South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1834-11-29

be established a, the seat of Govern
inen,, under the management Of Urea.
surer, and local Treasury Offices estab.
lished in each Of the States, as many as
should be convenient, under the man.
sgement Of assistant treasurers; requir.
ing bond and security from the Treas
urer and assistant Treasurers for the
faithful performance Of their trust. Let
the public revenue be deposited in these
offices, ss it should be collected. Give
power to the Secretary Of the Treasury
10 remove redundant funds from one
Office to Bnother, where convenience
should require them TO be discussed.
Give power TO the Treasury to draw
warrants on any Office he should think
proper, guarding the power by suitable
and efficient checks make it embez.
element and felony in him wifully to
issue any warrant, except under author
ity Of law, at the bidding ofany person
whatever !; and make it embezzlemeDt
and felony in any assistant Treasurer
TO use for his own purposes, lend to
others, or pay away, any money, ex-
cept 10 warrants drawn by the Treasu-
rer in due form law. Certainly, no
Virginian, acquainted with the history
Of the Treasury Of Virginia, should be
at a loss 10 understand the scheme.
Mr.. l.. bad said, he bad no hopes that
il would be adopted, because the friends
Of the State banks, the friends ofa Ma.
tional Bank, the friends Of the Execu.
tive claims to power over the Treasury,
would al! be opposed TO it; and be.
cause the nation would not be content
to give up the profits Of the sum paid
in for revenue, as active capital, in the
interval between the collection and
disbursement, and TO let it be idle and
uDproductive-and he might have add.
ed, that the expense Of such an estab-
lishmeBt would be as slrenuously urg.
ed against it as if Congress we're not
disposing Of surplus revenue to the
tune ofmillions at every session. But
the Jacksonite objection 10 it was an
argumentum dd hominem to him, (Mr.
~ namely, that the scheme would
give the custody Of the public treasure
10 the President which, as these Oh.
jectors intimated, was the very thing
that he affected to hold 10 such dread
and aversion. But the obvious effect
Of the scheme would be, to take the
public treasure out Of the custody and
control of the President. MIR. l.. did
not admit the inherent right and pre-
rogative which the President had as.
serted, to have the custody Of the pub.
lie treasure. He never would admit
the doctrines of the protest. And i,
was wonderful to see tha, those doc.
tfines were already referred TO as adj
mitted undoubted truths. The Presis
dents doctrine was, that the Secretary
and other officers Of the Treasury,
were Executive officers, and could not
be made Otherwise by Congress that
all Executive officers were bound to
coaform TO his orders; that, IS he had
the constitutional power of selecting
those officers, SO he bad power given
by the Constitution, which could no.
be.taken from him by law, 10 remove
them at his pleasure or discretion
that he, and he alone, was responsible
for all their acts that the custody Of
all public property, and of all public
money, sppertained to him, by consti-
,utionaI right, which no law could i'm
pair, if such property or money were
confded to any officer, who was re.
by him, and for whose acts
he was responsible that is, according
to these astonishing prelensions, ifthey
were con6ded to any officer whatever,
that could possibly be created. If
these doctrines were allowed, it would
be true that every attempt to regulate
the Treasury by law, or to appoint the
place Of deposite and manner ofsafe-
keeping of the public treasure, would be
vain and idle the President would be
e1 oGcio Lord High Treasurer of the
nation. Congress would have nothing
to do butte vote the supplies and make
the appropriations; leaving to the Ell.
exutive the absolute disposition of the
revenue, in the interval between the
collection and disbursement, according
10 his wisdom or bis pleasure. And
then republication would he nothing
but an empty sound-the modern great
ones jest !
This high prefogalive right to the
custody Of the public treasure, Mr.. L.
said, was upheppily only one Of sever
al new doctrines preached since the
last election of the President to office,
asserted and acted on by him, and ad.
II v~,asc4n..-l H.. L.