish treason and punish crime ?
On the 4th day of July, 1860, at Ocoquan, Va.,
Mr. Underwood raised a. pole, unfurled the
American flag, and a banner with the names
of Lincoln and Hamlin. Jackson, the slayer of
Ellsworth, with about forty men, cut it down,
tore up the Stars and Stripes, and carried the
banner as a trophy. One of the ringleaders
of that mob is this day in the employ of the
Government in this city.
The laboring men who testify against officials
are removed, while the wretch who has been
robbing the Government is worthy a better
place. Is it possible that this monstrous sys
tem of wrong, extending from the Atlantic to
the Mississippi, from the Potomac to the Lakes,
cannot be stopped, or even checked ? If that
be so, better disband our armies, and let the
oligarchs of the South rule and reign over ns.
This committee has been in session for
months ; government officials must be aware
of its power of examination ; still, at the com
mencement of this session, inspectors of horses
were colluding with contractors ; superintend
ents, rejoicing in the title of captains, were sell
ing Government horses to private citizens,
taking diseased and worthless horses from the
commons, branding them in the service of the
United States, so they might receive full pay for
the same ; city butchers buying meat from Gov
ernment supplies.
Your Government retains in this capital, in
seats of honor and profit, and around our coun
cil boards, men whose hearts are filled with
treason, and minds jwith rebellion. Your de
partments are disinclined to hear charges of
treason or corruption ; they would rather os
tracise those Who furnish the truth than remove
the treasonable and guilty offenders. I am
not harsh ; I only speak what, standing in the
mighty and august presence of stirring times,
contemplating a bleeding, suffering country, I
feel it my duty. ,
I have a right thus to speak in terms of warn
ing and admonition to an Administration which
I aided to elect, to whose principles I am com
mitted, by which we must pass through the
Ked sea of tribulation, and inust be carried
safely through- the wilderness beyond. But
I have a right to ask and beseech, in the
name of a commerce crippled, labor para
lyzed, finances disturbed,- and Treasury empty,
in the name of that gallant army of 500,000,
which this day on the tented field are waiting
to rescue a country loved through fire and blood,
* to lay down and die that a nation may live — in
the' name of 600,000 hearth-stones made dreary
by the loved ones away — ^of the vacant chairs
around the evening fires of the thrice 500,-
000 friends, anxiously looking, fearfully ex
pecting, tremblingly hoping, that this A.dmin-

istration shall remove treason from the capital,
and corruption frotp the land. ,
Five hundred thousand men arei in arms
against the rebels, but 20,000,000 are in arms ,
against the crew of plundering leeches ; that ,
20,000,000 will be in arms against us and this
Adrainistratio"n, unless their polluting presence
is driven as the money-changers of old from
the temple.
MR. morgan's agency IN PURCHASING VESSELS, I
Since this report has been submitted to the |
House, Mr. George D. Morgan has prepared an i
elaborate paper,- showing the benefits of his i
agency, and relies upon the fact, that in nearly
every instance he paid a l^ss price than the
owners asked. We can test the strength of his
position by the Stars and Stripes. To build her
cost $36,0.00 ; by her charter the' owners re
alized $15,000 from Government; they then
asked $60,000. Mr. Morgan paid $55,000,
five thousand less than they asked, but $19,000
more than she cost. While with the Potomska
and Wamsutta the owners realized JJ53,000,
the Government paid $60,000, although Mr.
Morgan's papers allege-he was asked $80,000.
This seems the' reverse of the proposition.
The Onward was offered to private parties for
$26,000.; Mr. Morjgan was asked $30,000, and
paid $27,000. These are not the only instances,
as the committfee will show by a further exam
ination, to which they are invited by the Sec
retary, and directed by a resolution of this
House. Secretary Welles, a man estimable in all tfie
relations of private life, honest himself, would
not take a farthing from the Treasury, seeks
to justify Mr. Morgan, by showing that the
Government in times past were imposed upon
by impositions on the regular officers ; and he
employs an agent with no salary., yet putting..
him in the position of antagonism to his Gov
ernment, making his interest against it for the
greatest number of vessels bought, and " the
highest price paid hetts him the most n»oney.
For the credit of the Government such prac
tices should cease. We have not only a right
to Mr. Morgan's skill, experience, and shrewd
ness, but we have a right to the betfefit of that
ruling feeling with many business men — that
of interest for his employers. It is no answer
to say that Mr. Morgan is honest. Grant it';
Mr. Morgan is fond of money, or he would
not, he could not, consent "to take nearly
$90,000 of the money which has been made to
him in about five months. A man who is thus
greedy of gain, evidently is more zealous of
his own than his country's interests. Besides,
if the Secretary needs the native ingenuity and
business capacity, which I admit is of high
order, why not employ and give him a fair
remunerative salary as other men are em
ployed. He says this $90,000 was taken from'
the pockets of the sellers. Not so ; Mr. Morgan
always notified them they must pay him twi)-
and-a-half per cent, on the purchase ; that they

