Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1824-06-15

b
all this there is PLAIN answer--Tho
Receiver was also President OF the Bank;
and having once intlma,ed the slightest
suspicion oil the Bank over which he pre-
sided, he may have thought, very ho-
nestly too, that he had done bis duty:
and being President OF the Bank,i could
not have been expected that he would
again advert to the circumstance, espe-
'cialy while he had any hope of its SOL
yency. @
But, says the Secretary, "Mr. Ed
wards is found, in the following winter,
presenting himself 10 the Secretary, not
ouy in the character oil Director, bur
Director especially delegated snd au-
lhorized by the Bank, to conclude an
important arrangement with the Sscre-
tary, in respect to the. terms on which The
Bank was 10 continue depository of
public money" M
When the Secretary made this state
mcnt, he knew that the s. following VIM
tier" was the same in which Mr.. Edwards
decla that he had g been elected a
Director and refused to accept" it-at
least be could not have fairly drawn any
other inference from the facts before him
Tor Mr.. Edwards had stated hat he
| had resigned his seat as Director, and
had nothing to do with the management
| of the Bank since the fall oi 49, And
the Secretary fidding his name returned
in the list Of Directors "the following
winter" could not but have supposed
that this was the Dlrectorshi, which Mr..
! Edwards had " relused.to accept"
! Bul, says the Secretary" not only a
DIRECTOR but Director specially dele
/ gated And what has Mr.. Edwards
done under this sfeciak deiee alton ? SIM
| ply transmitted TO the Secretary certain
!, communications which be had been re-
quesled to do by his neighbor and trend,
! even appear tha, he knew The contents Of
1.-The Presidents letter, further Than they
were explained ID a letter to himself,
which he also sent: nor does il appear
that he made any representation in be-
| half OF the Bank to the Secretary, further
! than TO send the let.ers, referring him TO
them, as explanatory oftheir object.
But, says the Secretary, he, thereby, as
scented to their contents. Indeed lis
this the construction given by the De-
partmentto the agency OF members Of
Congress, in relation TO all communica-
tons made through them III writing, whe-
thersexamined by them OF nos? Is every
member TO be held thus responsible for
the plumbers OF the. departments, when
il can be ascertained thai written COM
munications has c simply passed Mrough
their hands, without any other comment
Gas appears TO be the fact in this case)
lhan il rolercnce to such commune atoms
themselves, as exploratory OF their OBJ
| lect! II Dehoyes members OF Congress
10 be very cautious how they do business
with the Departments, if such is the re-
sponsibllisy incurred.
! But iurher 1t is we'll known that
members Of Congress who are satisfied
OF The propriey OF any application they
are called upon by their constituents to
make to the Departments, are mol in the
habit Of leaving these applications to
their fate, under cold and suspicious
reference to written communications, as
explanatory OF their object. On the con-
trary, sucha reference can only be con-
strued IN a case of this kind more es-
lpeeially, after the. adnnoni,ions alleged
to have been given. as an unequivocal
| intlmation that Mr.. Edwards was not dis
posedto incur any responsibility for this
application TO he department 4 and upon
The supposiion that Mr.. Crawford had
seen Mr.. Edwards publication of his
| witirdrawal which he has NOT ves de-
MED. ! he (NIr Crswiord) must have SO
understood it, With what face, then,
can the Secretary now pretend that Mr..
Edwards transmission Of the Bank COM
! munications, in The mannersit was done,
mot only without the slightest recon.
mendation Of their object, but with a
marked reverse have constituted him a
responsible direcsoral agent ofthe bank
This is, really, miserable sub,ertuge!
AS well might it be SAID tina, every petit
ton presented by member OF Congress
to that body, for relief, is approved Of,
and assentedto by him. Does any mem
Der feel himself bound to support every
claim he presents in behalf of his consti-
tucnts Such an idea mus, be laughed
al, as ridiculous and absurd!
From the same.
To jpillam H. Crawford, Esq. Secre-
f0ru of fhe 7re0sus.u If fbe Tinted