Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-05-21

Presidential Char alter the war, after the Pre-
sidcnt's House had been rcdaccd to ashes, with
its furniture IN it, and Congress, as usual, made
an appropriation to purchase new furniture.
The President wrote to Lafarge Russell & Co.
of France to send, for the use of the Presidents
House, certain descriptions of furniture, and
also to send several articles for his own private
use and that OF his family. These merchants,
in making out their account, blended the pubic
and p,lrate account of the President together,
g. made out one account, which was forwarded to
the President, with draft for the money. This
draft arrived when MIR. Monroe was absent in
the discharge OF an important and useful duty to
his country Mr.. Lane, who was the Commits
soncr of the Public Buildings. and the proper
person to pay the chargefor the furniture to the
Presidents House, paid for it, and the President
being absent as his friend, he also paid for the
articles for the private use of the President, not
out of the public money, but out of his own mo-
ncy, and charged MIR. Monroe with it upon his
private account. subsequent settlement took
place, in which Mr.. Monroe paid this sum to
MIR. Lane, private debt; all the other cases
named by the gentleman from Tennessee, are of
the precise same nature; all of private transac-
tious between Mr.. Monroe and MIR. Lane. Se-
veral years after these accounts were settled,
MIR. Lane died, and it appears that his estate is
in arrears to the United States. 1t is now con-
tended, that because Lane received public mo-
ncy, that therefore the money he paid for Mr..
Monroe on his p,icdte account, must be presum-
ell to have been with the public money, and that
Mr.. Monroe knew it, and must pay back the
money to the United States, although he has fair
ly and honestly accounted for it to Mr.. Lane.
Who ever heard of such an unjust, Liberal and
unjustiliable attack?
AS regards the charge about sthe furniture of
the President taken for the United States by the
Commissioner of the Public Buildings, the pro-
ceciings i'll that case can shew, the accusation
OF tnfccency, indeticdcy made by the gentleman,
to be incorrect. There was no furniture when
Mr.. Monroe went into the Presidents House, fit
for its use. Mr.. Lane proposed to purchase some
valuable furniture that had been sent from
Fr!nceto MIR. Monroe Mr.. Monroe agreed to
let the United States have it condition that he
might retake it when he went out of Office
upon repaying the money he received for it. To
tins effect written agreement was made, and
on file. The furniture was then valued by
two highly respectable gentlemen, (Gen. Van
Ness, OF the city, and Gen. Mason, of George
town. assisted by two nee hanics, Judges of its
quality, and, after estimation made, it will be
seen, by Mr.. Lanes letter, that the President
sold 1T for % per cent less than similar furniture
could be purchased for. All these facts wetc
shcwn in the committee, and why did not the
gentleman, Mr.. Cocke) if he is actuated by no
other mottces than impartial justice, state them
to the House, .Mr. Brent then observed, that
there was something wrong in this business He
would not indulge in observations which this at
tack might justify. The object of it occupied
too elevated stand, was too well known to his
country, and had served her too faithfully in G.
very situation to which he had been called, to
be reached by any ungenerous illusions, whe-
Their made in the discharge of public duty, or to
CRAFTY other Uie'os. From this statement. the
House will perceive MIR. Brent continued
that the committee acted correctly in not inter-
fering with the private concerns between Mr.
Lane and the President. He then Showed that
the SUBJECTS submitted to the committee had
been properly considered, and that the report
was as full as it could be made.
MIR. Brent concluded by deprecatine a false
impression produced by the observations of the
| gentleman from Tennessee, injurious to the
President, whose conduct he indicated as not
only pure and honest, bat as honorable, in a
high degree; and expressed his hope that the
motion Of the gentleman, Mr.. Cocke,) would
| Oe re]ectel, d the report of the committee ap-
| proved, that an expression might be given 10
the conduct of the President. lie wished it SO
| to be considered.
Mr.. Mercer, of Virginia, followed MIR. Brent
and expressed his unfeigned regret at the course
pursued by the gentleman from Tenn He al
luded to the personal intimacy he had enjoyed &
esteem he had felt for Mr.. Monroe from his
hoyhood; uttered his scorn at the STYLE of insi
nuation in which a private account had been
examined on this floor which was wholly of a
private character, and which it would degrade
the House to NEEDLE with. He went into de-
tailed statement of the conduct of the President
I'D relation to the expenditures for his family use
and Tor the furniture of the Presidents house,
and closed with moving that the amendment
proposed by Mr.. Cooke, lie on the table. But
this motion he withdrew, to give an opportunity
for reply.
Mr.. Cooke rose in reply, and explained some
oil the observations he had before made-went
INTO farther examination OF the account of the
tate oil. Lane, and of his transactions with the
PRESIDENT, and persisted in maintaining that the
report ought TO have gone farther than il did. in
the investigation of these particulars.
MIR. A. Stevcnson,o of Virginia said, that it was
due neither to the character of the distin
guished individual concerned, nor TO thedutv {.
dignity OF the House, TO reply to the obseryati-
ons Just made He observed, that, when the
chlcf Magistrate now in Office should re-
urc, ne would retire poor, and that no man
would have 1T IN his power TO detect the public
money IN his hand, and that il would be found
that that officer had acted in the affair adyerted
10, ana all others OF peCuniary nature, not only
with purity but with libcrality.
Mr. hremer of Penn, expressed his hone that
the motion to lay the resolution on the table
"u,u ncFe' ne renewed; that the investigation
should DC made and fairly met, and the opinion
OF the House expressed by yeas and nays, that
1t might be seen who they were who had assail-
ed man grown grey with tonorinhis country's
service.
Mr. Mercer rose to explain, why he should
mol renew the motion he had made, to Law the
SUBJECT on the table. He stated what had been
done IN the select committee; and urged the
and impracticability of endea
yorlug to obtain, in the few remaining DAYS of tbe
session. information which r,ir1 ,,os,I.a -