Mr. CONKLING. The House will observe I did not say the word “ personal” did occur. But that is not here nort ere. All gentlemen, all who have the appreciation or instincts of gentlemen, see the point of this passage. It was the assertion that I had had “quarrels” with Provost Marshal Fry, reeating that word mOre than once and using other forms of expression: and that 1 had had “quarrels” with GenlFry in which “quarrels” I had been worsted, in which “quarrels” I had been put down by the SecyWar; in which the SecyWar had taken sides against me. These were the points, 1st: that there had occurred between GenlFry and myself “quar rols, " and 2nd, that in those quarrels” I had been worsted, and worsted by the SecyWar. Now, Mr. Speaker, is there an shadow or foundation for that? I mean, taking the communication of the Provost Marshal General as the only evidence upon the subject. What does he say? I had stated, as the House will remember. before the member from Maine injected his statement I will read that I had previously stated all about having been employed to prosecute GenlFrys friend an asst. I said: “ I was employed by the Governmentto prosecute some of the frauds to which I have referred; and I tried thisasst provostmarshal general, who had beenJustified In all the outrages he committed and in all thencts bv which millions were stolen from the people of New ark: who was justified by his supe prior officer down to the time when the sentencewas published, and afterward. I understand." The member from Maine, then, did not mean this prosecution by his statement. Now, what does the Provost Marshal so to give color to the statement that, independent of this, anything had taken place which will help out the assertion of quarrels, ” and that Iwas worsted? What. does he state? That Captain Richard son, a provost marshal in my district, was removed. So he was. He was removed without notice and without charges. He was removed, as it. turned out, on the report of Haddock and the accusation of a man who is himself to be tried in a few weeks for such frauds as he charged upon Captain Richardson. The facts were in art made known to me, and, in common with 1 some of the 1st citizens of my district, I represented to the War Dept and to the President, if that was the form of the petition, that this man had been removed without notice and on secret information. We thought he should be heard; that there should be an investigation in regard to it. That is the beginning and end of all I had to say or to do with the removal of Captain Joseph P. Rich ardson. I think it will be hardly said that was a r, quarrel with GenlFry. he next statement is that Captain Peter B. Crandall was appointed provost marshal of my district and was afterward removed. So he was, and I take occasion to say, in the face of the imputations ut.upon Captain Cran dall by GenlFry, i ever I looked into the face of an honest man, P. B. Crandall is honest. I takcit upon myglfto state thata more honest man never broke bread than this man who was trodden underfoot by bounty junipers and thieves because he would not. submit to them in violation of his duty and of the law of the land. There is a place where Peter B. Crandall is known, where he has been long known; and fortunately for me, also, in that same place, the 21st district of NewYork, inhabited as it is by as brave, as gener ous, aspatriotic people aswere ever represented on this floor, I am known and have been known for 20 years. The people with whom I live, among whom I expect to die, know better than GenlFry can toll them, whether the man who dared to pan the libels we have heard read deserves to be sustained and commended, or whether he deserves to be gibbeted at the cross roads of common contem t. lint, Mr. Speaker, I was saying that Peter B. Crandall was appointed provost marshal. He was appointed upon the recommendation of the most honored and trusted of our citizens without my having any part in his selection. I had no part or lot.in it. It was made entirely by others. The person whom they selected was c iosen because his integrity was and is beyond all question. He was removed alter bounty brokers had threatened him that if he did not submit to their behests he would be removed, and after he had defied them to bring the machinery of this great Government to hear u n him for doing his duty. He was removedND at the very time when they predicted his downfall, and I say here that he was removed because he did his duty and for no other reason under heaven, whether GenlFry knows it or not. Had he been rascal enough to comply with illicit requests, he would never have been touched by the bands which struck him down. I joine with various of the citizens of my district in representing to the SecyWar that a mista c had been made or a wron had been done in the case of this man; that it anybody was honest he was, and that it was doing great violence to the public service and to the people of that district to strike down a man who had been selected by some of its best citizens because he was in point of character above re roach. That is all I had to do with it. I united with others in signing these representations. Was trliat. having a personal quarrel with General, ry? One thing more is referred to in connection with Captain Crandall. He had taken and hold, and crse vered in holding $20,000 of bonds which were claimed of him by a.bounty broker. He said they hcloned to the government of the U.S., because the man had deserted for whom these bonds were by po the cated, and he would never surrender them to the claimant until he wascompelled to do it by law. He was sued, and I wrote several times to the War Dept recommending the SecyWar to look into the facts himself and see whether the bonds might not be held, as I thought they should be held, by the Government. This is all I had to do with that. The cause was subse nently tried. I had nothing to do with it. the counsel was a Gentleman whose name appears in the papers read. a citizen