Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1823-04-12
CONGRESSKONAl..

CO.NGnESSXOEAAY.
Extract from the Debafe on the resolution f5, the
appointment Of a Second committee to ascertain
1eho suppressed The paragraph in Tie Steubea-
rile document from he Treasury.
Mr.. HARDIN OF Kentucky said, if he under
stood the evidence, when member opened
and examined the documents, for the first time,
he did not discover tile erasure which had
given rise to the present motion. One thing
in regard to this matter was certain that the
treasury department wished to make no con-
cealment of the erased part, from the house,
because every word OF the passage was as le-
gbie as before it was crossed, and there was
nothing in 1t which could induce the secretary
OF the treasury to desire concealment OF it.
The first time the original documents were ex-
e'iry i BY i,ilIsssI vi the li-ilsa t appeared,
from the evidence, he did not discover any
marks OF erasure III them. The next time
that the same member examined them, he dis
covered those marks. One thing, he should
| like to know, whether the documents were
out Of the possession of that member at any
| time from the moment he took them, after
| breaking the seals, from the office of the
clerk, until he returned them' They might
| perhaps, have been in other hands, and the
scoring OF the passage in question might have
been made only 10 the end that it might more
readily be referred to thereafter. But what he
particularly wished to know was this Who
WAS the member of this house or Of the senate
who chose, liter snppusing that the treasury
department llad been plotting with the public
lpnnters, instead OF bringing he question be-
fore one or the other house, to resort to the
columns OF newspaper, under an anony-
nous signature; paper, too, famed perhaps
4 N ma finn oil
which, he was bold to say, contained more
misrepresentation Of fact than any paper he
had ever examined in the United Stales II
any meaiberhad done it, il was unparainents-
| ~ and ongnt not to have been done. And
does not this fact appear to be established by
the evidence And what more appears in re-
lasion TO tins matter? Why, thai aiier.a COM
mittee had been raised in this house on the
ietter OF Gales and Sealon, two or three letters
| are published IN The same newspaper. impicat-
| tng these persons, when the fact of their inno-
cence IN the matter WAS as well known as if
The committee had reported. Ii 1t was a mem
Der OF this house who chose that dirty mode
I OF proceeding ii first, Why did he persist day
after day IN pressing the matter in the news
| pqpers, when il was undergoing an inquiry
Ihga committee of this house The informal
ton OF who that man MAS night lead 10 a not
4 very violent inference OF who il was tAat made
TIC rasnre now IN question 4 appeared,
from tic efidcnee. thai, previous these pub
nes'ia ems ~ me washington RePuoncan, there
Sh, 49,. 'is s''ose ne'Do
ica,ions. He wanted 70 know allthe na,tic,,.
lars OF those who were concerned in, what he
called a little dirty conspiracy. | wish TO
SHOW sa'd nc VINO inis a. .. IS ana as inc
a'nannna Ia; ~ ~, a'I'u' - vs. NY
facts TO which he had aelyerfed were s,,c,, as
to appear from The evidence, annexed I tie
| Export. He did believe that the pencli mark
| % oftssn referred to 10 Tue letter, marked A.
',la ,1a,,'na, ~ ,el ss
(Any ininro,er des,,sn What he censnred.
WAS, the atelnpf to ruin innocent men, on the
sretencq, knowing it 70 be false, thar this era
sure had 5heeh mace py 'iis pubic prniters'
i,ssssu u's :. WI o' a'y q lhe MS M
NJ, s,,,s ygha ia I. H.. ~, L
but he wished the committee raised 70 ascer,
tain that fact
| Mr.. COOK ofIIIinois said he sbouyft
BE waI1tin;, IN, ha, res,,ect which was dns
| ia himself. and which every hanorabI,a
memberso Of this house ought 10 enlerla,
Tor himself, were he 10 remain silep, al.
her the observations which had been
made. He thouyht the differences. from
line remarks Of gentlemen. connecte,$
yuh evidence referred 70. ms, BE- -.
tended to be irresistible, thar the docu-s
Id