Delaware journal., 1828-02-12
TUESDAY; February IL, 1928.

such and such missions? No, sir. Did they ap-
proprate sums of money for such and such salaries
and expenditures !? No. The law passed is brief,
and, bearing strongly on this and other matters of in
terest, beg leave to cite it, 1t bears date st July,
| 1890. Here Mr. Everett read several acts of
Congress- and then observed
From this view of the legislation on the subject,
it appears that, originally the whole fund for for
| egn intercourse, and since 1914 the sums appro
prlated tor the contingent expenses OF foreign inter-
course have been placed entirely at the direction of
the President. And, further. that a settlement, by
certificate, without specification. is coeval with the
Government, and in conformity both with usage
and law.
! have been induced to make hese statements, not
merely for the sake of better understanding of the
point, in the resolution which il bears, but also
in order to prepare the way for satisfactory answer
to some Of the charges made against the President
of the United States, relative to the account of his
compensation and allowances as foreign Minister.
This is subject on which enter with some reluc
tance it is not, perhaps of the class which should
select to discourse on this floor. 1t does not belong
strictly to this debate; but has been introduced
on the present occasion, with strong emphasis and
to the effect, doubt, of giving sanction to what is
said more at large on the same topic elsewhere.
This is important point, for the allegations have
extended not merely to a charge of extravaganza,
but Of ilIegality, and even fraud.
High salaries are, know, popular subject Of
comment, and as those OF the Foreign Ministers
are, with single exception, the highest paid under
the Government, it is natural that they should be
obnoxious to complaint. But, sir it is an undoubt-
ed truth, that high they may be thought great
their aggregate may seem for the service of a long
series OF years, they are yet too small and but tor
| the extra allowance, by which they eked out,
would be wholly inadequate to their object. 1t is
not long since that most respectable member of
Congress, opposed to the Administration, expressed
to me his concurrence in this opinion and his will
ingness to join in raising them. speak Of the sala
res OF the three most expensive missions to London,
Paris, and st. Petersburg. 1t is sufficient confr-
nation of the truth of this remark, that the com
pensatiOn of Foreign Ministers is smaller by me
fifth, than it was in the Revolutionary War twas
then paid at two Thousand five hundred pound ster
ling, with an allowance of expenses. We were told
by gentleman from Virginia, (Mr. Floyd that hi
approved the republican simplicity, in which Frank
lin and Livingston lived at the Court of France
DR.. Franklin's simplicity kept up, for abou
eight years and half, at an aggregate expense o
Sl22, 900. (money being then twice as valuable a.
now y and Chancellor Livingston, as | am inform
ed. during his short residence at Paris, in addition
to his very ample allowance from the Government
sunk an estate of 5 100000 repeat it. sir, tina
bat for the extra allowances, it would be inpossl
Bile for our Ministers at those Courts have named
e to remain and support themselves; and the weigh
of necessary expenditure the utmost allowance
i has, to many Of them, proved the cause OF utte
ruin. 1t is not necessary that should specify tn
= names of the living or of the dead.
~ :. Another remark. Mr.. Speaker, the allowance
, to the President, be they great or SMALL were tn
=. acts Of other Administrations, of the Administrator
iia of Messrs. Madison and Monroe. Mr.. Adams ha
,e nothing to do in establishing the offices, fixing tn
~ y. compensation. or seeking the employment. For
IL IL in {Io liz
- never, either himself, or his friends for him, with
',e Ie knowledge nor without his knowledge, that a
,' ',e aware Of solicited any office. The compensation
~ and allowances to the Foreign Ministers were lxe
w. by General Washington, under the limitations oil Il
as ,S act of Congress. and were paid to Mr.. Adams,
me they had been paid to his predecessors.
the Farther sir. Mr.. Adams had nothing to do WI
he auditing his accounts, or controlling the settleme
,rc. of them though it has been aNedged out Of doo
the and ntmated, as think in this debate Inc stan
ne ing instructions to our Foreign Ministers requ
,er them, once quarter, to make up and transmit
N. account to the Treasury. This was done by M
,ro Adams, and in all his accounts there was but
by item which the accountant officers of the lreasu
ate declined settling themselves. The one item v
crs referred to the President by Mr.. Adams, while
no crearv of State and, on legal adUice'nenf ora
,ss ed by the President to be settled Io 'hls sn
ther nresentIy recur. With this exception, Mr. Ada
wed had no more to do with the settlement of his accou
nses than you haa, Nir; opehe'' ne Cou'u ~ nav Nv -,
$. to do with it, if the officers OF the Treasury "
on faithful to their trust. will add, sir, that, tax
n Of into consideration the number of years passed
, Of Mr.. Adams in the foreign service ; the nature
dent his appointments t,e sa.Msy allu 'ap1 'a =, ,,
ous- missions with which he has oeen entrusted, 10 VIII
or in part, no Foreign Minister has receired less
that he, ,cile many hauerececed more For the four ye
eli and eight months. commencing in 1919, when
fulfil first question OF ms accounts a'ses' anu oon
,um- his return, ne rece'Veu' III a' on ooo
q be one year eleven months Mr. Pnkney received A.,