Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-05-04

slst the belief that he has been ms ,,,,cb ,sno,
cd TO evade as TO invite a scrutiny into his CON.
duct.
Even the correspondence which accompanied
he report I'm question, though required by a re.
solution OF the 9Th .lay, 1872. to be laid before
House as early as practicable, after the com
ihenceinent OF the then next succeeNino session,
mas been delayed to SO late period oi the pre-.
sent session as 10 ren,lcr an investigation of it,
cyore t'ie jsFst .9ioaday in December merit, in.
possible.
| Notwithstanding all these circumstances. i,
| may be that MIR. Crawford did. not intend t.
lake an undue advantage Of my absence. He
| must wcll know with what indignant coudem.
nation such an attempt would be denounced b,
every magnanimous and generous BOSOM
What surpriZes me most is, that just apprchen
SION OF go degrading u suspicion had not induce,
hin to have exhibited his insinu:,;ion u nm,
soonti, or To have declined it atogetilcr But
whatever may nave been his intentions, could
not have been more Acknowledgements affected
oy any coat'1Odnce or st,utdgeD, that he couhl
lave adopted, to deprive me Of a fair opportuni
| ty OF defence.
Scarcely cdntalescent from long indisposi-
Hon' exhausted with the fatigue of travelling, 4
required TO proceed on my Journey, with all con.
Venicnt despatch, must leave him unans,vcrcd
OF content myself with such defence as. with
al lile'e disadvantages, very short time of ne
cessary delay on my Journey may enable me has.
'"y 10 Present. But, what regard with tbe
most concern Is, that writing, as must do. with.
OUT having 1t IN my power to refer to, and re-ex-
anime, certain documents, shall not he able In
a,eh n,yseh OIL some important circumstances
",iol ''ey would establish, and may be betray-
cd INTO some slight inaccuracies TO which all
men are liable who have to trust 10 memory a
lone. promise, however TO he moro .,.cuy,t ).
than Mr.. Crawford has been, i'm cases i'm which
he mad bcfore HIN every ureans of beinn- entire
ly SO.
tiaVing endeavorcd to establish nv right 70
make my defence before your honorable bodv.
anu taking 1T for granted that request so reo .
sohaoic, under all the circumstances that have
neeh mentioned, will not be denied me. I pre.
sul,ic l ssaii be INDUCED in every legitimate
r'sht OF defence that belongs to my case.
Among these, 1t will scarcely be denied that
nave a right
1S. To corrobor1te nv own tcst;mopr
IDLY. 10 show, by any means in INV power,
that the statements made against me are incon-
elusive; aud, particularly, to az all myself Of .y
circumstance that IS presented by the docuf, ats
IN the case In which | was called on to testify.
Tor the purpose OF invalldating those statements.
And,
3dly. Directly to impeach the crcdibility OF
those who have assaied mine.
The latter shall probably waive; for, tho
l have at all times, felt myself at liberty to an
Imadyert upon .Hr. Craw:ord's official conduct
and to defend my own, both of which he has
found me prompt to do, in cases that nev r
yet nave met the public eye, yet never have
Intentionally treated him with the slightest ;nde,
coTui3, or want of that respect that Is due to
his station,(8.l Respect for your honorable bodv
would of Itself, be sufficient to induce me r. oh
STAN from the language of passion, or abusive
vltuperation, before you. Respect for ,nvseIf
would prevent me from using if sny whore else
cheeriuiiy leave that resource to DULLES. DO
l'toai toois' Hercenary h;relings, and those who.
oohsci','s u yer inability to defend their own
conduct, can find no better means If d;vor,;n :.
pubic attention from themselves TO others 7
Shall, nevertheless, freely, urge, and insist or,
sGch lacts as know TO be true, disclai,pin,
however, any other construction of them tban
inc most innocent OF which they arc suscent;-
bic. 1t shall point out palpabie Omissions and
VIOLATIONS OF duty, or shcw that letters, which
ought 10 nave been communicated to the House
nave oecn suppressed, and that various misstate,
mems nave been officially made, shall attri-
oute them to nothing more than forgetfuIness
lnattention, inadvertence, or some errora,,,s
but innocent views of the subject.
This will be sufficient to shcw that tho n-,o,,
tive statements of Mr.. Crawford. and g tho "a;
sers employed in the Treasury Department ,
ought not prevail against my positive Statements
on oath. 1t others should suppose This Eorbo,r
ance on my part little too fastidious. and dot
the cases which, shall exhibit are evidence Of in
tentions less innocent, let it be remembered that
their views OF the subject would unquestionably
render the case the stronger in my favor.
ith 'hese preliminary remarks, proceed to
my defence against this NAL apropos statement
of Mr.. Crawford.
| no
tecr In giving my testimony before the commit
tee, and L can conceive of no motive ,nh;.h
could DC supposed, by any but a most denr.ved
mind, nI'icd by IFS own wicked Operations ~
nave influenced me to make an uncand;d et,to.
inent. As TO my responsibility, in Consequence
OF having applied TO Mr.. Crawford to cs,,so
certain depostes to be made in the Rank ofEJ
WardsVlile, IN preference to that of Missouri;
surely nave shown that esough was known D.,
bout the latter bank, at the time my testimony,
was gwen, to have freed NE from all apprehen-
SONS IN regard TO any responsibility that I had
imposed upon myself, even if had NOT with
drawn, as already stated from the Diroctrhsbip,,
OF the former. But Mr.. Crawford does not denv
mat he received my publication, and even ifbo
had not received 1T, IT having been made in two
different states; and he having been, "a I have
shown, put upon inquiry in regard TO that banl,
and informed ofthe difficulties il had had To on
counter certainly might rely upon the notori-
ely oiTny acts, lnthis respect, with amuch better
grace Than he relies upon supposed uotoriety
! OF his repeated but unpublished omissions. tn
comply with the most positive legal Iniuuctions
as an excusc for those omissions, ylIiCh'be docs
in his letter Of the 24th February 1928. TO the
! Chairman Of tie Committee of Investigation
and in which he also seems, almost to insist Thai
his violation of his duty vas equivalent to full
! ilmcnt of it.