Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1830-06-22

for the monies received they have always ,nvar
ably and exactly agreed But the utter
OF this fact IN any point OF view that can affect INV
Character las he evidently intendsi should by attach
ing 80 much Importance" to il, or IN any respect
whatever, will be pluiEly perceived when it is rem
embered, what be has already remarked himself
that he quarterly returns the Treasury Depart
ment required by law to be accomnanied nv
vouchers necessary to the and prompt settle
ment thereof" whereas the monthly returns to The
Navy Department are only Statements upon which
advances are to be made TO the Agents'-that is
they are intended 10 show the Secretary what Sums
OF money have been expended during the MONTH and
tor what objects, and to enable HIM to see what
further sums are likely to be wanting for any branch
OF the service. Now oS the monthly returns shevy
an tue actual payments account and the quarter
ly returns can shewsonly such of them as are duiv
eouched, "it is hardly necessary to remark" rs i
must DC entirely obvious to any one but the Secre,a
ry himself, shat they should" not saurec," or at
least can hardly ever be found do so. But if any
one not conversant with the business should ask WIN
the partial payments appear in the quarterly
return when receipts are taken for them of course,
answer 1t is only because the Department to save
itself from the intolerabe trouble of examining so
many separate receipts requires it's Agents to send
up single 0ouchers for the ,ctole sums which can
only be obtained when the work in hand or o,ber
business, Is completed. For example, was in the
habit OF paying out large sums, from day to day on
what ore called allotment tickets, Tor tickets on
Wnch part OF the pay uccruing to absent sailors is
paid 70 their wives. other assgnees at home and
returns; but yet those payments could NOT n
pear ip my quarterly returns until the tickets had
run out, und the whole were settled. at the end of
the term or cruize. In like manner had often larqe
contracts in hand for work and SUPPLIES extendno
through mont his and years; and here too nv nav
mens on account, though noted on nv MONTHLY re-
turns, were always necessarily omitted in nv quar-
teEy ones, they living over for the vouchers
which could only be had when the work was finish
ed or the contract closed. 1t is entirely plain
therefore, that although the two sets of accounts
should always agree in their statements of the sums
fecetOed from the Department, las mine alwavs did
they can hardly agree in their statements of the
sums dtS6ursed As to what is so nicely added there
tore, that 'this agreement found IN the accounts
OF the Other principal Agents.. l only say that
VI 1T is really the fact to sums dsbursed the state
OF business at their stations must have been veru
different from that which existed at this place or it
is a most marvellous coincidence indeed! At all q
vents, latter myself have clearly Showed that
difference between the two sorts of accounts ran h,
of no significance for the plain reason thai; ALTHOUGH
they are for the same period they las the Sec
Tetary asserts) for the purpose but emanate
from dheren! authorities, relate different objects
embrace different subjects, and have in fact no rcal
connection with each other After this the gross
Insinuaton which he has founded upon the natural
and inevitable want of agreement in the statements
OF disbursement in my monthly & quarterly returns.
must appear to all honest minds as mean as it is
false.
as to what the Secretary adds that "the paper
ciarhea Is contains synopsis of these discrepancies
from 1929 to June 30h 1926" if he means to have
understood that there such dscYepa ncjes in
my account prior that PERIOD SO as to let in the in
terence that they crept after it, it is only necessary
to say that made no monthly returns before 1929;
the Department, as have already remarked. aving
hrs begun 10 require them by order passed i'm that
year; And as othe assertion hat this document shews
hat Mr. King had for the last seven years with the
exception Of short time preceding his removal from
ms otce) retained in his hands, tnnchnouoleeed 10
the Nary Department., amount of the public mo-
Mes averaging from 40 900 $40 geo per annumn-
answer that it is true that ever bad ann baan
ces III my hand, of any amount, that were not duly
acknowledged to the Department in my monthly re-
turns, and to the Treasury Department in nv Guar
tery ones Indeed, it is worthy fspecaI ro,e that
II is from synopsis of those very that he pre-
tends - show the average balances in my hands,
But how then, could they have been "unacknooledp
ed, when they must necessarily have been stated in
those returns before they could have been embraced
IN his synopsis Of them? The fsehood of this part of
the charge Is thus branded face, and the dupli
city OF the rest must be obvious to every one but the
Secretary himself, from the fact that from the oerv
nature OF the service in which engaged I ought
to have bad, land more frequently than I had
IN reaity) considerable sums of money in the
6an6 mere, land not exactly in nv Stands ~
to meet the daily and hourly drafts which were
constantly coming in against me; and the De-
partmen, apprised of the state of things from nv re
turns and otherwise, and acquainted with its own
outy' generally took care to furnish with the ne
cessary funds accordingly Not unfrequenty, how
ever, SO sudden and pressing the calls upon
me that my reported balances would be actually out
before my returns could reach Washineton and I
have often had to make advances out of nv own
means IN anticipation of further supplies Indeed
could easily shew, If it were necessary here that
IN this way have actually saved the u. States at
least $50 900 to which am justly entitled as for in
terest on advances: though my service to the Gov
eminent IN this behalf remains not only uncompen
sated but so far as the present Head is concerned
"unacknowedged' by the Depari ment Nav, it an
pears that ne has very dexterousy coutrved to pro-
vide himself with counercharge against it; for he
goes on to observe:
1.-THE paper marked g. shows the amour, of the recuso,
mace oy MT Hing from the LIST of May 9Th of August
1873 ana also shews as accurately could determined
t aont necessary to the expenses the naval service
mat station for the PERIOD exhibiting dyas up
on he Navy Department amounting to about $50 427 os.n
lime the Secrearys obliging anticipation IFS contents is
aouoess intended to convey the idea that drawn at diff
erent times for money than wanting for the pubc
seryce-oi course for benef-and after he
hao come into oice contrivng cheat only his igno