Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1837-09-29
D,hatcS fit C0unrta5.

The resolution offered on Tuesday Lost
by Mr.. BIDDLE otPennsylvania. and lying
on the Speakers table, having been again
read as follows:
"Reso}red. That the Secretary OF the
Treasury report TO this House whether n
letter, purporting to be addressed by him
to the Clerk of the House cf Representa-
t'ves, offering payment in specie TO mem
bers Of Congress, is authentic if so, to
what other claimants on the Treasury a
similar offer has been made, and what
principle OF discrimination, ifany, has been
adopted in the medium OF payment TO the
public creditors"
Mr.. Biddle said that the letter referred
to in the resolution had struck him, on first
reading, as excep'ionable, and further re-.
Election had, therefore, seized the car,ies,
opportunity o! calling 10 it The attention of
the House.
IL the offer it conveyed was a matter of
grace on the part of the Secretary Of the
Treasury; # his mere discretion could de-
tcrmine how the limited specie funds OF
the Government should DC disposed of, i,
followed. Of course, that the Offer might,
at any time. be withdrawn. 1t might be
withdrawn from the whole House. or mere.
~ rom obnoxious members. The specie
could be diverted at pleasure from us and
gwen TO other claimants on the Treasury
whom 1t might suit the interests of The hour
to concllatc or to reward. The Secretary
might take it from us and give il, for ex-
ample, to the Judges uftIIe Supreme Court,
who are now paid in paper; thus ncreas>
ing or diminishing their compensation by
his fiat. He might have given it to the
Judges of the Circuit Court of the District
of Columbia whilst the Mandamus case
was pending. lie may yet allow or d sal .
low 1t to them. Undenlably, as matters
now stand, the People see, with aston;sh.
ment, that the amount of pay receivable
by their representatives on this floor de.
ponds on the will Of an Executive officer.
and may ilnctna'c with his caprice. Was
it consistent with the dignity of the IIonse
or the safety of The country, that our posi-.
ton IN This matter should be thus prccarl,
ous2
But he was disposed 10 look at the sub .
ject in another point of view. We had
hecn specially convened TO consider the
state of the currency. The President de.
slrcs that our attention shall be confined to
this one topic. We are supposed to be
here fresh from the People. and to bear
with us an active sympn by for the vexa.
ton and inconvenience to which every part
of the country is subjected by irredeemab bic
promises 10 pay. At home, or on our way
here, we had seen and felt the evils under
which the People labor. We had shared
those evils. We found ourselves detained
upon the highways, at every step, in de
cypherng and lntcrchangiug mysterious
looking scrolIs-a currency not merely I'M
controlled by the necessity of red mp ion
IN specie, but which had escaped from the
restraint of even decent type, paper, and
engraving. Why. then, was each mem.
Der met here by this extraordinary offer !,
Was It not calculated he did not saw de
signed, for he wished 10 intusc no bitter
ness INTO the discussion it not cal.
cua,ed to eilace the impressions made M.
on Us whilst we were in tho midst OF the
People' Did 1t not, at once, erect us into
favored class exempt from all the evils
which are now prsssin. upon our constilu.
enrs,
Nay, sir, co farther. I ask it with
that due respect for the opinions and sen.
slblIles of others, which shall endeavor
to preserve and to cnlivate-I ask whcth.
er any member of C,ngte,s. who closes
with that offer, does not create for hmsc II
a direct pecunlary interest in the contin
uaace of deprecated currcncv--un inter
est IN perpetuatlng III" evils wc are ca He'd
here to remedy! The specie received
can be disposed of, at high premium, Tor
paper when will readily discharge all en-,
eagemenls in this city, or pay debts at
home, as we are exempt from POSTAGE