9

must name the lowest cash price, and add two-
and-a-half per cent, thereto. If Mr. Morgan
possesses the business ability which the Sec
retary claims, and which I do not doubt, he
certainly could have obtained all the vessels
at the price he did, less the two-and-a-half
per cent. Who doubts it ?
Why should not the sellers as readily have
given the two-and-a-half per cent, to Govern-
j ment as to Mr. Morgan ? No, sir; that fallacy
may suit the Secretary, but it will not deceive
the people.
In September last, when Mr. Morgan had
made over $50,000, representation to the Cab
inet was made in regard to this matter ; and
the attention of the Secretary directed to
it. Had he changed the policy, no censure
could have been charged upon him; but he
persistently refused, and in December Mr.
Morgan had increased his fortune to the
enormous sum of about $90,000 — at the
rate of quarter of a million per annum. Mr.
Morgan's services could have been s.ecured
at $5,000 annually, and this ' enormous sum
saved to the Treasury ; but if this be not so, and
men owning vessels have been compelled
or induced to sell them at small prices, Wihat
right has the Secretary to allow his brother-in-
law to put his hands in the pocket of each seller,
and realize the immense sum of $90,000 in a
few months. That money really belonged to
the Government. As an agent, he takes it; and
if it be an unconscionable amount it belongs to
his employers.
The Secretary should kpow that the rules of
the Chamber of Commerce, in New York, as to
commissions, do not apply where the value of
the vessel exceeds $30,000 ; beyond that sum
the percentage is left to bargain between seller
and broker. Can the Secretary find a solitary
case where merchants have allowed two and-a-
half per cent, on a vessel worth $100,000 ?
The rule in Boston is one per cent, where the
the value is over $20,000.
DEFENCE OP SECRETARY WELLES.
The Secretary, in his last message, claims
that the vessels have been cheaply purchased.
Assume it, if you please. Does he not know
that our commerce is paralyzed; that sail and
steim vessels have been crowded on the mar
ket, and must be sold at any price or rot at the
docks. As well justify the purchase of the
Potomska and Wamsutta, which were charged
to the Government for $7,060 more than
'the owners received, on the ground that they
were cheap. The Secretary musfhave known
'this transaction was liable to the criticism
it has received, or he would not, as he says
he did, in advance, feel, he might receive
some censure because this great bounty was
bestowe.d on a brother-in-law.
The Secretary, in his labored defence of Mr.
Morgan, has done great injustice to Commo
dore Breese in the purchase of the Roman and
Badger. There was an eariy disposition on

