Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-06-01
REPORT
" me Seiee' Con'n,itfee TO tchom tras referred
The Address Of .Ninian Ed,cards.

" me s>e'ee' Con'm.,nee to chom iras referred
The address e :M"ian Ed,Oards.
The select committee, to which wa. refer.
red the mem"rial or address of Nipian Ed.
wards, Report:
mat immediately on their appoint ment, as
the House has already been Informed. tbev
communicated copy Of th. address To tho
Secretary OF the Treasury, and they also or
dered the attendance of Mr.. Edwards. 10 N.
examined before them, as witness, touching
the various charges in the memorial. For
atnnugh, IN that address, he refers to paper,
ana documents. accessible to the committee
wtnoat ms presence, as the main supports of
n's charges, Yet the committee were of opn.
'o"' .'a' these charges were not such as
should be either lightly made, or supcrficiaIlv
examined 81 that il ought not 10 content itself
with any Investigation, short Of one in which
the accnser should have an opportunity Of
being personally present, the better to sustain
the charges, IL they were capable of being sus
taiued, or To bear the proper responsibility IL.
failing TO sustain them, he should appear To
have brought them forward, in. a form thus
positive and imposing, frurn personal and i'm
proper motives, or upon frivolous pretexts.
And the committee is still of opinion, that this
investigation ought not to be finally closed.
without the personal examination of Mr.. Ed
wards I; and in proceeding to make any re-
port on the subject, at the present time, and
before such an examination is had, the com
m't'ee acts only from the necessity imposed
upon It by the approaching close Of the SEES
son. anu by sense of duty which dictates
mat u ought not 10 postpone, to a distant day,
all communication Ia the House on "a subject
SD interesting Ia the Government, and so
nearly affecting the honor aud ntegrity Of one
Of its highest officers.
Under the influence of these motives, the
committee makes this report, as the result Of
It's examination Of the papers referred 10 in
the address, and such other proofs as the
committee could command. Whatsoever il
mere SAID therefore, must be recri, ed with the
qnasif1cation, that, although The committee do
not know that Mr.. Edwards, if present. could
communicate any fact likely to he important.
they d" not know on the other hand. that h.
might not do so; and he has had no opportu
nifty to be examined, or to give any reply 10
the answer Of the Secretary, which the COM
m'ftee has received. and which has alreadv
been printed, by order Of The House
The address contains two general charges
against the Secretary one, of mis,uanaging
the public funds /; under which various ill.,,
gal transactions alleged in reference TO the
dpposite ut the public moneys in certain
banks, and the mode in which such MONEYS
were allowed, afterwards, to be repaid the
other, impu'ing to the Secretary the suppress.
sion OF papers and documents, or failing 10
communicate them, when they ought TO have
been communicated 10 answer 10 resolutions
of the HOUSES of Congress.
The committee has given IFS attention IN
each of these divisions of charge.
Add, first, as TO the conduct of the Treasu-
ry Department in regard to the deppsit.s of
the public moneys in the banks, and the man
ner III which such banks were allowed 10 re-
pay TO the Treasury the balances Of such de-
pusitps
BY the resolution of Congress uf April SO,b.
1915, II is declared, That tie Secretary of
thr Treasury be, and he hereby is, required
ana directed To adopt such measures as he
may urem necessary, tn cause, as soon as
may be, all duties, taxes, debts, or sums of
menry, acciuing, or hpcomiug payable. To the
united States, To be collected and paid in the
legal currency of the United States, or Treas
nry notes, aotes If the Bank of the United
States, as by law provided and declared, or in
the notes OF banks which are payable, and
PAID; on demand, in the said legal currency OF
the United States; and that, from and after
.he Soth day ofFebruaIy next, no such duties,
taxes, debts, or sums of money, accruing. or
becoming payable, To the u. States, AS afore-
SAID, ought to be collected or received. other
wise than in the legal currency of the United
States, or Treasury notes, or notes of the
Bank OF the United States, or in notes of banks
which are payable and paid, on demand, in
me SAID legal currency Of lI. United States"
Al the time of the adoption of this resnlu-
ton, debts accruing to the United States,
whether on account Of the sales of public lands.
or at the custom house, or from other sources
of revenue, were, in fact, received, in some
parts of the Country, but evidently il disregard
OF the law, IN the notes VI the state banks which
DID notfedeem their paper by cash payments.
by TINS resolution, IT was obviously made the
duty OF the Treasury to correct that dppar-
lure from law, as soon as practicable and il
was, as is equally b.ious, imperative on the
Department, after the goth February. 1917.
TO allow nothing 10 be received in payment of
debts due to thu United States, bur tb, legal
money of the United States, Treasury notes,
notes OF the Bank Of the United States, or of
those state backs the notes of which are pay
able and paid on demand in cash.
The Bank of the United States was incor.
porated 10 April, 1916, and went into opera
ton at the commencement of the mex, y.ar.
By the act OF incorporation it is provided and
declared, " that the deposites Of the money
OF the United States, in places in which the
said bank and branches thereof NAV be- estab-
lished, shall be made in said bank and the
branches thereof, unless The Secretary of the
Treasury shall, at any time, otherwise order
and direct in which case, the SECRETARY nf
the Treasury shall Immediately Law before
Congress, If in session, and il not, i'm mediateIy
after The commencement of the text sess;,o
the reasons of such order or direction
The present Secretary Of the Treasury was
appointed to that Office 10 October, 1916.
In the early part Of the year 1917, il is rem
resented by the Secretary, and appears to be
true, fhat an arrangement was made iii, III