Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1830-07-06
POTIRTnAEa
THE ANSWER OF MILES KING,
Late Mary .fgtnt at NfoyE,Ik

ROAIIERAha
! THE ANSWER OF NILES KING,
Late Nary .Agent at .NoyfDik
TO THE REPORT OF THE FOURTH AuptroR UPON
THE SUBJECT or ACCOUNTS
Having answered the Letter OF the honorable Score
tary oi the Navy, come now to make few remarks
upon the Report OF his friend and colleague the Fourth
Auditor. And here, am aware, il will be expec ed,
and almost demanded OF me, that should handle the
writer oil such paper as this with the utmost degree
oil severity. But injured and insulted hav- been
by this man, really bring myself To feel any
very grea' resentment against hmfor several reasons
Ia the hrst place, is evident the face Of his
document, that he is only labong 'in his rocGtion
and doubtless considers himse. bound by the tenure
OF his office, (and perhaps also by the terms of his pri-
vdte conract) TO serve his employer in all possible
ways, and by all possible He has bedes, been
81 long accustomed the editor of party paper and
otherwise 10 iabricate all sorts of SANDERS that il can
hardly be expected that he should be able TO change
his hand OF sudden out OF regard TO official de-
cency, or from any respect TO justice, 10 me-. Add
to this there il of honesty the open and harefac
ed audacy with which he vents his calumnes, (very
different from the style OF insnudtior OF his honorable
assoca,e) that almost forces my respect And all.
his character, and the manner in which he obtained
and continues hold his office under the Government
are now so generally known that his words have no
weight with any one, without at least color Of
fact 10 support them shall proceed, therefore, with
the most perfect GOODNESS, TO examine this famous Report
which he has given US and which shall easily shew
sa piece of the merest and grossest impoure from
ginning to end And, 10 begin, at the begnning-Iti.
addressed, of course (and with great propre,v to the
honorable Secretary and opens with an imposing state
ment of my account. as follows
"The balance now appearing due to the Government
from Miles King on the books of this office il,
So. ss5 20
The Bank of the United States has present.
cd TO You claim for moneys overdrawn by
him while remittances suspended, PEE
vo n to his removal, of Sio,lH II
The same Bank has presented to sim
liar claim for money paid Ichabod Sermon.
for stone, 500 90
Sii479 81
An1, going little ont of the way Of his duty to pay
compliment 10 his friend, The Secretary for saving the
Government frem NV intended fraud, our Auditor
eeeds TO say: "Nr King had presented 10 this office,
claimed and Obtained credit for Of the items con.
tanned in the claim of the Bank before that csim was
presented. Had the remitances called for by him be-
fore his removal been made he would have paid The
claim of the Bank, and his whole default would then
have been 10 the Government The suspension Of his
calls OF money by YOU and the confidence of the Bank
which induced them TO suffer him to overdraw, shift
ed most OF his default from the Government to the
Bank.
"Tha actual amount of defaultto the Government and
to the Bank. Ia, as allowed stated, Sii,479 81
He has presented TO this office claims 20 the
amount of $4,000 30: , $50 25 Of which, it
is certainly ascertsned, have been passed to
his credit long ago, leaving $lO,s50 81 claims
for extra commissions, interest, clerk hire,
&c. presented 10 you and rejected, $2l $40
40: s24ol 90
Thus II every dollar claimed by Mr. King
except what hal actually been allowed were
passed TO his credit, he would still be in de-
FAULT $ll,9ss 81
Now in making this statement, II appears and
will probably appear to others, that adventu-
Audito- has made rather too large Oredyd up
the supposed ignorance of Cor gress and the Public
For is il obvious TO every one, at single glance,
that he has been able TO make out the appearance Of
etault against only by shecing OF what called
the claim OF the Bank for the large sum OF $40 IA IL
as if it really part Of my account But with
what propriety, ask is the claim of the Bank intro
duced n'o my account with the Government? The
Secretary, it will be remembered, has stated expressly
that this claim (Which he had requested the Bank TO
10 i'm. WI a. 10 of ALI
sible" He adds, too, that to have allowed it the
Bank, would have been to allow me to that instu
ton instrument 10 throw the whole weight of nv
default upon the Government; and evidently takes
email credit TO himself for the ingenuity with which he
bafled my design by protesting my acquisitions for the
money, and leaving the Bank bear its part of
the burden it might Now. it is Observable that our
willy Auditor who kotrS his man, echoes his words on
this point, Or, indeed, he did not suggeSt lhem) and
atters mis- honorable rie nd into the that This
usng to honor my drafts for the money which had
borrowed from tina Bank for The public SeTUice (n the
way that have already eXDained,) really a mas
terpiece of political dexterY that could not fail to
him with immortal glory. He adds, moreover himself
another why the claim OF the Bank, las he
also affects 10 call m should not be allowed the Bank
that in fact the larger part Of il had been allowed
" before the claim Of the Bunk presented" (Thi,
lets o, by the way, what have stated, that the Bnk
has, in fact been forward " to up" any claim
for his money but has always been willing to let GO
and settle my account with the Governmsn in nv
own way, in the full assurance that was both able
and willing, as am, TO fulfil all my engagements with
pretend that this claim OF the Bank has hePn
presented to him, who is the proper accounting oicer
for he says distinctly, the Bank of tho United States
has presented to y0u cl+im for money ovtrdrawn"
&c.-a fact which he could rot officially know AMI
which ii did not appear his record ought not TO
have appeared in his Report Indeed, he yet more ex
presly says in this very staepent ITSELF that the ba
lance appearing due TO the Goverumen from Miles
King the books Of this office is $3, S3j 20-a M
more! Why them ask, in the name Of common sense
il this pretended claim Of the Bank which has not been
allowed 10 il for all these very sufficient reasons still
set down in my account with the Government And
why, demand, in the OF common honesty If il
must into my account at ALL il il charged 10 my
debit, when de the Auditor himself stdes aud agree
it has, in fact. been allowed to ut last or the lar
ger part Of it at leas) on his books?-Ough il not most
clearly TO have appeared in his report stands on
his books, 20 my cTedW Or it il deemed unneces.
sary to spread the tOhOle o my the face Of
he Report and to state only the balance was not the
larger pa Of this claim already allowed me most evil
IDENTITY merged in That bdIdnce2 And how, then, and
why ask more, is 1t vet brought out gain, and
preposerously charged against instead Of he
ing credfed to me, my account The truth IT, il has
0f Secretary did not) that il would never do 10
trust that poor little sum Of 80 s3J 20 against me on
his books, wherewith TO make me out de|dder when
bad already handed in claims aghinstth The Government
TO the amount OF $3i750 %, part Of which, with
all his facility Of rejecting and suspending, he must
he obliged in common decency TO allow. In this strait
il readily occurred to him alter his experience of he
extent of human ignorance, that he could play of This
good large cum Of Si0,l14 ~ against me with fine
effect II was, in uh only using sort of sleight Of
hand which he had practised thousand times before