Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1822-05-04

Secretary oil the Treasury, Of the 23tl
January, and 18Th February, 1929, il
obedience to several resolutions o
| the House Of Representatives, of thu
4th January, and - February, 1922
respecting the manner in which the
several Land Offices have been examin,
ed, by whom examined, and the moneys
paid for such examination, &c.; having
examined the subject submitted to them
with great deliberation, make the follow.
ing Report:
That by the laws Of the United States
it is made " the duty OF the Secretary oil
the Treasury 10 cause, at least Cnce every
year, the books OF the officers of the
Land Offices to be examined, and the
balance of public moneys in the hands
of the several receivers ofpublic moneys
OF the said Offices, to be ascertained."
That, previous to the year 8l6, this sx-
animation had been made by persons re-
siding in the vicinity of the respective
Offices; but, in progress CT time, the
augmentation in the receipts of these
offices rendered more information peces-
sary, and gave an importance to the ex-
animation, which it had not previously
! possessed. These circumstances prov
ed the inadequacy Of the old system,
! and, in 1916, induced the late Mr.. Dali
| las, then Secretary OF the Treasury, to
direct the examination to be made by
one of the clerks of the General Land
Office, who was also permitted to make
a similar examination in 1917 and re-
ceivad for his services, in each year, at
- ate o. s dollars per day, in addition
,n' -; s,,. "v as clerk. That, since the
YEAR W l,'' ls!7, the examination has been
made by persons tisconn. sc'ed vita the
Department, and who have rece.'eo ior
their services al the rate Of So per day,
and IS for every 90 miles travel.
That, in the year 1921, Jesse Il.
Tbon.s. Esq. Senator OF the United
states. FROM Illinois, was permitted by
the Secretary ofthe Treasury to examine
the Offices in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois ana
Missouri, for which, as appears oy the
documents before the Comn''aee' he re-
ce;yed sum amounting to the allowance
which has been established since The
wear 1917. That the principal inHuee'
ment to permit the said Jesse ~
Thomas to make the o.xsn''la'ioh' as
stated by the Secretary OF ths leasu'!'
appears to have been an expecta hoH 'ii~'
he would be enabled to secure 10 'hs
United States large amount OF pub. &c,
money in the Bank of Vinceifacs at the ,
time that bank stopped payment, which
service he performed, and for which he
has not received or demanded any com.
pensation.
Although the Committee consider the
du,y of suggesting or recommending
any alteration in the mode of examining
the land offices, to be properly within the
province of the Comnlittec on Public
Lands, to whom this part of the subject
naturally refers Itself, they are neverthe-
less free to declare it az their opialon,
that the public interest does not require
any change in the mode which has been
pursued since the year 1917
The Committee presume, however,
that this was the least important objectos
the reference of the subject TO Them
and .hatthe design principally was, that
they should consider and report upon
| the effect OF permitting Jesse B. Tho'nas'
ESQ. a Senator Of the United States, to
examine the said offices, in 1921, IL
| which it has been supposed that both
the constitution of the United States and
the act Of Congress " concerning con-
tracts" passed the 2lst Of April 1908,
have been violated.
Although the Committee freely adj
NIT the power and jurisdiction OF the
House of Representatives to guard the
purity of our institutions from violations,
which it is the peculiar province ct Con-
gress or of the people to punish or re-
NEEDY they cannot recognize either Its
Justice or dignity, in conducting ex-parte
investigations into breaches of highly
penal statutes, and the commission
of misdemeanors ameneable by the laws
to different tribunal. Such precedents
might lead, in worse times, to conse-
uuences Of ruinous and most. trouble
some character. They might be used
TO authorize Congress, to become the
expositors OF their own laws, or impro-
perly to throw the weight of their OPT.
lion into the deliberations OF the legiti.
mate tribunals. They would be very ap'
to be seized upon to produce public ex-
element, and be perverted to the purpo'
ses of ambitious men and individual re-
sentiments.
i At the same time the committee would
not be understood as ascribing the pre-
sent investigation to such motives, and
as we'll on this account, as from JUS
sense Of the policy of our institutions