the partjof the Secretary to take the purchase
of vessels from the navy officers, for the Com
modore swears that " he had direction from the
Navy Department, by letter, April 21, 1861,
to consult with persons capable of giving in
formation and advice." A letter written April
23, by H. Bridge, chief of the bureau of cloth
ing, says : "Mr. William H. Asplnwall has of
fered his services to the Secretary of the Navy,
who wishes you to call on him if you need as
sistance in the matter of the steamers, as well
as to acknowledge his courtesy." On the same
day the Secretary also wrote, " advising him to
consult with Governor Morgan, G. D. Morgan,
with Messrs. William Everts, Blatchford, Grin-
nell, also committee of citizens^ who are em-
powed to act for this Department."
In a letter- of April 29th, the Secretary says :
" In my letter of the 23d iust., I referred to certain gen
tlemen as an advising committee, with whom you might
consult. One of the gentlcmcji alluded to, George D. Mor
gan, Esq. , has? the special confidence of the Department; and
you will advise, with him, in behalf of tlio Department, and
as its friend, in this emergency, in the purchases you may
make, and tho extraordinary measures you are compelled
to take. It has been gratifying to the Department to wit
ness the promptitude and alacrity that has b'een exhibited,
and the services,reudered, not only by the gentleman re
ferred to, but by Mr. Aspinwall and otliers."
On the 30th April, 1861, the Secretary says :
"In order to relieve yourself of inconvenience, and sun- ¦
dry gentlemen who were specified as advisers in the late
emergency, I have proposed that Hr. G. D. Morgan and ^fr.
W. H. Aspinw'all bo substituted in tlicir place. Tliese two
gentlemen have been efficient in aiding and assisting you,
and are vigilant for the country and its interests. They
will, it is believed, cheerfully act for the Department when
you have not opportunity or time to consult with it. Both
of the gentlemen have been v/ritten to, by this mail, on the
subject, and you will consult with either, or both, in your
future negotiations and purchases."
In a letter of May 13, speaking of purchas
ing several vessels, among them whaling-ships,
he says :
" Please advise with Mr. G. D. Morgan in regard to this
matter, and make purchases with bis approval."
Thus, it clearly appears that Commodore
Breese was induced to place oonfidenee in Mr.
Aspinwall ; and when the whale-ships were or
dered, in the absence of Mr. Morgan, he called
oi^i Mr. Aspinwall, and was governed by his ad
vice and action, and May 19th, wrote to the
Secretary :
" I have commissioned an agent, indicated by Mr. Aspin
wall, to proceed to New Bedford to negotiate for the pur
chase of three whale ships, which the Department directed
me to obtain for coaling uses; none can^ bo purchased in this
place." After the Secretary had frequently advised
him to consult a number of persons, in every
letter reducing the numbter, until he declares
his warm attachment to Mr. Morgan and Mr.
Aspinwall, although the letter ordering the
whale-ships requested him to purchase them
with the approval of Mr. Morgan ; still, in his
absence, and the pre.°sing necessities of the
purchase, and considering the high eulogiums
pronounced by the Secretary on Mr. Aspin
wall, the following statement in the letter of
the Secretary is remarkable, and unsustained
by the evidence :

10

" Had the naval officer followed the orders that were
given him, these frauds would not have been perpetrated.
But Commodore Breese employed Mr. Aspimvall's broker
and not Mr. Morgan, and the results were a gross fraud and
the purcliase of inferior vessels, which could not have been
the case had the policy which tho Department was then in
stituting prevailed, and its orders been obeyed."
The attempt to sacrifice Mr. Aspinwall and
Commodore Breese in Mr. Morgan's defence
requires no comment.
This charge of the Secretary is more remark
able when it is remembered that the person re
ferred to by him as Mr. Aspinwall's broker
was Starbuek, the very man employed by Mr.
G. D. Morgan subsequent to the purchase of
the Roman and Badger, as appears from the
following letter:
" Dear Commodork: I have not directed the Mediator to
go to the navy yard, and until I hear from you shall do
nothing in tbe matter. / have requests Mr. Starbuek, xvho
purchased her, to call and see you.
" Very truly, your obedient servant, " GEO. D. MORGAN.
" S. L. BBEESlt, Esq., Flag Officii,
" WashingUm, June 1, 1861."
It is due to Commodore Breese, to say that,
when the ships were brought to the navy-yard,
he discovered the fraud, informed the Secreta
ry, and desired to have them considered Mr. As
pinwall's purchase ; which he understood was
done, as an order was issued for loading them.
The Secretary also refers to the Penguin and
Albatross, bought by Commodore Breese, for
$75,000 each7 alleging that they were of no
greater tonnage than the Stars and Stripes,
The Secretary, however, omits to state that the
Penguin and Albatross were built for sea-going
vessels, with double engines, and cost, probably,
in construction, one-third more than the Stars
and Stripes.
The Secretary further says :
"In a single transaction originally made with a large
ship owner by Commodore Breese, for five valuable steam
ers, I felt that the Government was unfortunately involved,
and Mr. Morgan was employed to relieve the Department.
Under many and great difficulties, he succeeded in saving
to the Government, by his action in that transaction, above
$124,000." The explanation, as I understand it, is this :
the Commodore, in chartering the five vessels,
required the owners to insert a price at which
they would sell to Government. It was a mere
proposition on their part. It was not accepted;
neither was the Government bound to pay it.
The Secretary also adds :
"Yet I hear from the owners and sellers no complaint
that they , by the operation of this system of purchase , have
been oppressed or aggrieved."
Let us examine the correctness of this state
ment by one transaction. In the month of
May last, J, Rudolph Sieg and James C. Jewett
& Co., of New York city, were owners of the
steamer Mercedita. During that month a man
by the name of Burrill, claiming to be an agent
and adviser of the Navy Department, proposed
a purchase. Jewett & Co., to prevent the ex
tortious of government agents, on the 19th day
of June wrote a letter to the Secretary of the
Navy, affering to charter or sell that vessel at
^^aluation to be fixed by the Department. A

