Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-05-17

:" T. 4
iettled By the executive, and actually prac-
tiled upoaia the wardepastment, in relation
70 the expenditure Of public money, which
they deem improper in government like
ours, where faxes cannot be impoled but
by public content, and where monies arlf-
!, ing from thofe taxes canno q be oiiburfed
but upoa the authority Of a law preyloui-
ly paaed by the representatives Of the ma
ton. BY an al pa6sd on the 9Th Of Fe-
bruary in the year 1898, the preGdent IS
directed to caufs the monte. drawn from
the treafary, for the purpofe of intercourse
with foreign nations, to be fertled, by
cluG9g the fame to b. accounted for fpe.
ciaeally IL all CATS wherein the expendi-
rure thereof may, in his Judgment, be made
public; and by making certificate or
certificates, or eauiing tie fecretary of
fate to make certificate of the amount
of fuch expenditure, as he may think tad
viieable nor TO fpecify J; and fuch cestifi-
cafes. are TO be taken as efficient vouchers
for the fuHis expreasd to have been expen-
ded. The policy OF this law the commit
tee do not intend TO qneaion, but It is
clear thar it extends only to cafes OF com
penlation for what are uflaily termed
9 /ee,gt lrvices' that may be rendered TO
tie y. States in their interconrle with TO-
reign nations. The fiction above. recit-
ed has b4en engrafted into two laws psf-
fed in the refpe6tive years Of 1875 and
1890, but 10 every law on the fubjstt, it
has been confined TO foreign intercourfe and
iii the of 1890 is further limited to the
e9ufmgeut expences only Of foreign inter
eourft. II has not, therefore, been with
out Comfortable furprife that the commit
tee have feen the fame principle arpli-
ed to the expenditures Of The war depart
ment.
In the infruaions given by the iscreta-
ry of war to the accountant of the war de.
partment, In his letter of the 18th of Dec.
1877, herewith reported and marked L, a
rule is potitiveIy laid down, that eypendi-
lures for the fecret lervices rendered in re-
lation to the duties of the war department
are to be admitted. And on the zcth day
of December, in the year 1899, the fecse-
tary of the treafary made report on this
fnbjea to the PRECEDENT ofthe United States
tfubjoined and marked M) in which the
principle is again recognized as applicable
TO the departments of fate, war and navy.
On the fubfequent day The PRECEDENT accor-
dinghy ilgned two certificates as vouchers
for monies laid to have jbeen expended in
relation to the duties Of the war depart
ment, which certificates are annexed TO
this report, and are marked N. and O..
The committee entertain no doubt as to
the illegaiity of this meafare, as il is au-
thoried by no law whatfoeyer, and they
had Aartered themfelyes that the federal
government required no iervices Of any
nature which ought to be concealed from
the officers of the trealury, or from the le-
giilature. They ccnfider thefe facts as
coming properly under the head of expen-
ditures, not authorized by law
Two other cafes ofexceptionab!e expen-
diture~in the war department, have been
Efficiently examined to warrant repoFf
upon them. The hrG relates to an ap-
polntment conferred by the late PRECEDENT
on Uriah Tracy, Etquire, in the fummer Of
the year 1900, while he was a member of
the Senate of-rhe United States: The fe-
cond relates TO payment made, from the
contingent fund of the war department TO
Mrs. Ariana French of George Town, in
the month of July, 1900: neither of thefe
are very extenGve in amount, but both
deemed important for the precedents they
may hereafter furnih.
1t appears, from document herewith
exhibited and marked i, that Mr.. Tracy
was appointed " TO yifit and examine into