Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1801-12-18

Il :
! rups;on. HeDelieved what was 70 called
was an.allowatle departure from the ftriet
! letter OF the law, in order to promote the
public good. go r - = .
Mr.. Bacon Gais, if he uneereocd the
| motion, it had nothing to do with the
conduct of MIR. Pickering, which not
only contained no particular reference to
him, but avoided all perional reference
to any of the officers. 1t applied foley
to the expenditure of public money. He
| tlereforciaw no reaafon for bringing hin
or any other perCon into view. When
an enquiry had been made, it would be
time enough to approve or condemn the
conduit Of public agents.
! Mfr. Bayard perceived TO difference of
opinion among gentlemen. All expected
in the abfratt, as we'll as in the pre:ert
cafe, that the conduct of public officers
!hou,d be examined, and the reful. laii be-
fore the hooie. he, however, did nos
think the ttatement made by the gentle
! man from, Virginia perfectly correct,
| when he told the houfe that his endea-
| YOURS to obtain az enquiry into the rte
of the treaty had been treated by paa
hcuie with dilreipet,
Mr.. Bsyard .aid his own information
| nigh, be incerect, as it was taken p.in-
t., cipa!lv from the prints of the day but
| ne would FAY that ince lie had been a
member of that hoaGe, there had been no
cafe where an invefigation was akea, in
which majority Of the houie had not
ilntt;oned it without heita,ion.
He recolletted an inveitigation made
at the ir.tancc of the gentleman from
Virginia, into the conduct of former
Secretary of the Treafnry that the in-
vefiga,ion did proceed and thar the
| very gentleman had fell opportunity
of ta,isfying his own mird on the correct
! NETS of the conduit OF that officer. Ii
there had been cafe in which majority
| OF that houle had oppofad an invettiga-
ton, it was not within his knowledge
Fer his own part, he never had oppofed,
nor ever would, the freeit inveitigation
| OF the meafures Of public agents, wha:e.
ever Administration had the government
il its hands.
With 1efpea to tie contemplated mott
on announced by. the gentleman from Viz
eiaia, Mr.. 3. did not know that he would
object to- it. Bet he would obferve that it
nigh. produce the mott ferrous inconysni-
enccs il not injuries, to the goyernm nj.
An imperious and irrefltible neceiity
uisht force your officers to 60 beyond
the ,i,ni;s Of an appropriation. .APrropria-
tons that are made arc neutrality-suspicious..
They are nece!Tarily, in many!cates, imper-
iect. They may Of ccurfe either exceed
OF fall hort Of the object for which they
are intended and you mutt, to make
good the deficiency Of one draw upon the
excels OF another. This procedure had
been Introduced, and had been formed, he
believed, into general practice. He did
40; know that any department had exceed
cd its aggregate appropriation hut re-
dundancy of one appropriation had been
made ufe OF TO flpply the deficiency Of ano-
tI,er, under the fame department. He did
not know that any dsiriment would flow
from lush procedure. The officer who made
the deviation, knew that he did it On lis
own Tefponebiii,y, and that his conduct
! would be itr:c!!y fcrutinize!. From this
view of the lubiec. he did not dread the
Inconvenience fusseited.
MIR. sayard fald be would iiluarate his
| IDEAS by ttasing what had come to his
particular knowledge. According to one
OF the itipularions made between the u.
States and Spain, aboundary line was &c
be run between the United States and
the pofeilions OF Spain, for which 90, 600
dollars were appropriated. The act OF
| running the line was in execution, unhailh-
! ed, and our commii;oners in the wilder
| nels, when the appropriation run out ::
| and this was during the rscefs of Congrcis.
What was to be done: were we to diiap-
point foreign government, to top the
whole b1eneGs? no. There being mo-
ney appropriated to the department for
| other purpoes more than was required,
the Secretary of State applied it TO this
purpofe.
NJ D.l .L..L< - crocar an th,s