Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1833-12-19
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from "ese u Is apparent that in the opinion OF tho
President the Secretary Of the Treasury and the Commit
tee Of Finance, the question of removing the depotes
was question merely Of their safety:
That the Government through its proper channels In.
qured into their safety:
And that through all these channels their safety wa.
made manifest aud so declared by the highest authority
But supPosng this 10 be less evident than il is-suppos
ng hat causes other than the safety of the public funds
would Justly their removal from the Bank, after it has
paI ui equivalent for them still thing is manifest:
That The Secretary ofthe Treasury and the Secrefa-
ry 81 ne Treasury alone, has the potcer to remove them
,oeeiG. ceer oeg specially Designated to perform that
being, 6y The ceares implication forbidden to interfere
Inc whole structure of the Treasury shows that tho
design OF Congress make Secretary as indepen.
dent as possible OF the President The other
are merely executive Officers, but the Secretary of the
Treasury, the guardian of the public revenue comes into
more immediate sympathy with the Representatives of
the people who pay that revenue; and although, accord
ing 10 The general scheme Of appointment is nomina.
hesr OF Congress- no, the officer OF the President Thus
by 'he aet OF Congress- oil 1888. was provided that
nominated the Department OF War; and there shall be
principal officer therein, be called the Secretary for the
department Of War who shaHpeyform and execute such
duties as shall from time 10 time be enjoned on or en-
trusted to him by the President of the United States"
Bythe same act il was provided. that
There shall DO an Executive Department. 10 be demo-
minated the Department of Foreign Affairs Tafterwards
changed by the act of September 49, $780, to the Depart-
pal officer"
BY the act Of Soth April, 1885, 1t was declared that
" mere shall be an Executive Department under the
|
ocer oil winch shall be called the Secretary oil the Nayy
whose duty shall be to such orders as he shalt
receive froni The President Of The United States"
The bill introduced into the Congress of 1889 provided
Tor The establishment Of the three Departments-hose of
WAR; Stale, and Ireasury-under the of Executive
departments But Congress makes distinction between
them On the I'll OF july 1885, the Journals of Con-
grsss show, AN engrossed bill for establishing Ere
cuttue department, to be denominated the Treasury De-
pdrtent was read the third time, and the blanks there
| in filed up.
"Reselvcd, That the said bill do pass and tbe ,ls ho
| III 10 establish
The same distinction psrvades the whole organization
OF the several Departments The Secretary OF the Navy
OF State, and oil War; 10 execute the orders of the
President, but The Secretary Of the Treasury is not en-
joined 10 execute the orders of the President Not
single WORD Is there OF performing The orders of the Pres
dealt On the contrary, the act OF Congress declares tina,
il shall be his duty to make report and give iformafo
to either Branch Of the Legislature, in person or IL,
Drng, (as he may be requiret respecting all matters
referred TO him by the Senate House OF Representa-
lives or which shall appertain his office. And the ac,
Of May loh 1900 directs him 10 make his annual report,
not to the President, but to Congress.
This Independence of the Secretary of the Treasury
iii be true in generals more especially in regard
10 the Bank IL was in fact the leading principle in or
ganzing the Bank, that the President should be
from all control OF it, The question which most divided
the House oil Representatives was, whether there should
De any Government Directors at all and aho this was
hnaly adopted yet its tendency to create executive in
iuence over the Bank qualified by two restrictions;
nrs', hat no more than three Directors should be APP
pointed from any Stale; and. second that the Pres.
dent OF the Bank should not be, originally designed
by the Secretary of the Treasury chosen from amons H.
Government Directors. Accordingly, by the charter the
Secretary OF the Treasury every thng-the President
comparatively nothing. The Secretary has the excnsve
supervision oil all the relations OF the Bank with the Co
vernnent. Thus:
By the 18Th article of the 18th section, the Officer at
the head OF The Treasury Department the United states
shall be furnished from to time as often az he nav
require not exceeding week, with statements Of
the amount OF the capital stock, &c. &c.
BY The 18th section, "Whenever required bv the Ser
retary the Treasury, the said Corporation shall give the
necessary facilities for transferring the public funds
SC. sc.
BY the 10Th section, the depoes of the money! of thu
United States shall be made in the Bank and its Branches
otherwise order and direct" '''
All these the Secretary may do--but from the BEGIN
nng oil the charter to the end of it, there one SIN
gle power over the administration of the Bank assigned
to the President, except in the last section where IL is
declared, that, whenever any Committee of Congress
shall hnd and report the President of the United Slate
shall hare TO believe that the charter has bes
roiaed may be lawful for Congress TO direct or the
President to order scre acas TO be sued out of the Cir
cult Court Tor the District OF Pennsylvania calling pon
the Corporation TO show cause wherefore the cbarer
hereby granted shall not be declared forfeited Tho
whole function then delegated to the President ia
er concurrenly with Committee Of Congress t. issue
sce iacas, by which the Court to try Whether his be-
iei HAT the Bank has violated its charteri well found
ed Yet, this slender authority is made the pretext or
usuping the whole power of the Secretary and for doing
that which The Secretary alone authorized TO do and
wich he the President, merely not autborized
| 10 do but substantially prohibited from doing For 4, ~
manifest thet this removal OF the depoes is not made bv
the odero the Secretary Ct the treasury LISA per-
version OF language 10 describe it, On the ho
reverse openly avowed. Tn Secretary of the Trea
suiy reiused TO them, believing as his unfinished
letter declares that the removal was mn
wise, UtndetiUe, arbitrary, aud unjust" He was then
dismissed because he would remove the m and apobs
was appointed because he would remove them Now
this is papable violation Of the charter he Bank and
Congress agr upon cer'an terms, which no one can
change but aricudr officer; Who although
nominated TO the Senate by the President, was
| by the Bank and by Congress as the umpire between
them. Both Congress aud The Bank have rig hi 10 ~.
free, and honest and impair ia judgment OF that Officer
whoever he may bethe Bank, because the removal NAV
inure its incres,she Congress- because the removal
may greatly ncomInoJe and distress their constitute
In This they are deprived Of IL by the unlawful in
reference of The President who assumes tbe responsi
billy, which, bring Interpreted, ans usurps the pow.
OF the Secretary. To make this usurpaton more evi.
dent, his language conadcts the very power which
| he asserts:
"The power of The Secretary he says, over the De.
! posies, u unqualified"
The President refrain from pressing upop the
Secretary If The Treasury his view OF the
| which impcl 10 immediate action"
Ard yeilcse phrases have scarcely escaped him when
e ends by declaring that he begs his Cabinet to cons.
der the proposed measure his oton" It's yesDoDsi.
bHfy is assumed" sc. SC.
Finally, IL ed in the official Gazette that
we knoW te tact, that IL Mr. Van Buren,, and every
personal friend Of ie President had united in recommend
ing HAT the deposites should be removed, The PTesi
dent tosud hare taken measures TO TemoUe them nottch
Standing"
| The Bank, then, has right 10 complain
LEI. That alter paying amply for the Of the depo.
| sites, they have been suddenly drawn from ".
2nd That tli brcn done without the sghtest sys.
picou of tsr insecurity, the only ground on which the
| repovd coUll he insihdblc--and,