similar letter was sent by them to the President
of the United States. T'ha Secretary returned
an answer refusing to charter or purchase, as
she was unsuited for an armed ship. Burrill
shortly after appears, saying that he can sell
the rejected steamer ; that he had returned
from Washington, and asked authority from
them to sell to Government, which was given
him on the 3d day of July. On the 3l8t of ^
July, Burrill came again and made an offer
from the Secretary of the Navy for the rejected
steamer, on the condition that the owners
should pay $5,000 to him, besides a fair bro
kerage ; which $5,000 Burrill said was to be
given to Government officials for their as
sistance in selling this vessel. Jewett & Co.
refused, proclaiming that they would first see
tjieir vessel rot at the wharf, and themselves
wanting for bread, before one penny should go
to bribe Government officials ; requesting Bur
rill to say to those who sent him, if the
Government wanted $5,000, they would give
that sum towards raising another regiment to
fill the place of the New York 69th. Burrill
left, and after the lapse of a few hours returned,
saying he had heard from Washington, and
that he would withdraw the condition, and they
need only pay what they saw fit to allow him
f6r his services. They accepted ; and on the
same day gave Burrill a bill of sale for the De
partment; and he presented a list of alterations
required in the handwriting of S. M. Pook,*'
the Naval Constructor, and one of the board to
examine vessels. On the 27th September they
delivered up the vessel to Government through
Burrill. Much to the surprise of the owners, the Sec
retary sent a requisition to pay Burrill the
$100,000 for the Mercedita, although the names
to the bill of sale were that of Sieg, owner of
seven-tenths, and Jjwett & Co. three-tenths.
They succeeded in arranging so that the mon
ey should be drawn by a third party. Some
twenty days after the date of the requisition, an
order was had on the sub-Treasury for the
money. Mr. George D. Morgan did not^ppear
in the negotiation until after the requisili9n
for the money ; he then came and demanded
$2,500 for his share, admitting that he did not
sell or purchase, yet the owners could not get
their money until he was paid ; and if they
would consent to pay, he would write to Wash
ington and urge the immediate remittance of
t^e money.
The aboyg facts must have been known to the
Secretary. They were written to Cora. Hudson,,
Oct. 31, with a request that they be filed in the
Navy Department, which doubtless was done.
Since the letter of ' the Secretary, the commit
tee have not had time to examine the owners
of the Mercedita ; ^lut the foregoing and subse
quent facts in ceuuexion with the purchase are
sustained by affidavits of J. Rudolph Sieg and
James C. Jeyyett^ They testify that they did
not see or know anything of George D. Mor-

