WRITINGS OF 5AM HOUSTON, 1831-1832
254
The secret about this whole matter about the contract, will present itself pretty clearly in the evidence as disclosed by the veritable Duff himself! In his testimony before the Committee he stated in substance, ( if not precisely in the words which I will use) when a direct question was put to him, "That Mr. Shack- ! 01·d did say to him at the time, that if he should get the contract, and it turned out to be PROFITABLE, that he would DIVIDE the profits with him; and that he Duff, could be useful to him in his business in the city, about the contract, and if it had not been for him (Duff) that he would not have known of the Specula- tion- but that he (Duff) had told him he coulcl not have any- thing to do with the contract, nor could he accept any share of the profits!!! And by way of explanation, he related another conversation which transpired, of similar import after Duff's expose last March! But Duff declined the profered bounty!!! How far the community may be disposed to refine upon Duff's disinterested- ness, and honesty, it is difficult to imagine! But certainly his praiseworthy efforts to prevert fraud, his intense anxiety about the contract,- his willingness to let Mr. Shackford get it at seventeen cents per ration-when he says it was to be given to me at eighteen cents,- his own knowledge that money could be made at six or seven cents per ration-his subsequent vindica- tion of the Secretary of War, in his newspaper publications, are matters that would look strange in the conduct of any man, who had not Duff's well established character for honesty and truth!!! If these matters should "turn out.to be profitable" to Duff, I will not be ambitious " to share the Profits," with him ! It is cer- tainly due to Mr. Kerr to inform the public that he labors un- der an agregious error when he alleges that I "was concerned with other per!3ons, at divers times, to obtain such a contract?" My letter of the fourth of April, will show that I was willing to unite with Gen Van Fossen and Mr. Rose to obtain the con- tract, and that is the only fact that bears a semblance of truth, or even of fair inference, that I was ever willing to be concerned w[th anyone in the contract: and this, it will be recollected, was fourteen days after the notice had expired, and all the bids had been opened. I was only willing then on certain contingencies, which did not occur. But, suppose I had put in one or more bids, had not I a right to do so? Does it follow as a matter of course, that because I chose to make a proposition, or .afterward to put
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