Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-02-17

zeal Of his official conduct, was the HUI
Wiling that the investigation should ASSUME
anv form which the Committee might cnoose
to olive it. and be prosecuted BY any sort Of es,'
dence which they might think proper 70 au'
nit. upon their own responsibility.
But although had a right, as the persona
friend Of Mr. Calhoun, to abstain from any i",
reference with the course Of the Committee,
have no right, considering the relation IN wnicn
he stands. and in which stand, to the pnoilc,
to sanction, by my acquiescence, specsS u
unlicensed ipquisi,ion unknown to the Jur'sprru-
dence of any fee country, anc which would iur-
nish preceden, utterly subversive OF the only
effectual safeguard of the reputation OF pubic
men, in periods of great political excitement
Having disposed Of that branch OF the ipves-
tieation which relates to the imputations upon
Mr. Calhouns official integrity, it remains ior
me 10 offer few remarks upon view oil this
subject, which, though not involved IN the issue
referred 10 the Committee, is evidently emoia
ced in the scope of their inquiries IL has oeen
| TOO apparent 10 escape the observations, even
Of one less interested than / am, to mark the
bearings of this investigation, that very large
norton of the testimony can have.no other ap-
plca,on or object than to call in question the
general administration Of the War Department
while MIR. Calhoun preside d over il, by holding
him responsible for the minute irregularities OF
its subordinate branches, and particularly those
! Of the Engineer Department. While, therefore,
the charge is specific and limiled, the lnyes,i-
cation is general and underlined, and the most
obvious principles of justice requires that the
defence should al least be co-extensive with the
attack, whether this be open and direct, or dis.
eused and incidental
Assuming, then, that the general IRREGULAR
ties of subordinate branch OF the War Depart.
men, are fair subjects for inquiry, let US see
whether the specifications are such as, admit.
ting their truth, will fairly fix any portion OF
the responsibility on Mr.. Calhoun The con-
,rac, in relation to which the imputed irregula.
rites occurred, was made the 25th ofJuly, 1918.
Mr.. Calhoun took charge Of the War Depart
ment, the 9Th of December, 1917; ant it is a
facr of undisputed notore,y, that he found il
utterly destitute Of organization in almost all Its
branch hes, and pre- -eminen,ly SO in the Engineer
! Department. The extensive operations and
large disbursements Of the then recent war, Ell
fected under a system of administration having
neither organization nor responsibility, had IN
tioduccd such irregularities and abuses, and
caused the accumulation of such mass OF un-
|
the War Department was actually Stunned by
| several distinguished citizens who were solicit
ed 10 preside over it, as an Augean stable, hold
ing out in prospect the labors OF Hercules,
without any portion Of his fame. Such being
the condition Of the Department when Mr.. CAL
houn became its Chief OHieer, and every ire
gulariry which is imputable to the Mix con-
tract, including the omission TO advertise, hay
| E. IN
ding administration, without any eHectua effort
TO correct them; the injustice Of holding Mr..
Calhoun responsible for not correcting in few
months, the ire guarities which his predeces-
sors had not even attempted to correct in as ma
ny years, is too gross 10 be tolerated for mo-
mebt.
IL is obvious that the head Of such Depart
ment cannot upon any rational principle, be
made responsible for a particular instance OF ir-
regularity in the details Of a subordinate De.
par,ment. The true point Of his responsibility
is the general laxily and want Of system from
which The particular instance arises. II, there
| fore, Mr. Calhoun is obnoxious TO any censure
in the present case, it is for the imperfect or
eaniza,on Of the Engineer Department on the
| 25lh July, 1873 In This view Of the subject, it
is to De remarked that he took charge Of the
| III bVSe"oSib iol1 az thS oPShhS
of the Session Of Congress, left Washington for
South Carolina, On indispensable Blu sinesss, i'm
meGiatey after the close Of thu. Session in The
May following, and did not return until the
month Of July, only two weeks before the con-
trac, in question was closed, and was almost in
cessan,ly occupied, during these two weeks, in
the deliberations Of the Cabinet on the military
occurrences of the Seminole campaign.
Under these circumstances, the irregularities
in question cannot be imputed to him, either in
fact or III theory. Coming into complica ted
department, which was almost literally in a
state Of chaos, nothing but spirit Of official
quackery could have prompted him to COM
mence the great work Of general and syslema-
tic reformation, before he had deliberately sur
veyed the working of its disordered machinery,
and ascertained both the causes Of the existing
irregularities and the most effective means Of
correcting them permanently.
In fact, when it is considered that Mr.. Ca
houn first necessarily devoted himself to the
creation and organization of The Departments
of the Quarter Master General, Surgeon Gene
raj, and Commissary General, under an act OF
Congress passed upon his Recommendation in,
April 1918, the wonder is that the reformation
of The Epuin.er nep,rtmpnf was commpn r cd