11

gan until after the. purchase and delivery of
the bill of sale to the Department through Bur
rill ; that on the 19th day of Nov., they called
on Mr. Morgan demanding repayment of $2,500,
and he said he had credited it to 'the Navy
DepartmenJ; that he had only taken this sum,
so the Department might have so much back,
in case the Department elected to keep the
same, on the ground that he understood the
Mercedita cost only $64,000 ; yet Mr. Morgan,
when be took the $2,500, gave a receipt for the
same " for commissions on sale of the Merce
dita." The owners deny that they ever asked,
$130,000 for the steamer, although Mr. Morgan
claims in his statement th^t such amount was
demanded of him. The Department fixed the
value, and negotiated through the medium
above stated.
• On the 17th Janijary, Jewett & Co. wrote an
other letter to the Secretary, in which they re
cite the fact of their former complaints, sh-owing
that they have been oppressed or aggrieved, in
which they say :
"Do you think it right to endeavor to carry to the public,
aftej such an offer on our part, the idea that we sought to
obtain $30,000 more than this vessel's value ; and, to fos
ter this fulsehood on the public, to give an idea of your
brothor-ili-law's fitness to purchase vessels for the Govern
ment ?" PUROHASB OF HALL's CARBrNES.
Another remarkable transaction was the sale
by the Ordnance bureau, to Mr. Eastkian, of
5j000 Hall's carbines, an arm which needed
some alteration to be useful, for $3.50 each.
This pjivate sale was made at a time when the
Department was buying arms which had been
condemned, and sent frotn the arsenals of Eu.
rope. After an expenditure of from 75 cents to
11.25, they were sold to Simon Stevens for
$12.60 ; then to General Fremont for $22. No
wonder our expenses are $2,000,000 per day-
Government sells at ,13.50, and in a short time
buys back at $22. Dr. Cummings bouo-ht TOO
of the same carbines for $15. ' ,
The evidence of Major Hagner shows that
Mr, Stevens was an agent or aid of General
iremOnt. This Mr, Stevens denies. However,
the relation was one of a warm personal char
acter,^ He had probably just left him .with in
structions to purchase. His dispatch to Fre
mont was just such as au agent would send, or
one who had the assurance of the necessities
of the West, and that the arms would be taken.
K1 ®^^'''^i fhe "bargain was an unconscion-
l^n n""^'- "^^'''^^y Stevens was to make about
?50|000 in one day, without incurring any risk
or investing any capital.
- DEPARTMENT OP THE WEST.
There seemed to be no. green spot in the Re
public. The gross frauds upon the seaboard,
by the Potomac, found a counterpart on the
banks of the Mississippi, The contagion spread
^d fastened itselfHipou the department of the
^est. A bevy of cormorants gathered around
Fremont, who were feasting upon the blood
they were drawing from the nation — more im

pudent in their claims, more unblushing in their
extortions. There, as here, no sales could be
made with the Government except through the
medium of heartless contractors. There, as
here, none but special favorites could share of
public bounty. Those willing to furnish cheap
ly and well were cast aside, while a hardware
firm. Child, Pratt, & Pox, were allowed to
furnish nearly $1,000,000 without the formality
of fixing the price in advance, they procuring
from the very men who offered to supply Gov
ernment, and at the offered prices, while they
charged an advance of 25 to 60 per cent. Men
in league with Quartermaster McKinstry and
his inspectors would first extort from the honest
farmer, and then unblushiu'gly rob from the
Treasury. In building the forts at St. Louis,
more than $100,000 was squandered upon pro
fligate, unprincipled favorites.
These plunderers, some imported from Cali
fornia, and some for a long while in the employ
and receiving food and raiment from the Gov
ernment, gathered around the person of Fre
mont, and suffered none to approach him too
nearly. Quartermaster McKinstry was the high priest
at this festival 6t robbery and crime ; a man
who ha4 for many years been in the regular
service of the United States ; a man furnished
by the Administration 4o the department of the
West, which was supposed to be a guaranty for
his faithfulness and integrity ; trusting, confi
dingly, Fremont watched him not closely. I
do not pretendthat Fremont shared the spoils
with Child, Pratt, & Fox, or McKinstry, any
more than I, for a moment, believe that Secre
tary Welles shared the enormous profits of his
brother-in-law. It is no excuse to say that the
magnitude of this rebellion, huge in proportion,
the impending danger casting dark shadows
over our national pathway and theatening the
nation's life, was a justification for allowing the
exercise of unlicensed cupidity. Without doubt,
generals and Cabinet ministers have bowed
down beneath the weight of increasing respon
sibility ;" but this reckless horde were under
mining the very ground on which they trod, i
ARMY TRANSPORTATION.
Another item of reckless expenditure was the
order of the War Department allowing two
cents per mile for the transportation of troops,
and liberal price for baggage and horses. So
enormoqs were the profits that railroad com
panies in the West bid and paid fron*.- $1,500
to $2,500 to nearly every reginlent for the priv
ilege of transportation. It is remarkable, that
the late Secretary, who was himself, by long ex
perience and observation, so conversant with the
management of railroads; who rejoiced in the
confidence of a friend, who was intimate with
railroad connexions, especially in Pennsylvania,
should have allowed railroad companies such
large amounts that they could lavish thousands
for the transportation of a single regiment.
Trains not running as swiftly, and sometimes

