Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1823-12-18
They provided for his relief by the act of III.

lucy pto'iupu Tor hls rciief. by the act Of the
last sessiys, IN ihr following words:
BE Il enacted by the Senate and House ~
Representatives o.jMs Umied States Of .7mcf,-
ca IA Congress assembled. That tnS pro,er
accounting officers of the Treasury b., and
they are hereby, authorized Ia adjust and set
tie the accounts and claims of Daniel -.
Tom pkins, late Govrruor Of The Star. uf n
I ORR, on principles al equity aud justice, sab
Jcci I" the revision aad final d-cisun Of the.
President ofthe United States"
Congress, then, referred the adjustment of
his accounts la the officers of the Treasury,
| and imposed further check an them by call
| ing ia the ultimate decision of the President uf
the U. States. they authorized the settle
merit of his accounts, upon the principles of
equity and Justice. We not here 10 exam
me what were the nuii,es of every IndiviJu-
al, who voted in favor Of The act of the last SEES
sion, but we are To- take the law as Il IL. But,
for one, said Mr.. M'Lanc, | am free In say,
that, if the gentleman limited his views If equi-
! ty aud justice Ia The affair OF profit and loss
To the matter of balancing the account, his
views were not the same as mine. Would
the honorable gentleman say, whist on the
one hand, he would allow the account to be
balanced, he would not, on the other, pay any
Balance which might appear to be justly due
To this individual That, IT he should appear
Tor be indebted 10 the U. States, we should
pursue him, made poor in public service, with
the hard hand District justice but that, If the
u. States were found indebted to him, they
should, with their abundant Treasury, not pay
To him what is justly due? Congress could
have had no other intention in the law of the
last session, Mr.. M'Lane said, than that if
balance should be found to he due la Mr.
Tompkins, it should be paid To him. Under
the authority of our Jaw, these accounts have
been settled: the President has revised the
| settlement, and, in his opinion a larger balance
IS due than has been allowed by the account
ing officers. This bill goes no further than 10
give the sum which is certainly due, reser, ing
the balance of the accounts for further inves-
tga,ion. No weight, Mr.. M'Lane hoped
| would be given 10 the consideration that,
hereafter, more might be- found to he due to
the indi' ldual concerned than was now prepos-
ed To be granted To him. For myself, said
he'll am free TO declare, that fthe accounting Of
| icer, under The direction of the President
should find an amount due In him equal To
the amount of the verdict IF the New York
Jury, |, for one, would freely vote it to him.
MIR. LIvERMoRE of N. II. observing that
the gentleman last up had qunird only pat
of the law of last session on the subject now
before the House, called far the reading of the
whole act.-The act was read accordingly.
Mr. Cooke, in reply To Mr.. McI.ane,
said that the argument 10 which the Attentions
oil the House had heen called, didhonor 10 the
gentleman from Delaware ; yet, he could not
but think that the honorable gentleman had
been actuated more by his feelings on this sub
Ject, than by the deliberate convictions of his
understanding. He had commenced his speech
by stating the many ustrious services per-
formed by The individual whose relief is the
object of the bill before the Huuse. He was
willing tn admit those services in their fullest
extent. But the gentleman, while detailing
The merltorIous services of Mr.. Tompkins.
during the late war, had neglected 10 inform
this House that, while thus engaged, he was,
at the same time, receiving the pay and pmol-
uments of a Major General He had, indeed,
performed services !; but he had been fully re
warded. But, the gentleman from Delaware
had told the House that the individual in ques-
| ton had given up his all for his country's SER
vice, aud that his present distressed situation
was thadrect effect of such sacrifice. What
evidence was there of this ? He had never seen
any proof of it. Besides, i, must not be for
gotten that he had unsettled accounts, also,
with The state of New York and that that state
had contributed largely for hisreef He had
always understood, that the object of the aid
solicited from Congress was To relieve that
gentleman from the pressure Of a heavy de
mand against him by the Uoited States, and
which he was not in circumstances 10 settle.
| The iatterlpart of the act which had been read,
did not, he conceived, apply to the question
! before the House. He had, himself. no OBJ
Jections To relieve the Vice President, in con-
sidera'ion Ufhis services, from demands which
| he was unable tn meet. But, instead of this,
I'VE are now told, that he il creditor, and
that to the amount of Thirty or thirty five
| thousand dollars. On what data was such a
balance found Ia his favor True il was, that
the President had sanctioned it, and even
gone far beyond il but he had, at least in his
opinion, taken matters into view which did
not properly come before him. For himself,
MIR. e. said, before ne consented 10 any bill APP
propriatnS away the public money, he would
inquire into the grounds Of the grant-he
would not lake for granted the statement of
any one. As 10 his notions of equity. they
extended much farther than the gentleman
from Delaware seemed To suppose-but, be-
cause we have now little in the Treasury,
shall we squander il /? Shall we lavish il on
every man that may choose To come and say,
Oh. give me some Of il For his part, he
would not. The gentleman had alluded To
his severity Of scrutiny, and complimentel
him on his vigilance in guarding the public
money. hope, said MIR. c. that that gentle
man would be as guarded in his duty, as he
suPposes would be, in the examination of
| accounts.
| hIr. CLAY (the Speaker) then rose, and
said that, to him, it appeared that the cons-
derations urged by the gentleman from Tn
nessee would have been in their proper place,
If urged at the last Session-bm were GER
| tainly out of place ut this time, when we are
| called upon, not To investigate new claim.
hut iorcdeem the pledged faith ofthe Public.
Do such a question, il was entirely unnecessa
~ for the friends of the Vice President to