The Arkansas advocate., 1836-03-04
From the Courier and Enquirer. HOUSE OF REPRESENTA'flyl ' ls.S.
 SATURDAY, JAN. 23

Mr. Wise resumed---he protested against the appointment of this commiiiee---thIs House was the proper tribunal before which the investigation ough! 10 he made. Ii a committee was appointed, there would be two reports.
 The President had sent the House message wishing them to make this appfo- priation of fthree millions, il would appear, but why was 1t not communicated III the usual wayl Had the President Of the t- enited States forgotten his duty forgotten the language of the constitution 1t vas known for days before that time, that such m appropnation was necessary aud expe- dient. All were aware of Inc wretched condition of ihe Navy and Var establish mants. Then why was not the proper H. formation sent here from the Departmenls2 What, in the name of Godl---for what u the name of the safety of this country vas 1t to be kept secret, that the President desired such an appropriation Was II the desire of the President? Vas it the wish of the Chairman of the committee of Ways and Means These facts were enough to alarm every patriot in the land. They were not denied---they were fully proved. The .tost:Gea!ion bill le which the amendment was attached had been sent 10 the house for more tban week before the rising ot Congress, and was lying on the clerks ta- bic, and why was 1t not proposed---if it was intended to be proposed---until the very last hour of the Session? He asked the gen. teman to answer him. Would the gentle man MT. Cambreleng) who was Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations an- swer him2 Why was 1t mol announced by that honorable chairman that the President of the United States did desire such an ap- propriation!, He could not say that such fact was communicated to the House. lie could not, for he dd---he Mr W. would bring many members forward who would prove on the holy Evangelistst of the Al- mighty God, that they never heard it com- municated. Ii had been said too at the present session of Congress that the Press ident did not make a communication on the subject. The select few, the tools and n- struments Ill this work, knew whether he did or not. The President did not dare to let any pafiiot of the last Congress know that this affair was to be kept secret; indeed, no patriot would have kept It secret. Had he Mr Wise) known of the commanlea- ton, he would have risen and denounced such an infringement oil the constitution and the rights of that house, and he would have exposed the whole scheme to the peo- pie of the United States. He well knew what amount the Army and Navy estimates were before the last night of the session. He had already all the data he wanted, and he knew also, that the three millions was but drop in the bucket for the use of the Government, even on a peace establish ment. Why was not the disgraceful fact of there being 750 guns belonging to the U. States unfit for service, communicated :! II had not been made known to him until the last night of the session. He had da- ia but the house had not, and there was not time to read ihe reports then. lie could never have brought himself te vote for that appropriation of three millions. had he known 1t was to be used for secret ser vice. He however, justified his vote for it, because he was under the impression that the money was really wanting; he knew nothing of the secret which had just come out Three millions of dollars for se- cret service Mf ". here examined the provisions of the bill, and then added that, Ut the last session, he thought the bill in- sufficient. He looked upon 1t as necessa- ", not ill regard to war, but peace estab
 lshment. For looking to state of war, on the contrary, not less than l5 millions would be required to be expended to put our ships and works in a state of repair. Three millions, as he had before said, would only be drop in the bucket, even for an ordinary peace establishment.---liad he known 1t was secret service money ;-- had he known 1t was government trap. he would rather have voted to turn the Presi- dent out than have voted for the appFopri- alton. He would have driven corruption out of this house, and despotism out of the White House he would have said that he had been imposed upon. that fraud was committed upon him. And, he would ask, was il not gallng state of things ---desra- ding to the spirit, that this spectacle should be before the nation, that the house of Rep resentatives and the Senate should be set by the ears, the one castigatng the other, aud merely for the purpose ot covering q coniempiible individual fraud He must confess that when written testimony of this fact was communicated to him, he trembled with surprise and indignation. He vote for the three millions for secret service! he never did---he never intended to give c,,nh n x,ofa Ha InnlraA ,,nan if that | yn1