by Ben Vernia | June 13th, 2012
On June 13, 1862, the New York Times reported on the preceding day’s events in the U.S. House of Representatives, including its passage of an anti-fraud measure previously adopted by the Senate:
Mr. HAIGHT, of New-York, (Dem.,) presented a petition from 117 merchants of New-York for an extension of the time for warehousing goods. The Senate bill defining the pay and emoluments of certain officers of the army, with the amendments — one of which embodied ARNOLD’S bill to give citizenship to all volunteers who serve and are honorably discharged, on proving one year’s residence, and another to punish fraudulent contractors, by Court-martial, with fine and imprisonment, and to bring all contractors under the articles of war — was passed after debate. It was deemed that this mode of punishment would be more prompt than in the civil Courts, and it was unanimously adopted.
That same day, a bill was introduced in the Senate providing for punishment of federal contracting officers found to be in collusion with contractors.
