Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1828-06-03

II this excessive allowance for passage money
to MIR. Peasants be Objectionable, his per diem
compensation is not the less so; your committee
are clearly OF opinion he was not entitled to one
cent after the day on which no left the William
Tell and abandoned his dispatches; and, if any
person had claim for such allowance, II was the
captain of the William Tell, 10 whom the duty Of
bearing these dispatches had been assigned by
Mr. Peasants. Viewing this case, together with
the large expenditure made by this Administration
p" Tor bearing dispatches" US an abuse, your
committee will report bill for regulating the
compensation OF bearers OF dispatches.
The attention of your committee has been at.
tracted to the amount paid out Of tho contingent
fund OF tho State Department, as also out OF tho
contingent fund for foreign intercourse, for extra
clerk hire, for the three last years: first, ON ac-
count OF the magnitude Of the sum, when compar-
ed with the expenditures for the same object, for
the three years Of the last Administration; Sc
conaiy' on account of the misapplication and per-
version OF the fund appropriated by Congress to
ae'ray ' the contingent expenses Of foreign inter-
COURSE, to the purposes OF extra clerk hire in the
Department Of State.
II the money Of the Government, appropriated
by Congress for one object, can, at the unlimited
discretion of the head of the Department, be APP
piled TO any other objects, the whole benefit of spe
cihc appropriations may be defeated and EXecu-
tive discretion made to control Legislative will
Under the last Administration, there was paid, by
the State Department, for extra clerk hire, out OF
the appropriate fund during the years 1922 % and
| A, 5000 So. In 1925, g and Z, there was paid
Sio,o9I az, part out oi the appropriate fund, and
part out OF the IS contingent fund for foreign in
| tcrcourse." The amount expended during the
years 1925, IS, and T. exceeds that of 1922, ,, and
4, by the of Sll,550 81; and this increase
has taken place while the present Secretary has
had for the last year, three clerks more than were
IN the Department during the last Administration
making the whole number fifteen, W it'll fixed sa!a-
ries
| The committee will next proceed to designate
such items dsbursed out Of the contingent funds o
the Department, which they deem objectionable
and which have been paid, where the payment. a
to amount and object, seeks its justification i'll The
exercise OF Executive and official discretion. They
cannot do more than to refer to the items.
Il First, As to the contingent fund for foreign in
tercourse.
Printing.-The amount expended for the pub
LEGATION OF notice in rel-;ion to a convention be
tween the Government of France and that Of st
Domingo providing certain indemnity for the loss
es OF the former inhabitants of that island, paid, il
part, out of the contingent fund for foreign inter
course, and part out OF the contingent fund to de
fray the incidental expenses of the Department
has been stated, by the Committee the EKpendi
lures OF the State Department. to be 50 500 7S.
, Upon minute investigation Of the items charg
ed Tor printing, in the two accounts sent to tn,
committee, and an inspection of vouchers filed TO
, other items not specified, this committee make tn,
sum paid somewhat greater. They will, however
give the names OF the editors papers, and tn,
amount paid for this publications; that, if theI