Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1830-08-17

"'oiy' IL Is inconsistent win the fact that as il
would seem slr. Watkins, although he passed tho
account himself, took pains whatever see il pass
cd by the I'd Comptroller or allowed by he Secretn
ry; when the accounts of Mr.. Binney and of Mr..
Harrison. Ia worthy gentleman who is still NAVY
Agent at Phadelphia for similar caims were al
lowed by him without any bonus whatever. fSee
No. ~ Sixthly, 1t is inconsistent with the fact that
although had sen. up the account to the Fourth
Auditors Office along with my quarterly return for
December 1925, certainly could not have expected
II to have been passed by the Fourth Auditor with
out having been frs, allowed by the Secretary and
was well assured that he would allow it as matter
OF course and consistency he had already allowed
those other similar claims without any consideration
but that which was always sufficient one with him,
the justice OF the account itself Indeed it will ap-
pear by a letter from Mr.. Cuts, the then Cd Conn.
troler who suspended the account that it would prob
ably have been allowed by the Secretary If it had
been presented to him at the time es in fact he told
m, me himself that II should be. (see No 81 Seventh
ly. 1t IS wholly inconsistent with the fact, that Mr.
Watkins subsequently acknowledged that he had
drawn the second and third drafts upon me without
authority and gave me his for $500 in part of
Them and his promise to settle the balance ont of his
pay And lastly, it utterly and absolutely incon-
sstent with all the habits OF my life, and all the sem
timeDts OF my heart, with my consciousness and nv
conscience, and consistent. indeed with notbno unon
earth but the deep and desperate magnty of NV ac-
cuser And yet he has the efrontery to add: 81 have
heard of other transactions of similar nature he
tween Mr. King and the late 4th Auditor"-but il
Ia indeed quite possible that he has heard of sch for
have heard that he can write letters and il ia GER
talnly more natural that he should talk to himself
VIII only ada, that the misguided and degraded
man whom, notwithstanding hie humiliation he is SO
fond of insulting all occasions, may perhaps have
a consolation, denied to his wretched and more
guilty successor. the reflection tina, in all his wan
behring's from the path of honour he has never mali
ciousy tratuccd the character of another althougb
he has indeed destroyed his own.
L have ,respassed upon the time of the reader
much longer than intended when l took I'D nv pen
yet cannot lay 1t down without noticing as briefly 40
possible, of Auditors CLOSING remarks
which he has evidently designed for effect. 1t an
pears indeed, that conscious of the odium which he
has excited by his ma'svolent aspersons my char
acter, he is now ANXIOUS to throw the blame of be-
ginning this controversy upon and nv friends
'The torbearance OF the Government he saws "to-
wards Mr. King, was great" Finding his accounts
neXphcabe. the Secretary of the Navy put another
in his place. Having desire to do hun unnecessu-
ry injury wound the feelings of his respectable
connexions he bore in silence the abuse hea ped upon
h'm. But Mr. King and his friends not con tent
with silence and Performance To complaints of his
removal were added charges of partiaty and inius-
tice in tho settlement of his accounts. Whispers
were heard from the concave of the senate; the ear
of the Presidents abused; the motives of the Sec
rotary were assailed, my character and nv place and
those of the I'd Comptroller threatened that
this man might cantinue to hold his head high amons
the honor and chivalry of Virginia" New there is
not syllable of truth In the whole of this passape
The fact Is my orbearance towards these officers of
the Government greet indeed The honorable
Secretary early May 1929, and sometime before
accounts
expcable," even If they had been so had certainly
conceived the desire to besow my Office upon anoth-
er gentleman, whose political opinions were moro
congenial with his own. But he had been admonisp1-
ed from the most respectable quarter, that removal
from Office for difference of political opinion was
against the public sentiment of Virginia; an5though
can readily believe that he had no desire % dosno
unnecessary injury, yet he easily persuaded himself
that 1t was now necessary for him find some other
motive for his conduct than the real one which he
could not venture to avow. He determined accord
ngiy to ind my accounts ineXplicabe, or with the
ready aid of his assistant make them SO at once
"The of the President was" indeed ssabused.,,
Tor oan hardly believe that he would have suffered
me to be dealt with as have been, if he had NOT
listened to the false representations Of others against
me- Inc non Secretary removed me from nv Office
from that Office which the venerable Madison ha d
conferred upon me more than twelve years before
without any solicitation my part, and which had
afterwards held by the nomination of all his suc-
cessors, with the unanimous of The Sc
nate, on three several occasons-hc dismissed me
from 1t without letter of decent civty to me-
or any other communication on the subject than
cold and formal oder transmitted by nv successor
to transfer my books and papers him, and to settle
my account with the Department. Still did not
complain; but despised the acanness, and foreave
the injury Of the proceeding After this and as soon
possible, repaired Washnut on to set,l nv ac.
counts In the mean time, however, the common
newspapers under the influence of The Depa rtment
or It's editorial manager, had proclaimed abroad that
was detaulter TO the Government to the amount
of $4,000, and his long before any one heard of
1.-THE claim of the Bank" This naturally kinded nv
resentment-hui suppressed it. If it was ssno. the
desire or the interest" of the Auditor "o excite tho
enmty of my powerful friends" it wac certainly not
my desire my interest the enmity of those
who were to settle my accounts. The Secretary
and his aid together had by their vaunted manoeuyro
OF Withholding my acquisitions, whilst my zeal for tho
service was hurrying me, former occasions
into advances for the Department, involved me in
debt to the Bank TO large amount, and was natu-
rally desrous OF obtaining from the allowance of my
just claims upon the Government, the means Of dis
charging the obligation which had thus assumed
for IT, and the balance also which / believed wo nld
be found due to me on proper settlement. | pro-
ceeded therefore, with all possible prudence and
patience to exhibit my vouchers, to remove doubts
to satisfy objections, to explain mysteries to solve
bubbles, and In word to do every thing that JUS
tice and honor would permit to bring my most tYotl
blesome and ve&atious business to a close But 7
found before long, that these officers, one Of them
at least again deemed II necessary for fber honor To