12

with no better cars, charged nearly dfauble
more than emigrant rates. Did he not know
that each passenger was entitled to eighty
pounds of baggage? yet an extra charge was
allowed for all transported with the troops ;
thus thousands have been unjustly taken from
the Treasury, not only by the assent of the De
partment, but by its express sanction and
order. The pirates who infest the ocean, under the
commission of the rebel chief, are not more
deserving the execration of mankind thamthe
gang who, on land, are suffered to feast upon
the sweat of the poor and the blood of the
brave. While the natibn is straining at every nerve,
and bleeding at every .pore, these heartless
creatures — for gain, to gratify unholy pas
sions — wretches, " Who shrine their lusts in heaven.
And make a pander of their God,"
have a firmer grasp upon the throat of the na
tion than this armed rebellion. Like panthers,
at set of sun, across the nation's darkened path,
they " Bound upon their startled prey,"
And while this mighty nation, this giant of the
West,- is trembling beneath its great weight, its
arms growing weary, all its nerves and sinews
quivering, almost, while life is ebbing from its
veins, if gold could be extracted from the
quartz they would pick by piece-meal the rock
on which he stands, or if they could make mer
chandise of his looks, dissheveled by the rough
tempest, would shear him of his streno-th.
They follow— "With that keen second scent of death,"!
Dy which the vulture suuDs the food."
If we cannot overcome the open enemy in
front, let us at least banish the masked traitor
in our midst. Do this, and you stengthen anew
the arms and add to the courage of the nation ;
inspire hope, and ensure the conviction that all
will be well. Traitor spies have been walkino-
your streets,- feasting at your .saloons, prome°-
nading at your levees, and sleeping in your
capital. They have been engaged in your De
partments, making drawings of your fortifica
tions ; aggregations of your armies; all your con
sultations, your plans of battles and order of
marcht-s, have been communicated to the ene
my. Your generals have been paralyzed, your
armies defeated, by the very men who are feed
ing upon the bounty of your Government, be
traying your confidence and the land' which
holds the graves of their fathers.
" Oh, for a tongue to curse the slave.
Whose treason, like a deadly blight
Gomes o'er the counsels of tho hrave, '
And blasts them in their hour of might ! "
_ Sir, I am not one of those disposed to ques
tion or distrust the ability or correctness of
our leaders. I have always believed that a
poor general, with the confidence of the people,
was far better than a Napoleon or Hannibal,

