Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1820-02-09

penss---he would not say to perfection, bot
certainly much nearer to il than we have [
attained. France though her revenue be
moi SO cheaply collected as that OF England,
yet;as far as his information extended, in
the economy of its expenditures greatly sur
passed her. The English are proiuse IN
their expenditure--he spoke not OF the gross
amount, or of the object, whether great ar
mics, the navy, &c. but of the dollar for dol
lars worth. But, he said, we are more pro.
fuse in the expense of the collection of reve-
nue. than either of these powers, and We out
do the outdongs Of every former generation
in the profusion Of expenditure and total
want of responsibility in public agents.
Now. said he, meo periculo, | undertake to
say, if you will call in the balances due 10
the government from individuals it you Will
make the great corporations and men who
Lass for rich with public monies in their
hands-if you will make these s'eeches as
gorge-if you will make them pay the peo'
pie, it will cure your deficit; It VIII MAKE
| il unnecessary to lay taxes. They do NOT
pay interest on the money they hold ; ana
very likely if you authorize loan they VIII
take i, and who are better able than men
whu have both their pockets stuffed with
public money Mr.. R. said, he hoped the
secretary of the treasury would consider ia
part OF his duty, in suggesting RENE dy, 10
give the house some little history OF the ma
tvre ofthe dis, ase. If, however, II should
he thought necessary specially to require H.
he had no objection so to modify the reso!u'
| ton.
Mr.. Trimble said he should not oppose tina
resolution, although special committee OF
the house had the subject IN charge; be
should vote for it, because it would unques-
tiouably relieve him as one OF that commit
tee from portion of the duties lie had 10
perform, At the same time he begged leave
! n cav. that the committee of which he was
one had not been idle and that, as to the
reference to the secretary of the treasury
! for facts, all the information required nad
! been, o. was in the way OF being, furnished
to the committee. OF which he happened to
be chairman. In the course Of the examlna.
ton which he had had an opportunity ma
king INTO this subject, be had the satisfaction
OF finding that not a single dollar had been
applied in malversaton of the public moneys.
! That there were sums OF money in the hands
| of paymasters aid quarter masters, and o.
Their public agents, to large amount, was
certainly true. Many of their accounts had
not yet been settled, for the want OF time
| Large sums might be lost 10 the government,
by some OF these agent, not from the want
of means or OF disposition to enforce the
payment OF them, but from the insolvency
of the individuals. But. with respect TO any
monies in the bands of public agents, Mr..
T. said it must be evident they constituted
no available fund. Whether mode OF en-
forcing more speedy collection OF the pub
| lie debts could not be devised was ques-
ton worthy of consideration. But he beg
ged leave to say, that he believed every thing
bad been done by the treasury which the
| law allowed the agent at the head OF that
department to do and that be had not been
able to find, nor had he any reason to sup
pose, there existed any negligence, on this
point, on the part Of any of the heads of de.
parlments
Mr.. Randolph said be had no intention to
trespass on the department of the gentleman
from Kentucky or of the committee appoint.
ed to enquire whether the existing provisions
of law were duly executed inasmuch as it
was the ineficiency of the present system
which caused him to call on those who had
the best knowledge of the subject, to devise
better system system which would ac-
celebrate the payment of public monies He
had, he said, charged ma!versation on nebo-
dy. This was subject on which he felt no
sensitiveness at all His motion was not of
the nature OF a hostile procedure against the
administration of the government, to which
he was in no wise inimical. With regard to
the recovery of public monies, be said, the
gentleman had himself shewn the defects OF
the present system, by telling the house that