Litchfield enquirer., 1834-06-19

Committee an tue FOst OIAces U1aue tnc lOnS"
iooked for Report on the affairs Of that estah-
I;sbmrnt. IL was read at the Secretary's ia
bic. and the reading Of it, occupied more than
two. hours.
The Report sets out with stating, as the re-
suit Of tire investigations by the committee.
that the Department IL largely insOlvent. In
addition to which, the committee report that
the Postmaster Generalhas, from time TO time,
borrowed large sums Ut money Tor tne use "L
the Post Office, without any authority Oflaw.
Some Of the loans, il is stated, were made duT
ring the last Session of Congress, at the COM
mencement Of which the Postmaster Gener-
al had reported the Department to be ~ pos
session Of considerable surplus OF funds
The Report goes on to state the oeots ana
credis-of the Department. as nearly as can
he ascertained. whereby it appears that the
General Post Office is insolvent by $8OS, 625
beyond all its resources.
Comparing the expenses Of the Post Office,
Establishment for four years preceding the
commencement Of the present Admlnlstra-
ton, with the four years following them, il u.s.
stated nv the Committee that the expense Of
the last four years exceeded that IT the pre-.
cedng four years. by S3.Sss, 00O.s Within.
the last term Of four years. II u true, some.
few mail routes have been established; but
their aggregate expense bears but very;
thus ascertaiied. This excess Of Expenditure,
and consequent insolvency Of the Post Or
Zee, is mainly attributed 10 NAL administers
| lion and fav0ritism in the making Of contracts
and extra allowances. of which the Report
goes ON to spread out in detail number of
| particular cases. as a sample Of the whole.
The report declares the reports, Statements.
and estimates Of the officers Of the Post of
| fee 10 be SO erroneous and detective as little
to be relied upon go little. that nnfavorabie
| AS are the conclusions which the Committee
arrives at il is more than probable that4hcy FIT
| Far short 81. rather than exceed the reality. In
proof Of which among other circumstances it
is stated that in the number Of miles in a year
( travelled by the Mails. as detailed in the an
nual report of the Postmaster General, there
is, by accurate computation. error to the a
/ mount Uf no less than ,200,O miles, The
Report points out also many discrepancies be-
tween the statements in ssthe Blue Book"
| THUS designating the biennial report Of OFF,
cial expense, made to Congress) and official
and other statements, as to the amounts OF
contracts, extra allowances, and contingent
expenses, showing great inaccnracy and con-
| fusion in the accounts and administration OF
the Department.
The report also condemns the Practice.
which is proved TO have prevailed. Of plcdg-
ing the Department for loans obtained by con-
tractors. and in turn making use of the names
Of contractors to obtain money for the use OF
the Department. In connection with which,
the committee sM,sde to certain money COM
munications between contractors and individ
uals in office 10 the Department, which have
come ont 10 evidence before the committee
and which they Particularize, hut submit with
out comment to the Senate.
Il The contingent expenditures of the De-
rf aVasl.
ling agents. thr payment of money 10 printers
as contractors, Sc. aud other matters which,
bring the patronage nf the Government in
conflict with the freedom Ut elecfinn,' are.
handled with great farce and some severity by :
the committee: and the Report ends with a
series Of resolutions declaratory OF errors. o.
buses, and defects, mostly imputable To the,
administration of the Post Office. hut in part
also inherent in the system itself. which. lar
the opinion Of the committee, have Increased,
are increasing, and ought to be diminished.
| Upon the whole, it will he allowed az all
| hands. when the Report of the Comniiiee
comes to be read. that it affords in itself the
| best explanation Of the term, "a searching
operation in the Government" that has yet
been made.-Nas. Intel.
The Court Of Appeals, sitting at Columbia,
8. Q. has decided against the constifafionaiify
Of the Test Oath. Or mnre exactly, they
haze decided that the Legislature was inc0m-
petent to prescribe such an oath. by virtneof
their ordinary Legislative authority, and that
SoHth Carolina cannot, by act Of Legislature
or convention, constituiionally exact from her
citizens an oath Of exclusive allegiance to her
self. Or to be still more particular, using the
language Of the Charleston Conrier.-
Judges Johnson and O'Neai concur in the
opinion that our allegiance is due 10 the State
and the United States, or more properly
speaking. TO the government Of EACH so long
as each acts within the limits Of the respective
constitutions-that obedience is more prop
er term than allegiance to express the ohliga-
tion-and that the oath in the Military Bill is
contrary to the State Constitution; the oath
of Office prescribed by that instrument having.
fixed the political relations Of the citizen.
Judge O'Neal goes further, and maintains
that the oath is contrary also to the Consii-
tuition of the United States,
The whole court agree that the c Convention
could be and anas limited, and Judges John
son and O'Neab chat the Convention exceed
ed its authority, ia defining allegiance and
empowering the Legislature 90 prescribe AN
oath of exclusive allegiance TO the State
Whether Judge Harper holds the rcquisiion
Ut such an oath to have been within,the COM,
tas,tanev Of the Cnnvant inr Ia - s,,as,a. -