with mutterings of complaint and half uttered
distrust. We cannot afford another defeat.
They who control our armies- will illy dis
charge their duty if they are guided' by ausht
else than their pwn matured judgments. But
I have a righf to insist that we shall use
all the means which a God of Providenpe
has placed in our reach. No war has been
more causeless; no rebellion, with so little
of complaint, since the angels fell ; no treason
which threatened so much destruction, and
imperilled so much of happiness for the pres
ent, or hope for the future ; none involving'so
mftoh of crime against humanity, or sin against
Him who guidestjie destinies of nations.
Men in arms were formerly our brethren;
and while in peace we would treat them as
friends, in war let us treat them as enemies.
They are seeking to wrap in flames the temples
which their fathers built, and in which they
worshipped. They are trampling under foot the
Constitution and .laws which their fathers or
dained, and of which they boksted ; above
all, they have despised, and rent in twain
the flowery banner which their fathers, and
ours planted in victory on Saratoga and York-
town's plains — that banner which floated in
triumph at Chippewa and New Orleans; under
which, on the plains of Mexico, the Palmetto
regiment and the volunteers from the Empire
¦-^tate fought side by side, where the gallant
Butler fell. They cannot divorce the American
people from that noble ensign ; each stripe on
its starry folds goes back and entwines itself
around the battle-fields of the Revolution.
Every star stands as a sentinel over the grave
where the patriot sleeps ; how deep the crime
of those who have been reared to sing of its
power, now to trample and despise itl Are
not such men the basest of enemies, who should
feel our punishments, and our vengeance, tpo?
Will you talk of the constitutional rights of men
who are steeped in the gall of such damning
infamy ? In this war it matters not what may
be their institutions. No matter though they
be the best on earth, if we can harm them,
punish them, subdue them by sundering their.
institutions, it is our duty to do so. A rebel
sells you a horse for one hundred dollars,
whioli you agree to pay him by solemn contract,
in writing ; he comes, steals the horse, and then
demands that you shall pay him the price
agreed. It will not do for this administration nor for
us, with a half million of men sleeping on their
arms, to be apologizing with proclamations,
which are senseless ; that we should be dancing
like harlots in the ante-chamberof this stupend
ous criminal, though armed to destroy and sur
rounded with the minions of an enslaved nation
ality. To the incendiary who puts the' torch to
your dwelling, and is despoiling you of family
and property, would you stand crouched on one
knee begging like a dog that you did not mean ,
to burn his dwelling or destroy his property ?

13

No, sir; let us stand in the dignity of our na
tional manhood. And he who violates our Con
stitution, tramples on our flag, or perils our
commerce, is au eaemy, whom we should strike,
whether it be in the destrucfiou of life" or pro
perty. Already has judgfnent been pronounced;
it has been decreed they should suffer death ;
and are now or should be undergoing the pen
alty. As well might they cry out for constitu
tional rights as for the malefactor in the pen
itentiary, or the murderer under the gallows, to
claim the rights of life, liberty, and th^ pursuits
of happiness.
Let not generals be issuing orders to de
gree the manhood of our troops by rescuing
or returning fugitive slaves. Let them not be
exercising their talents to determine how they
shall hunt slaves, rather than capture rebels.
Let them- not treat a loyal black man worse
than a traitor master.
See, just before the battle of Manassas, a Gen
eral occupies part of his time in writing orders
that no fugitive slaves should be allowed within
the lines. Had slaves been suffered to bring
intelligence afad give warning, many of our
brave soldiers might not now be sleeping in
death on that dreadful field. He must have
read the history af his own country to but little
purpose, or he would h-ive known that two of
the most disastrous defeats our arms sustained
in, the South during the Revolulution was be
cause two slaves guided the eiiemy to th*
camps of our fathers. The slaves who periled
their lives to ferry our maimed soldiers over
the Potomac at Ball's Bluff you would return
to chains and stripes, while you claim to protect
the constitutional rights of the traitors who had
, wounded theml
Some men among us talk of compromise and
peace ; none desire peace more than we. Let
these men not importune us ; we have not pro
voked nor encouraged this war. Let them go
to the rebels, who stole our gutis, unlimbered
them, fired upon our fort, and disgraced the
uki ' *®" ^° '° '^® °"^" ^^° ^^^ floating
tte black flag of treason almost in sight of the
Jjapitol. Letthemgotothemenwho make night
hideous with demoniac shrieks of disunion over
the grave where the bones of Washington are
mouldering. Let them go to RichmSnd and
ask the rebel crew to pull down the Confeder
ate banner, and flqatthe Stars and Stripes in its
stead, over our custom-house and post office.
Jjet them.' go to Charleston and New Orleans,
roll themselves in sackcloth and asTies, and ask
thatthe ensign of their fathers shall float in
their ports. Let them do this, and we will have
peace. We ask for .no more ; we will submit
to no less. Let them do this, and the sword of
every Northern soldier will be returned to its'
'ScabbardJ and he will no longer pray "to teach
his hands to war and his fingers to fight."
We know their terms of compromise. The
traitor Davis, taking advantage of his position
while here to mature his conspiracies, in the

