Virginia statesman. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1828-1829, 1828-06-25

,,l,srsand d5ilers per annGD. Under the coA'ic'
,;op that the busness OF the Office would 90 on
more 10 The pnbhc advantage IN all respects, and
especiaIly as regards prOmPuiude and method, by
having tvo principal clerks instead OF one, asked
the Committee of Ways and Means Tor an apPro-
priation for two, in 1876. The appropriation was
no1 granted The whole number OF clerks IN the
secretary 5 office at present, Is nine. The num-
Der was SIX during the whole OF the hrst PERIOD OF
lime Indicated above, when the average annual
revenue of the nation was but fraction more than
one fourth of It's present amount. during part
of the first PERIOD, the Office also had attached 10
II an Assistant Secretary. The act OF the Hh oil
Nav lS22, which provided that all moneys aPPr0-
prated for the use OF the War and Navy depart
ments. should be drawn from the Treasury by
warrants of the Secretary, under special requlsl-
lions in every case, from those Departments, IN
stead of being drawn directly upon the Treasurer
in capacity ofAgent of those two Departments, as
had been the case before, created of itself con-
siderable increase of clerical labor in the office OF
the Secretary of the Treasury apart from the four
fold increase of revenue.
II belongs to this communication to add, that,
besides the recommendations for creating new Of
fees and a new Department, contained in the re-
port to the Senate BY the Heads of the different
Executive Departments, in lolf, and which was
carried into OBJECT in part only By the act of 1917,
as before mentioned Mr. Secretary Crawford, IN
a distnc report TO the same branch of the Legs
aturo, in January, ISIS, recommended the ap-
pointrnent a Solicitor to the Treasury, in the
strongest and most unequiyocal terms Hence,
/ feel the more fortified in the opinion presume
to give, that there are no unnecessary Offices in
the Treasury now, by referring 10 other opinions
which nave pronounced Con full examination more
than ten years ago. an augmentation ofthe present
number eXpedlent.
have not supposed that the resolution of the
committee was designed 10 embrace officers at a
distance. who are under the direction of the De-
9artment as the organ of the President in execu-
ing inc laws. | mean officers of the Customs,
ana all other officers engaged in the collection of
the public revenue in all the States and Territories
of the Union. fit were intended TO give 10 the
resolution this scope a reply to II would call for
investigations the result of which could not be
obtained and digested, so as to present them Ia a
shape that would hold on. any hope Of being salts
factory or useful during the present session of
Congress. Ii may be sufficient TO remark, that
these officers have all been created their duties
assigned, and their compensatlOns fixed, directly
or indirectly, by the Legislative power Of the
Country and that | am not under the existing IN
formation and lights before the Department, pre-
pared to express an opinion that any Of them could
be dispensed with, or their cOmpensations OF Off
cial expenditures, be abridged, consistently with
the principles stated by the committee. In the
extensive ramiications of official duty TO which
the collection of large revenue under numerous
and complicated laws gives RISE II IS far from I'M
possible that abuses may exist, calling for retrench
ments at points that thorough and searching e1-
animation might disclose The same kind of ex-
animation might lead to the knowledge of cases
where the public interest, and justice to the midi
vldual, would perhaps suggest the employment OF
more officers, and with componsations more ade-
quate to the labor performed by them. On the
last head, there have been both complaints and
designations of late years. allude more particus
larry TO the Receivers Of Public moneys, and the
Registers, in the land districts: class of officers
exposed to much labor and cSponsibiity, and who
are sometimes stationed in parts Of the country
where the expense Of maintaining afamily presses
heavily.
have the honor TO remain, with great respect,
your obedient servant RICHARD RUSH.
Honorable J. Hamilton, ir.
Chairman Com. on RetrmchRseuf, H. r. L. S.
From the Baltimore American
CUBA.-An official letter in the National Intel
llgencer, from the Secretary Estate TO the Presi-
Dent contains a statement of the expenditure OF
the Contingent Funds for Foreign Intercourse,
under the act ofthe lst of May, 1910. Ii appears
'hat the aggregate expenditure during the three
) eIs OF lo@5,-26,-27, was 81, 334 81, the whole
OF winch sum was expended in the foreign service
OF the government, Part ofit, viz. 700 dollars.
was PAID before tlie commencement of the present
administrator; that u.s. 200 dollars on the 4ih of
January, 1928, and 1000 dollars on the llth of
February of the same year. Another part of il.
So,324 67 was paid in compensation Of services
rendered under instructions given by the last ad-
mlnlsiratiOn. Of the whole sum of ST., 334 g..
only LOCO dollars have been expended in service
Created by the present administration; namely, for
that discharged by the late Daniel p. Cook. ESQ.
tor confidential service in the island Of Cuba.
The possible fortunes Of that island engaged. il
may be remembered, some time ago, great atten-
ton m this country. Our great commerce with
cuba; Its proximity to us; the distracted condi-
ton Of SPAN, and the loss of her power on the
American continent; the effect on us, Of Cuba S
falling into the hands either of one Of the new re.
Pubhcs, or Off European power; and the report
OF IN inteHded invasion by one of the former. with
tle presence IN the west indies OF large squadrOns
Of two Of the greatest maritime powers of Eu-
rope; all awakened the soicmde ofthe American
executive, notwithstanding the pacific assurances
of hose two powers II was therefore deemed
proper TO depute a confidential agent TO Cuba.
tbs appointment having been declined by a dis.
| hnguished citizen Of Louisiana was, after some
laps of time During which the apprehensions Of
the executive were partly tho not wholly aayed, J
given to the late Daniel p. Cook, who was fun.
lshed with the proper instructions and letter to
The Captain General of the Island. Mr.. Cook left
the United States IN April, 1897, made some, il
not all, Of the inquiries be was charged with and
returned the ensuing summer, with confidential
letter from the Governor, and the materials for
detailed report, which his death prevented hi,
making. The letter of the Governor is on file in
the State Department.
The objects Of the inquiry 10 which his instruc-