Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-06-08


The Secretary of the Treasury has had the honor
10 receive the letter addressed TO him. on the 12,h
instant by the Hon. Mr. Livingston, on behalf of n
Select Committee of the House of REPRESENTATIVES
| AS the correspondence with Mr.. ID. III. Mitchell
TO which the Committee refers, though relating part
ly to public transactions, was unoicial it was not
| placed on record i'll the Treasury Department And
on cXalEination il appears that only two of the lat
tiers included in it have been preserved These are
Mr.. Mthhclts letters of the 18th of FEBRUARY and
2Gth OF April, 1918; the former of which has been
found on the files Of the Department., and the latter
among the private papers OF the Secretary They
are both transmitted herewith.
TO explain the circumstance Of public matters be-
InS introduced into an unofficial correspondence be
tween two public officers, it is proper TO state thai
MI Mitchell, having been Governor OF Georgia. and
having tor many years taken active part i'm the
pubic AFFAIRS OF thar state had long been personally
well known to the Secretary; and thar during the
Sccretarys residence at Washington, though hi,
own duties left him but little leisure for private cor
respondence, MIR. Mitchell had been in the habit of
writing to him freely and frequently introducing
mo MS letters, as may naturally be supposed from
the former aud actual situation of the parties va
ricty OF topics both of public and local character
IL Is also to BIZ observed, that, although Mr. Mitchell
as lndian Agent, was not prccluded from any Off
al correspondence with the Secretary of the Trca-
sury yet, os it was the War Department to which,
under tine President, he was Officially accountable
IT was TO that Department that his communications
IN relation 10 his public duties, were properly to be
| addressed. And it appears by publication, which
has been since made by Mr.. Mitchell that On tho
81 and 18th of February, 1918, he communicated
officially, to the Secretary of War, the same infor-
nation, i'll substance, respecting his conduct in re-
laton to the Africans, was contained IN his nr;vot
lett of the 10Th February to the Secretary of the
| Treasury.
An examination of Mr.. Michell's letters, of the
18th CT February and 18th of April, will slew tina,
they were not merely unofficial but, in part al least
private and confidential The letter of the 18th of
December, 1917, which is the only o,hcr letter of
Mr.. Mitchell required by the committee is believed
to have been of the same character but, in wha,
degree is not now rccoectcd
Although ii was part of the duty of the Sccre-
tary of the Treasury have takcn official coeui-
zancc of the subject of MIR. Mitchells letter. of the
10Th OF December, if the letter had been offic-
al, yet he submitted it to the President: and as the
circumstances communicated in il appeared to show.
defect IN the existing laws the subiect he sub
mItted 1t, aso to Committee of the Senate which
mad been appointed TO enquire into the cxpcdicncv
OF making further provisions by law for preventing
tine introduction Of slaves. Whether the letter YIN
returned TO the Secretary by that committee. or
what disposition was finally made Of it, he is now.
unable TO state He has written, however. to Mr.
Roberts, who was Chairman of that committee for
such Information as he can furnish and when tic
answer is received 1t shall be communicated 10 the
committee.
The additional circumstances disclosed in n,
hiIchells letter Of the 10Th of February. induced
Inc Secretary to submit il to the ATTORNEY Gcncr,I
and while II was before him. the letter of the Colloc
tof OIL Danen, of the 9th Of March, 1915 coutairinr
MS oiica report of the seizure of the Africans was
received anG was also submitted to the Aftnrnsv
| GeheraI' RS the Opinion of the Attorney General
recommended mat the case should be left to the do
Csion OF the CcurtS before which i, was then SIM
Poscd 10 be pending, the Secretary informed Mr.
I"chell oil the fact prcsumiug that as far ne ,l,c
SECRETARY was concerned, the affair was then tor
ihinatcA; as, indeed, IT soon ftcr was bv the doll
very w the Africans to tine executive authorize or
| georgia. As this letter was written i'm answer IN
uhomcIal letters, and probably, contained allueons
W SOME oil the private matters noticed i'm those let
eIs' was not made official; and, cosASue,rtlv
was not placed on the records Of the r Its3,rv ~,
plrtincit. Copies Of unoGliC iallcttrrs are rar.
'ifH ny tic Secretary and, of this letter, none
was taken. 0'''
! lhe opinion Of tho Attorney General. bo,vc,,,
was iiIcd III the Departments and, it appears. tia,
WIN ~ were filed the papers upon which the nnin;o
was founded, VIZ. Mr. Mitchel's letter Of lc lot
Oh fcnruary and the letter Of the Collector Of D,;
cr Of the 9th of March.
There IS reason to believe that it was ovr;,, o,
INC circumstance of these papers having bern Glcd
WIN INC opinion Of the Attorney General tina, Tho
letter OF the Collector of DaTien was overlcoLal
when the papers were collected 10 be ,rsnso,;.,ed
under the resolution ofhe House of Represen,a,
Of the 31st of December, 1919, 1t viz be seen he
the endorsements made on tho original resoIn,;o,
(which is herewith transmitted by the Secretary
and Mr. Jones, the Chief Clerk Of the Department,
'ha' TIC duty Of collecting the papers called FOR