Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-09-12

OGeft dcceptea uHU eIouit1U W. t"o' >,
partment, bat as being still legally 1ndeot-
ed for that balance to Degen, Purriance
eco. For that reason, their accounts
with that house were obtained from Leg
horn. And it appearing by these, that u
Degen, who 1iquidated the business OF the
house, accepted the payment made to W.
Y. Puryiance as valid /; credited the draw
ers of the bills for the amount, and clos
ed their, accounts with the house OF u.
p. & Co. it results that they were not,
when the delinquency of d. P.& Go. took
place, indebted to that house, and that no
recourse can be had against them for any
part of that delinquency"
According to an exculpatery letter
which the late chief clerks in the navy
department was enticed to address to
private gentleman in Baltimore, the foun-
dation Of the bill of exchange traffic was
laid in the year 1901, when Samuel. bro
Their of Robert Smith, was Secretary ofthe
navy. 1t would evince an unaccountable
density ofintellect and dullness Of compre-
hension. not to understand that Samuel
Smith employed the few months he con-
tinued in Office in devising schemes to ere
ate for himself commercial facilities and
future pecuniary profit. 1t was several
wears. however, before the protector OF
the scheme began to reap the fruits OF the
monopoly subsequently so long enjoyed
Nor, until the close of the year 1903,
had the public the least suspicion OF the
multiplied and complicated transactions
between the navy agents and the Smith
family which have eventuated i'll SO serI-
Gus delinquency. Itwas not even known,
before the enquiry was instituted by the
Federal Republican, that the navy agents
at Leghorn were also the commercial "a
gents of Smith and Buchanan. and that
these patriotic friends were in the constant
habit of rcciprocating benefits at the risk
and expense Of government. Still less
was it suspected that a systematic and de-
Iiberate plan had been conceived and par
tally executed to defraud the govern
Ment.
cannot help reminding the people OF
Maryland that the editors of the lndepend-
ent Journal, just mentioned, were reyiled
by the great body Of the democrats 1or
presuming to cast reproach upon those
immaculate brothers who are now the OBJ
.jcct of ministerial vengeance. Their con-
duct was not only reprobated by foes, but
they were silly reproyed by many friends
whose unsuspecting honesty and simplici-
ty resisted the opinion that so deep laid
and extensive a scheme could have 0rlSi-
mated where it has been detected, Il with
the single isolated purpose OF drawing
commercial supplies indirectly from the
public Golfers. Time. however, which
produces all things, has shed sufficient
light upon these dark e mysterious trans
actions, to afford to their aecusers the sad
satisfaction OF seeing the parties implicat-
ed in the disreputabe Leghorn traffic, de-
tected, exposed and discarded from the
public confidence.
Under any other circumstances tnan
the existing state Of politics in Maryland,
the suggestions Of humanity and spirit
Of forgiveness, would forbid renewal of
discussion calculated so deeply to wound
the private and public character Ola man
who still enjoys seat in the senate ofthe
Union. 1t is, however due to manly and
independent yindication Of public justice.
to renew an investigation deferred until
the testimony should be obtained which
is now exhibited under the hand Of AL
bert Gallatin.
The report Of the secretary of the trea-
sury, kept so long from the view of the
people, officially, authenticates every ma
terial allegation heretofore preferred a.
gainst the parties 70 the Leshorn trans
actions.
1st. 1t appears in evidence, that for two
years the Smiths enjoyed monopoly OF
the bills bought by government in Balti-
more, and amounting to the enormous sum
oft1co hundred ind fflythonsaad dollars!
ed. With the exception of one bill of
$4,000. all their bills (the smiths) were
drawn on the agents of government, who
were at the same time the agents of the
Il. r. thn