Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-05-28

were papns IN the Department coni~inir IVA.
formation called for by the resolutions, and
which ought 10 have been communicated, yet,
lJudSihg from the statement made by the Sec
retary, In his answ ~, connected with the fact,
'nai me papers In question we're comnunicat-
ed Z" the Attorney General, il is the opinion
~ the committee that the omission was not
caused ny design Ia screen iher'person i'm
pi'caieu from punishment or blame.
AS 10 the.other cases lin which the Srcreta-
~ Is charged IN the address, with having sup
"u'Ssu Ut w"hhe'd papers or Information
called for by the Houses of Congress. iii. COM
mittee is If opinion, that although papers
coming within the scope uf the resolution, or
CALL were not, IN some instances, cs,nmuni-
cattu, such omissions were either the result
OF accident, or of q belief on The part Of tn.
secretary, or Of the persons necessarily en-
piOyed by him ON such occssions. that The MA.
pers so omitted We're not called for ar wsr.
not material and the committee have seen
no evidence that any documents or ipfnrma-
ton has been withheld from the House. from
inc operation Ut any improper motive or de-
sign.
Referring to what has been said in IN, in
PRODUCTION to this report, and rena,,;,, ,h.,
MIR. Edwards has not had an opportun;fv of
supporting his charges by his presence and
testimony, the result of the facts which haye
appeared to the committee, thus far. in this
investigation, and Of their deductions from
them, when applied to the recapituation of
charges, as stated at the end of the address.
is
FIRST, That the evidence referred, to and
examined, does not support the charge of
having mismanaged the public funds.
second, Ihat the uncurrent notes, mention
90 10 Inc second charge, appear, by evidence
| n lhka
received and deposited by the Public Recsi
vers, at time when they were receivable IN
der the resolution of Congress of 1916; that.
IN the PrIncip' case, that of the Bank OF Ms
sour, the Bank did not make itself responsi
Die Tor such notes as cash, and therefore. the
Secretary was bound 10 receive them from
the Bank that, although the Bank of Tom
heckbe and Edwardsyille were liable To- az.
count for such deposites, as cash, If the con-
struciIon which the committee gives to their
contracts be correct, yet that both the Score
tary AID the Banks expressed different o.
pinlon astO the meaning OF those contracts ::
and that the Secretary, IN receiving $4,000
from the one, and $4,000 from the other of
those Banks, appears To have acted accord
ing 10 what he supposed To be the rights Of
me parties, and with a proper regard to the
interest of The United States, under the cir
cumstances which then existed
Third, That no Intentional misstateinent had
been made to the House of the an ,,,nt of I'M
current bills received from the Ba.ks, aitho'
sum OF ESQ of such bills was omitted thru'
mistake.
Fourth, That although the Secretary may
have mtsconstrurd the effect of some of tn.
contracts with the Banks to the extent before
mentioned, the comn,itlee find no grounds for
the charge that he has uisrepresen ted them.
inasmuch as the contracts themselves were
submitted with his report To the House.
Fifth, That the Secretary did omit to com
municat. To Congress the reasons which led
him To direct the depOstCs of pubic moneys
in The three local Banks ofChillicothe, Cincin-
natl, and Louisville, where the Bank of the
United States had branches; but there is no
feaso" for surprising that any concealmenl
was intended, Or that the omission was occa-
stoned by design.
sixth, That, in some instances, papers,
| called for by resolutions Of the House have
not been communicated with other papers sent
in answer To such calls, but that these omi.-
s'ons have happened either from accident, or
from belief that the papers. 80 omitted, were
Immaterial, or not called for :: and that there
IS no evidence that any document or ipforma-
ton has been withheld from improper motives
Having already expressed the opinion that
this investigation ought not to be terminated.
until the person pressing the charges shall have
been examined, aud regretting the circum-
stances which render sucb an examination i'm
Prar'Icahle, during the present session of Con
gress, and thinking that Mr. Edwards may be
expected at Washington within few DAYS,
the Committee feel il their duty to recon-
mend 10 the House that they be required TO
SIT, after the adjournment, for the purpose of
taking his examination, if an opportunity shall
he presented
Mr.. Livingston moved that the report be
laid on the table and printed.
MIR. Forsyth hoped that copy would he
sent, by order of the House, to the President
of the United States.
The question was divided, and being FRS,
put on laying the report on the table, il was
carried.
Mr.. Cook expressed an intention to address
the House, should the report bp called mp for
consideration, and hoped it would be printed
10 time.
The question on printing was then put and
carried
MIR. Livingston then offered, by dir ection of
the committee, the following
Ordered, That the Committee to which
was referred the address of Ninisn Edwards,
be required to sit after the adjournment of
the House, for such time as shall be Decessa-
~, their Judgment, for further examination !:
that any additional report which may
be made by them. be filed in the Office of the
Clerk of the House and that any three
members of the committee be quorum for
the transaction ofbusiness."
Mr.. Williams wished that this resolution
should be suffered 10 lie OIL the table for one
day.
Mr.. Taylor hoped that the House was pre-
pared to act Oh the resolution without delay.
Mr.. McDuiEe moved To Law IL on the tabje