Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1825-12-06
A CARD.

W. d. Giles presents his respectful compliments TO the Edo
for, Of the Ensuire request. them to do him an act Of
e, hy publishing their next paper the enclosed commu-
,c.,;on addressed to the Editors Of the Wing =
WIawAM, Dec 2, 1925.
To the Editors ofhe jph'g.
GrNrLEMEN: Who is the chivalrous knight
militant that fights so boldly and 20 oulv under
the terrific masked battery OF Monsieur Daru: Is
he a ud,e or the satellite OF Judge, who expects
,o he in nomination before the Senate for his office
AT the approaching session OF congress! and who
has heretofore had the handling OF large sums oil
public money which, presume, he VIII take plea
sure in accounting for, if not already done! Is he
an. satellite of some greater parsonage, whose ac-
commits are now in course o! investigation before
Congress? or is he an original minor Opaque pla-
net who is conscious OF his own dim lsht.!,
Whoever he may be, he gives too much evidence
of the malignity Of his heart, which he falsely
charges upon me, to justify reply TO him. All
the tdsfers of the stoeets OF pn6hc money, COM
bined with all erpecfants, present most terrific
nbalanx of hungry sssailants; and God defend the
man who has The misfortune to be thrown in their
way But Monsieur Daru, having availed himself
of Washington's good fame, 10 disguise his wanton
assaults upon me, and having referred 10 certain pa
ragraphs in Marshal's Litoof Washington, rs the
instruments of his wanion malisnity, deem il my
duty 10 the public, TO give plain statement oil the
transactions referred to in the extracts, according
TO nv understanding, and recollection of them. Ii
is TO be lamentei, that the venerable and highly
respected author of the Life of Washington should
have welded 30 much 10 the spirit of party in the
execution OF that important! work, seems to cha
racterize several parts OF 1t, and none mue, than
in the recital OF the transactions in question The
author was not at that time in public life, and
therefore, must have received his Information from
others His inlormants would, of course, be taken
from the federal party; of which, the author him
self became honored aud conspicuous leader, be-
fore the writing of the Life OF Washington. /
have no doubt but that he has related the facts in
his work, as communicated TO him; but, believe,
that party spirit never INDUCED itself in de-
certive and exaggerated Misrepresentation than in
the information gwen him; and that the author him
self never more mistaken in the effects, he
crbes Mr.. Hamilton IS report, if he made one. on
that occasion. The facts OF the case, according to
my best recollection of them, as follows: The
constitution osdans 90 that the President shall, at
stated times receive for his services, compensa-
ton, which shall neither be increased nor diminish
ed, during the period, for which he shall have been
elected; and he shall not receioe aoithin that pc
1iod, any other emoumens from the United States,
or any OF them" The same principle is extended TO
the Judiciary department, in the following words ::
80 and shall (the judges) at stated times receive
for their services compensation which shall not
be-dimnished during their continuance in Office
y dfferen, principle il adopted in relation to the
Senators ard Representatives shall receive COM
pensaiion for their services to be ascerained by
law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United
States The trainers of the constitution well
knew, that avarice was one OF the strongest pas
slons of The human heart; and that in the admins
tra'ion OF governments, it was, OF all others, the
most dangerous passion. They, therefore, wisely
deiermir ed TO guard the public against its deleler-
influence. To effect this object, in relation TO
the President of he u. S. they determined to take
drom him all temptation TO the indulgence of this
passion; and therefore ordained, that his compensa-
ton should be fixed during the continuance of his
othce and made the receipt of that compensation
obligatory Under the influence of the same wise
and watchful caution, they did more. They Or
dained that ths compensation should be received
-' at stated times Not content with th, Judi
cious crcumspection. they imposed upon the presi-
dent negative obligations" and ne shall not
Tecetre totthtn that period any other emolursents
from the United States, any of them In per
Torrance of those wise md essential provisions of
the constitution, the Congress the 9th day OF
Sc.tenber, 1889, passed the following act: That
there shall be allowed TO the President of the IJn-
ted States, at the rate of twenty-five thousand dol
lars, with the of their furniture and other eff
tecis, now in his possession belonging TO the United
States; and to the Vice President al The rate of
five thousand dollars per snnum, in full compen-
sation for their respective services, to commence
with the time of their entering on the duties of their
offices respectively and to Continue so long AZ thev
shall remain in office, to be paid quarterly out Of
The Treasury of The United States"
The following the words from the law allow
ing compensations to the Judges, SC. passed the
23d Sept. 1889.
Which compensstions shall commence from
their respective appointments, and be paid at the
Treasury OF the United States in quarterly paw
ments' ihe act Tor allowing compensation to
m
OF payment passed the 22d off Sept 1889, is in the
following words: " And the same shall be passed
az public accounts, and paid out of the public
treasury; all these laws were made in strict pursu-
ance oil the Constitution The two first reoliring
the compensations to be paid at stated times to wit
quarterly; the last requiring such specifications
When me treasury accounts were laid before
Congress- II was discovered that the President had
not drawn his compensation quarterly according
TO the provision of the law which was considera5
as hxlng the 9 stated times at which, the COM
pensation ought TO be received according 10 the
mandate oil the constitution; bat had drawn it oc-
casionahy,sometimes anticipating the quarters com
pehsaiion, and omemes falling short of it, dil-
ference oil opinion arose TO the correctness of
this course OF receiving the compensation. Some
thought II not strictly correct. Others said they
thought II was. At that day, il was not thought a
subject so sacred, as to suppress the free exercise
ana expression OF opinion upon IT, | was one of
those who then thought, the course not strictly
rect. publicly said so then: | think so uotc: I
publicly sayso now. But thought il an inadyer-
tent, MOI criminal act, and regretted it as bad
precedent; nor do l recoect ever to have heard
Gen. Washington charged with peeulation. nor with
want OF integrity, in any form, by any human be-
ing; nor DO recollect ever to have heard such a
suggestion until to my very great surprise, saw
IN the Lille OF Washington, although others
might nave heard such things. Nor do 1 recollect
ever to have heard this inadyertent deviation Err,