other end of this Capitol, want-;d us to roll up
and lay away the national flag. Roll it up
and lay it away I Why, it had been made glo
rious in three wars, and the wreath of its victories
was yet .green. It had carried American civili
zation over the prairies of the West ; from the
^outh to the source of the Father of Waters ;
across the great wastes beyond ; from thesummit
of the Rockymountains its protecting folds cov
ered a land washed by two oceans.- Roll it up
and lay it away 1 Why 7 It had floated our
commerce on every sea ; was the emblem of
our nationalitv and power in every port. Its
folds were stiffened by the spray of the North
ern ocean, and languidly hung to, the masts
in tropic seas. Roll it up and lay it awayl
Never I It was powerful to protect Martin
Costza thousands of miles from this capitalj
and it shall be powerful lo protect the loyal
citizen wherever he raay be found ; men like
Johnson, in Eastern Tennessee ; and Holt, in
his Kentucky home. If this be not so, let us
perish, and as a nation be forgotten ; better our
history had never been written ; better the
Declaration of Independence had never been
penned ; better the blood of the Revolution had
never been shed.
It is no wonder that the thrones of England
and France and the despotisms of Europe
are in sympathy, and, as far as they dare, in
action against ns. They know this to be the
last hope of freedom, the last home of the op
pressed ; they ^now
" That earth's struggling millions turn hither in glee,
To tho land of the beautiful, land of the free ;" ^
They know that the great American people are
in sympathy with the down-trodden, with the
hewers of wood and the drawers of water on
the Eastern continent. They know that the
revolunionists may wag^ the b itfle for the rights
of man, and if unsuccessful, find a city of ref
uge here. United, they know that we are
powerful to defend our own, and protect the
rights of others ; divided, our power is gone,
and we become as feeble as the Republics in
South America. They know that the political
exile, the captive in his dungeon, the soldier
of liberty, whether on the summit of the Alps,
or in its deep ravines, in the gloom of Hun
gary, or amid the desolations of Polaad, are
breathing forth prayers that in this great bat
tle the rights of man may be victorious. They
know if we are divided, defeated, destroyed, the
dust of centuries will longer remain upon the
throne of power ; the crown will rest more easy
on the despot's brow; and every tyrant grasp
more firmly the sceptre which he wields. Let
us disappoint them while we frustrate the
schemes of speculators counting their gains,
and politicians gambling for the succession by
the halfopened grave of the Republic.
The dead cast from out-the page of history
is looking down upon us ; the living present,
throbbing with hope, trembling with fear, is
looking down upon us. The on-coming future,

14

the echo of whose millions' footfalls in the cor
ridors of time we can almost hear, is looking
upon, beckoning to us, and in silent prayer be
seeching that we may be true to ourselves, to
the great legacy our fathers bequeathed, to
the trust placed in our hands, to enjoy, and
transmit, not to tarnish and destroy. By all
the memories of the past ; by all the prospects
of the present ; by all the hopes of the future, let
us rid ourselves of the sappers and miners at
home ; conquer this rebellion and subdue the
traitors. Doyousay we may not succeed? Then
let us perish in the attempt. We may vainly
die for the land we cannot save ? Then be it so.
Here let hope and liberty's farewell fight be
fought The pale angel of the grave can at
least steer our ill-destined barque through the
"Gate of Tears."

" Our cause may bo betrayed,
Our dear loved country made
A land of carcases and slaves,
One dreary waste of chains and graves."
We cannot, we dare not yield, " while Heaven
has light or earth has graves."
" No ; riither houseless roam,
• Where freedom and our God may lead.
Than be tho sleekest slaves at home.
That crouches to the conqueror's creed."
No such dreadful fate can be ours, if we are'
only true to humanity and the God who guides
the destinies of nations, the movements of
armies, as he does the sparrow in its fall. Here
we make our stand ; 500,000 men, a wall of hii-
man hearts, to guard the land we love, the flag
we honor. If driven hence, even to the ocean
and the lakes, we there will stand.
"Until tho last red blade be broken,
And the laet arrow in the quiver,"

YALE UNIVERSITY

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