The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1837-02-15
THE PRESIDENTS LETTER TO THE
COMMITTEE.
WASHINGTON, Jan. &c, 1887.

SIR received on the evening of the
: 24ih instant, your letter covering a copy of
certain resolutions, purporiing To have been
adopted by a committee of the House OF
Representatives, Of which you nre chair
man, and request tha, you will lay before
f that committee this, my reply, which has
ten to make.
r 1t appears by the published proceed
'ngs OF the House of Representatives, that
the committee of which you are chairman,
was appointed on your motion. The rpso-
luton offered by you, aud finally adopted
~ he House, raised direct issue with that
part of my annual message, in which l held
the following language: Before conclu-
dug this paper, think it due TO the var
ious executive departments to bear testimony
Ia the prosperous condition, and to the ab-
ity and integrity with which they have been
conducted. Ii has been my nim to enforce
IA all of them II vgilunt aud faithful dis
charge of The public bus ness, and it is graft
flying to me to believe, that there is no Just
cause Of complaint, Gom any quarter, at
the manner in which they have fulfilled the
object of their creation"
Your resolutions is in the following words
-" Resolved, That so much of the Presi-
dents Message as relates To the condition
ot the various executive departments, the
ability and integrity with which they have
been conducted, the visiiant aud faithful
discharge of the public business in all of
them, and the causes OF complaint from any
quarter, at the manner Ia winch they have
fulfilled the objects uf their creation, be re-
terred To II select committee 10 consist OF
nine meipbers, with power TO send for per-
sous aud papers, and with instructions to !
inquire lnto The condition of The various ex-
ecutive departments, the ability aud utegri-
! " with which they have been Conducted
Into the manner IN which the public basil
ness has been discharged IN all of ftlem, and
into all causes Of complaint frou any quar-
ter, at the manner IN which said DEPART
nents or their bureaus or offices or any OF
their offices or agents uf every description
whatever, directly or indlrecil, cohnected
with them IN any manner officially or unof-
ticially IN duties pertaining To the pubic -
terest, have fulfilled ar failed To accomplish /
the Obj lis of theiI creation, or have VIOLA
ted their duties or have injured aud iui-
paired the public service aud interest anu
that said colnmitlee IN ITS inquiries may
refer to such periods OF time as 10 them may
seem expediemt aud proper"
Ii also appears from the published pro-
cecdings OF the House, that this resoiulI.n
WAS accompanied aud supported by aspccch
of considerable Iengih, ~ winch you pre-
f.rred many severe but vague charges oi
corruption aud abuse ia the Executive De-
u r,ments.-'the resolutions adopted by the
- A hu hal
Hous. itself, must be taken III conteclIon
with your introductory speech, which gives
character tu the whole proceeding When
:I,us regarded, 1t Is obvious that, by the res
olution of ,he House, an issue Is made with
the President of The United States, as he
had alleged in his annual message, that the
heads Of The Ex cu;ive Departments had
performed their official duties with abiiuy
and Integrity. In your speech you denied
this you charged them with manifold cor
ruptions and abuses of trust, DIS you had
done in fnrnier speeches To which you re-
ferred-and you dema nded an investigation
through the medium of y committee. Ger
tain otuer members Of the House, as app
pears by the published debates, united with
you IN these accusations, and for the pnr-
pose of as;ertaiming their truth, ar false
hood, the committee you demanded was or
dered To be raised, aud you were placed at
its head. The first proceeding ofihe iuyes-
tig:,tion COMMITTEE Is to pass a series of re-
resolutions, which, though amended in e,
their passage were, as und rstood, intro I
duced by you calling on The President and
the heads of the departments, not TO an
swer To any specific charge--not to give in- T
formation as to any particular transaction,
hut assuming that they have been guilty of ]
the chSrges alleged, calls upon them To fur
uish evidence against themselves.
After the reiterated charges you have
made, it was to have been expected that
you would have been prepared to reduce
them to specifications, aud that the com.
mittee would then proceed to investigate the
matters alleged. But instead Of this you
resort To g-neraliies even mure vague than 4
your orign nal accusations, aud IN open vio- d
Iailon OF the constitution aud of that well s
established aud wise maxin, 1" that all men q
are presumed to be innocent until proved v
guilty according tn tn established rules of u
law" You request myself and the heads a
of the departments to become our own ac- y
cusers. And this call purports to be found d
ed on the aulhori y of that body in ~hich {
alone, by the constitution, the power of i'm s
peac,,ng us is vested The heads of de-
part,nents may answer such a request as =
they please provided they do not with a
draw their own time and that of ths officers /,
under their direction from tile public busi- o
ness to the injury thereof To that bu.i. \
ness shall direct them to devote them \
selves, in preference to any illegal and :,
call for information, no mat 7
ter from what source it may come, or how
ever anxious they may be To meet il. For