Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1825-03-19
without correct knowledge of them.

the epoch referred to was, in the high.
est degree, important and difficult; that
we were menaced with wars, to which
the powers of Europe thought our go
vernment unequal, as did many OF our
own citizens, and among them those
who were most friendly to it. The 81
tuation, therefore, Of a person, whose
official duties connected him, at the
same time, with the three great powers,
from whom that menace came, and
whose movements he was bound to
watch, and TO report to his government,
should not be favorable to strict SUI
pervision of expenditures, or to econo'
my.
With respect to these claims, the
first question to be decided is, Are
they Just! The second, if just, Has
any thing occurred to bar them? On
the first point have nothing more to
add. On the second, l have to observe,
that, if just, the delay in allowing them
was undoubtedly an injury to me, and
the longer the delay the greater the in
iury. That / have not pressed them
heretofore, on any branch OF the 60.
yerument, is true. When the cause OF
this forbearance is duly considered, the
Committee will Judge, how far it ought
to operate to my prejudice. On this
point some further explanation will, 1t
is presumed, not be deemed improper.
If, in the account presented by Mr..
Dawson, for the settlement of salary,
contingencies, &c. in my first mission
to France in 1894, the first item was o.
mitted, and if the second included on
ly the sum which was allowed, the
cause, suggested in my letter to the
Secretary Of State, of the 18th Dec.
1910, to which l beg leave to refer, was
the true one. There could be none
other. I always thought that was
Justly entitled to the usual compensa.
ton, which accrued after my recall,
during my detention through the win
ter, and until l sailed for the U. States
in the spring following. Nor could /
ever doubt that an inadequate allow
ance was made to me for contingent
expenses, in that mission. In the set
Element of that account, my object was,
as already observed, to bring forward
no claim which could be disputed, and,
if brought in debt by the settlement, to
meet the demand at any sacrifice, and
with the greatest promptitude; and |
acted on that principle. / had, also,
an insuperable repugnance to claim OF
a succeeding administration, any thing
which had not been allowed me by a
preceding one. 1t accorded better with
my feelings to submit to the entire
loss, than to make such an appeal to
any subsequent administration. Had
l, however, been so disposed, 1 do not
know that l could have acted other
wise than l have done. Not long after
the change Of the administration, l was
sent again to Europe on very impor-
tant missions, the details ofvhich have
already been communicated. In writ.
ing to the Secretary of State, after my
return from these latter missions, re-
specting the suspended item in the ae-
count for them, / adverted to those
claims, arising under the former mis-
sion, in a manner to shew that such
existed, but certainly not to require a
decision on them byit, for such / did
not wish.
With respect to the items in the Cd
mission, it is obvious, that the same
reason which applied to the 9Th, would
apply, with still greater force, to the
others. Ithas already been stated, that
that this item was suspended BY order
of the President, in 1910, when the &C.
neral account, for the several missions
to France, Great Britain, and Spain,
was referred to him by the accounting
officers of the Government, through
the Department of State. In that state
it still remained, when l came into that
department in May, 1911, from which
period, until the present. I never touch
Gu lnt SuOJcCt Will VIC" w SosA
an admission of the claim. My reason
for abstaining from it, while my pre-
decessor held this office; will readily
be conceived, as it will be, why could
not decide on it after was elected his
successor. When that event was
known, l thought it proper to notice it,
in a communication to the Comptrol-
Ter of the Treasury, for the purpose Of
| continuing the suspension, while re-
| manned in the high trust, and of re-
| questing, also, that my account for that
mission, or rather for the several mis-.
sions, independent Of that item, and Of
every other claim, might be closed. l
thought it proper to draw his attention,
at the same time, to an error which
had been committed in the settlement
of the account Of my first mission, of a
nature SO plain and palpable as to in
volve no principle or question OF any
kind, respecting which there could be
diversity Of opinion. Twas instruct