Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1837-02-09
e..
THE VASE INVESTIGATION.

er Tor The chairman. IN give out. pending The lnY@Sllga'
ton, suclI partial and onc. sided views ii lie proceedings
as may suit the eXigcncics of the posse OF ImpeacIlrrs
The Webb correspondent undertakes 10 give an account
Of lie Fr"sidsnts response In The resolutions addressed
To lin by the committee. How he obtained access |"
this document may lie con occurred from The predatory
remarks 60 tile Introduction Of his gaThlcd and !a'sGIrd
account OF il. which is The more rcprehensible as, from
exactly quoted paragraphs. ii appears he had 4 copy Of
the letter before hi;'I. WrOhs correspondent, says:
s'Ihc letter addressed to Mr.. Wise, have said IS 4 Gu.
rioGs document. 1t is So. From lis tenor, il appears 10
speak TO him rs chairman Of the comm lcc-as Il repre-.
sentative Of IT," Rnusc-and is Il private person. lie
committee. am informed, have permitted MIR. Wise TO
take Il copy Of il. and 10 d. with ii Us lie pIeases. II l
have mol mistaken his character, he vii! handle 'llr great.
est aud The best without Eilttrns. no official answer
has yet been ordered.
1t is clear from this, that the Spy means to justify Mr..
Wise Tor permitting him 10 use ihe Letter: by declaring
that "Mc committee harc permitted .hr. HtSc to t@ke Il copy,
and TO d. uiM ii as he pitdScS."
We cannot believe it possible that the committee ever
authorized any member vi 1t 10 take copies ct papers, 10
he narbIed and miSre presented brlnre The public, i'll anti.
cipalion Of their report. But whether this he so or not,
wc have felt ii our duty 10 obtain true copies OF The pa
lrrs In question from those whom the laIs!tlrd version
Is Designed to iHjute, and present them as Il corrective ct
llm. unfair mode Of proceeding 81 which the opposition
press is made the craan. 1t IS certainly countenanccd
by some member ri the Committee. Us complexion, and
The quarter whence il comes. show that this violation OF
Ike record Of the committee can only be effected through
some Opposition member. We feel ourselves under the
Necessity, therefore, OF meeting this sinister course, by
publishing the letter tais!ied. and Tie resolutions OF the
committee, addressed 10 the President and heads OF de-
paltnicn:s. which called ii forth. They wll lie found De-
low.
4 pcrusal of the string Of resolutions: will at once,
exhibit lie designs OF those by whom they were
cuucnc,vd. We have understood aud believe, that
hlcssrs. Wise and Pryron have had meetings Of
the prominent Opposition members night alter EIgl:
and il is fair 10 conclude that The course OF pFocecG-
ing indicated in lie resolution has been settled under
The advice Of the cculition.
And what is il:
In the first place, il viii be observed that no specific
charge is madeline specific abuse po!nt,d uul-no fact
a!!egrd, nor issue rnad', to whicl. inquiry is 10 be direct
ed. The first call, as proposed by Mr.. Wise, required 4
misunderstanding the sums Of m0n'y p"id e'thtn The yen.r:
by zach RI TIC departments dGriag tie last year,, To Pfh'
trS or edit0's u nc!rSrnprS. 10 show the i!nFosSbl-
lily Of making ont such Il statement Tor years to come,
and carry Oh TIE current business o! the Offices, ii is on
Is necessary Ia consider the extent Of The call. There
are, for instance, clr"cn thousand pnstnIaS!trS IN Tie Z.