honored in every walk of life, and Captain Crandall was sustained in holding the bonds, the court deciding that he did what should have been done, and that he oughtvnot to have delivered them up. That is the entire of that transaction. Having disposed of these things which GenlFry recounts, I ask the House to observe that in no aspect, by no stretch, do they show that. I uarrcled With GenlFry; at most they on y show that recommendations made by me to the War Dept roused his hostility. Having referred to all transactions connecting me with him to which he refers, I come now to the one single interview which he says took place between us. It was upon the occasion which I referred to when I came here in ligsponse to a telegram from the Secretagy of or The Provost Marshal General was sent for to come into the room of the Asst SecyWar during that day to give information, and he did come, and informed me of various things, among others, that Major Haddock was an estimable and honorable man; he denied utterly that there was anything to be said against him, although he had then made the recommendation w icb he arades, and for which he takes credit now, that he should be suspended; that he was satisfied lIaddock was honest, and would back him anywhere. He said further that the people of my district. all of them, as he understood it, were cowards, drunkards, and sneaks; that that was his information; that there was not, he behaved, an honest man in that district, and if one could be found and set to discharging the duties of provost marshal, as soon as it was known by others, they would immediately debauch him. I was somewhat astounded at language like this, but I had no quarrel with GenlFry. Iwas taught somewhat early in life that while a man should be careful in his associations, he should be choice in his fighting; and having received my impression of this man then an previously, I chose to have no controversy with. m. Nordoes he pretend thatI had any. Idid notoall upon him. I neither sought nor avoided him. lrequested nointerview With him. There was nothing of the interview except that he was sent for to give certain information. He gave his information, he made the remarks I stated, and some other remarks, and retired upon his laurels. The fact, then, is precisely this: neither in conversation with GenlFry did I ever have any uarrcl with him, nor by letter or corre spon once did I ever have any quarrels with him; and no way whatever have ever had a quarrel, in an definition of that term, with this Provost Marshall General. As I said the other day, I prosecuted his asst and friend. I knew then that I in curred his ire in doing it. I recommended to the War Dept from time to time such things as I cemed it my duty to recommend. This I well know angered him, but I believe I never had occasion to make to the SecyWar a recommendation relative to matters coming before him, which was not prom tly responded to, and promptly approved. uness I have forgotten somethin, I believe that throughout this prose cutionI never addressed to the SecyWar a single recommendation in regard to it which he did not approve, and which did not meet with his sanction. The Housewill see, therefore, with how much truth it was that a statement was made here, 1st that I had had quarrels with a man whom I never saw but once, and with whom I never quarreled at all; and in the 2nd place, that in those quarrels I had been worsted, and worsted by the SecyWar, worsted by that distinguished otheer, whose friendship an confidence it has always been my privilege to enjoy, and who never on any occasion did toward me an thing calculated to awaken any feclin s but t 050 of friendship and respect, and who has my thanks for many acts of court esy and kindness. But, Mr. Speaker, I have alread gone far beyond my intention in rising, and trust that those who have listened to me so attentively will pardon something to the extraordinary incident which has been witnessed. of the head of a bureau, a clerk in the War Dept, sending here to be read such a pile of rubbish as that, a personal assault upon a member of this House, under the pretense of vindicating himselfin some way or other., This officer longs for vindication, not with regard to these insignificant matters which pertain to me personall, but he longs for vindication with regard to t use public matters which concern him in his responsibilitytothe people of the country and I cg now to say, that ifa committee shall be raised by this House to investigate the doings of the Provost Marshal Generals Bureau, I will undertake to make good my assertion, that in the western division of NewYork, comosing a large portion of that great State, this ureau, as it was administered, was one carnival of corrupt disorder. I will endeavor to make good that statement; and then the public shall know whether the head of the bureau was a man incapable of adminis tration a man incapable of seeing the diticrence between honest men and thieves or whether it was administered by a man who had the capacity to do it, and who, but for the want of another quflity, would have performed its duties well and now, Mr. Speaker, I will ask my colleague from the fit. Lawrence district, [Mr. HULBURD] whose position in this House and in the country and in the State of NewYork will be asufficientgnarantee for the probity and the ability which will be brought to the service I ask him to move that a committee be appointed by the House to investigate the doings of the Provost Marshal Generals bureau, and let us see whether a man, however humble he may be, who rises hereto denounce what he knows to be a public wrong, is to be shnflled otf by newspaper effects, or effects to be produce by sending here to be read such a communication as lies before us. If this man and his trusted agents are innocent he and they should have a full and thorough investigation of all the practices of which they stand accused. I now ield the floor to my colleague for the purpose have indicated.