Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1824-06-22
ANSWER
~ the Secretary ofthe Treasury to the
address Of .Ntniaa Edwards.
(Conclutled,)

+. (CODciudeQ.)
The resolution of the House. of the f9th
March, 1922, bad reference only to thre~ Banks,
those OF Edwardsvile. Tombeckbe and Mis-
souri,; It called for no correspondence except
III relation TO the Bank Of Missouri and, Is il
required ali the correspondence in relation to
that Bank, not before communicated. all such
correspondence as could be found, was trans
mtted. Yet, although these resolutions arc
distinct from each other in their requirements,
Dir. Edwards affects to consider every letter
which was communicated under the latter as
having been improperly withheld under the
former.
That some of the papers transmitted under
this resolution might not, with propriety, and
perhaps with advantage, have been sent under
the first resolution, is not asserted. Whether
any such, II any such there be, were accden-
tally omitted, or whether they were not deem
ed necessary to an understanding of the sub
ject, is not now recollected As there was no
consciousness OH the part OF the Secretary that
any OF his transactions required coneeament
or merted censure, and as ii was supposed that
. the object of the resolution was exclusively to
obtain information, the whole aim in selecting
the papers and making the communication
was to put the House in possession of such IN
formation, and such only, as would best serve
a.,
Pnt, to whatever cause the omission of any
OF these papers is attributable, the omission
itself is unmportant. II is believed. that the
papers communicated under the second reso-
luton, orthe great mass which has been com
municatcd under the third resolution, disclose
no new fact which it was important, IN relation
10 the subject of the resolution, either to CON-
municate or to withhold. The idea of con-
cealment was wholly out of the question. The
delicate nature of many of the letters con,mu-
Bicated under the first resolution, shows, per-
haps, 4 leaning the other way. Bat, there was
really nothing of moment to be concealed.
The general outline of the arrangements with
the Western Banks WAS well known They
had been published in most of the newspapers
in the countries Interested il them; and they
were familiar to many gentlemen in Congress,
some OF whom had been the FIRST 10 press upon
the secfe any the necessity and advantage Of
such arrangements.
Disc tanning, then in the most unqualified
manner, any wish or intention Of the Secreta-
fy, ct conceallng any part of his conduct in
relation TO those Banks, the opinion is conf
IDENTITY repeated, that, aftar an examination of
all the correspondence that has been, at various
times, communicated 10 the House, it will be
found, that, alth ough more ample details are
exhibited, because the papers subsequently
presented are more numerous, as clear and
faithful view OF the connexion between the
Western Banks and the Treasury, was present
ed under the first resolution, as is exhibited in
the whole mass of the correspondence. But,
if the fact we're otherwise, nothing could be
more unjust than to consider the omission of
every letter not communicated under that re-
solution, as a suppression with an improper
design. -
Although these explanations may he deem
ed a sufficient answer to Mr.. Edwards charge
Of suppress generally yet, there are some
particular instances which he has specially
dwell upon, and to which he attaches particu-
larimportance, that it may be well specially to
notice. The first Of these is, the circumstance
that IS extracts" were communicated instead
of entire letters, in parts of the correspo,-
dence with the Planters and Merchants Bank
Of Huntsville. H
BY referring to the letters alluded to, and
which have been transmitted entire, under the
last resolution of the House, it will be seen that
the parts omitted to be communicated, relate
to an occurrence of wholly of temporary ma.
ture, entirely unimportant in itself, and having
no bearing whatever on the subject of the
call. 1t seems, that, after the termination of
the arrangement between the Bank of the
United States and the Bank at Huntsville, the
cashier of the former drew certain drafts upon
the amount standing at his credit in the latter
Bank. These, the Bank at Huntsville decln-
ed to pay, under an erroneous idea, that it was
accountable to the Treasury for the money.
As soon as this was made known to the Sc
cretary, he wrote to the Huntsville Bank, to
remove the misunderstanding. The Bank
justified itself by quoting certain expressions
of the Secretary's circular, of July, 1872 The
Secretary replied, that, if the Bank had quoted
correctly, the circular must have been imper-
feet, and desired to have it sent back for exa-
mination. 1t was sent back was found to be
inaccurrately copied; the misunderstanding
was removed; the drafts were paid; and there
the whole matter ended In the passage re-
lating to this subject, notice was also taken of
the accidental omission of the bank to render
some returns. These are the parts of the let
tiers in the correspondence which were not
show, with what little reason it has been infer
red. that every omission in the correspondence
contains something which the Secretary must
have an improper motive to conceal.
These observations apply to all the extracts
transmitted in the correspondence, except the
letter Of the President of the Huntsville Bank,
of the 30th September, 1919. As this letter
does not appear to have been transmitted un-
der the las' resolution, it is presumed to have
been mislaid. The purport of the preceding
part oft, is not recollected, but search is now
making for it, and as soon as it is found it will
be communicated. 49, eaes' &
An additional importance is attached, by Mr..
Edwards, to the circumstance Of" extracts"