State; each of these make out quarterly accounts. 10
Gel at the account %! 'cach printer ITO specify his
name aHd rsidrUCr'-'l name and place OF pub!Ica.
lion -showing 1.-The services or consideration tor "hic!i
sums have been paid. y and giving each item as stated
in the account. . would rcGaire the orcThHGling Of each
Of the four accounts rcnacrrd by each postmaster dur.
inr the year; that is FORIl-FGUt THOUSAND
ACCOUNTS. with tie extracts IT The printers
Items from all their accounts III the contingent eXpen-
G!larcs. The items OF like kind from the lreasu-
~, and all lis land Offices and custom. houses
from the War Department and lis tureaus-irom
he Navy and lis Boa:d Of CoInn!ssIo"e
pursrfs accounts al home and abr"aG-:"r Stale De.
parlucnt and lis bufraU*-acc"uniS 81 fOF"Ign .'ili-
isicrs and AGENTS. would probably bring within the
call upwards ii 4 hundred Thousand accounts. All sIrsc
would have to be closely examined, 10 iind lew dollars,
and sometimes 4 few cents, par! 10 u printer, on t''iS or
/ the ether side of the Atlantic, for Il few blanks u! an al
vrrtiscI:cmt. The resolution WAS %im""'ii'd. 80 as to ask
only FIR seen accounts as were paid = "Ha0Ht n"!'"rHy
0j Mr:' hmt this m"idcG The matter bat little, for The
lruL u! la" department is necessarily required 10 exam.
/ mn mach tom ,aIl In vino once UDTp tIyUuri The Scru-
ting Of the Scvrra! accounting o.rcrrs.) tn STE y GHy. HHd
whGt item has been allowed without au:hnHty; and i":'
llI"rin":r: 10 lrlort " the reasons for making such pay
mcntS.
Taking The first resolution, then. in connection with
The others, which required a list ii al C!"crrs OF
tents. or deputies, and the sIiIs paid TO each Of
them iuG,r c,rt&in showing
the variuUS amounts ri money ph;d within ;!r last ! wears
Tor Cot imgrmcirs-aGG thea an invest cation q! Al! Ii' Sa-
iati"s pad, under pTriescc OF finding s"m:r (n"t sptcIird
~ nau,r. time. place. or c!rcGmsiduce.) winch l!iy !a""
hrrn allow I'd uuGrr the rrcdica&lrn,& stated in tie resp.
luton: VIZ: wItloU! service having been rendered. with
oul the party receiving being in uil:cc- under cnEilLIs.
siuna ante. ilird-or whilst engaged III private employ
ncnts-it will he seen that Tie scope oil the demand mace
on HE beads Gl the apartments rcndricl 1t InalapenSa'
lie that they should wade through every Thing that has
been lra transacted in their departments throughout the term
Of wears named III the resolutions: and Should: besides:
lock l!:ionciI one hundred thousand comt;ngcn. accounts
transmitted 20 the departments from al! thr Government
acculs .: LviI;c AID abroad. :! Did Mir. Use, and lis
caucus coInrrcts, suppasc such Il retrospect possible 10
men engaged from dag to day in the current business o!
the Grjrarti:icnt: What these accusrrs require one man
to do. 10 mcrl an immediate inquiry. they knew had
been tie work Of some hlndr"ds Of auditors and comp
,rullcr*, will! their clerks: for several years. They knew
!""' Tie o''"I: s'",n', . " a." T., En,ni' iMi ,, " ;" IT,,In
!':''S ""IGn 'h'y 'rH"':I J." =" a :: 49,, ~ ,%s con',i,,
ices Of E,;,gress: and li..t as we'll for this reason, as
49,, ,n.r .yyo,n rrLIic officers are su.rosrI to perform
rhr;r toir.s lin,cs,Iy. until snulr proc! Or suggestion to
H., cor;,a:y is made, there was no prclrxt Tor this uni.
y,r.,l ra;ii Il, every ;:,Yr Of ryery acccunt which the
books and Vouchers Of all the departments exhibit.
via, ,hcu v,ss tho object OF IKE general search.
,r,rr,nl ,n drtcc, some erroneous and unlawful cent
".'"% +. 49,. :, 80, o;,,a,pJ,,I, ,r,:i., The acc,;,,;s
'''' '''-''' 'I'N 80 '"'~ F.$ 80, ,r:,rIaI ;yna oLi.c, nr