Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1837-02-15
TEE GAZETTE :
a. Va
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY IS. ia,
TnE PnrsrDEsr, AND \ Isvrgr,a -

t0V4s
The President, AND H IsvEsrrexrrye
CoMMrTTEE.-General Jackson has sent i lettsr
to the Committee Of Investigation appointed IA
investigate the affairs of the acknowledgements,
which may be fairly set down as one Of the er.
traordinasy productions of these extraordinary
times. This committee, il viii be reccllcc,ed
was appointed for the purpose having an invest.
cation into the condition Of The various Aspar,.
ments of the government, in order to ascefta;s
-f possible, if the said departments had been con.
ducted-as the president, in his last annual mes.
sage Enthusiastically and in such a name,
as to give no just cause Of complaint to any one
during the time they have been under the diree.
tion Of his administration. In pursuance Of lbei,
duty the members Of the Committee passed a set
Of resolutions directed to the president, reoue,.
ting him and the heads oil the departments 10
furnish The committee with a list Of all officers.
agents, or deputies, if any, who have been EN-.
ployed and paid by the government betw cen the
4th of March, 1929, and the LIST Of December Is.
36, without the authority Of law, or whose
names have not appeared in the printed register
Of the names Of public officers and whose appoint.
ments were made without the advice or cors~o,
of the Senate, together with the pay OF such q.
hcers, agents, or deputies, the services rendered
BY what authority appointed, and the reasons for
such appointment.
To these resolutions, the President replies
that the resolution Of the House raises a Directs.
sue with a portion Of his annual message-th.,
the resolutions Of the Committee must be taken
in connection with the speech of Mr.. Wise in
the house of representatives when he introduced
the resolution for the select committee, wherein
charges OF corruption are preferred against the
departments-and that the first business Of The
committee has been 10 call upon the heads of The
said departments and request them to furnish the
means for their own elimination. After com,
planning Of this course of the committee, he saws
that the heads of the departments may do as Their
please in answering the calls OF the committee.
if in so doing, they do not encroach upon The
time devoted by them to public business, TO
which he says he shall direct them to attend, in
defiance Of what he thinks the unconstitutiona
calls of the committee. As for himself be says
he shall repel all attempts to elicit information
from him as an i~nfraction of the principles Of jus.
tice, and the constitution, and resist them as
he would the establishment Of a Spanish Inqui.
sition. He concludes his letter by say ing,
that if the committee will make specific char.
ges he will afford every facility for their invest.
cation, if not they must not expect him to coun.
tenance their proceedings.
The tenor of the whole letter is in perfect uni
son with the distinguishing characteristics Of le
author. He has said that this or that must be
taken as law, be the consequences what they
maybe has made such, or such a statement, and
no person or authority must question its validity,
even thoughthe strongest reason may exist for
believing that such statement cannot be substan.
trines of this letter must forever shield the acts
of the Executive and his officers from any inves-
tisation by the people or their agents, however
corrupt or unsound they may be. The Office
holders will be secure in their Businesses, and
may enrich themselves 10 their hearts content,
by peculation and fraud without the fear Of be-
ing detected in their villanv, or brought 10 an
account for their misdeeds. How long are these
things to be? How long must the ipse dixit Of
the chiefoficer in the government, constitute the
only authority TO which the people and theirre.
representatives. must yield obedience? We hope
and pray that the day is not far distant when the
people will look upon the abuses committed by
TO prevent their being laid open to the pub
lie eye, in their true light. If they do not ava.
ken to the true situation of the government, ere
they are aware of it, they will find themselves
bound with the bonds Of despotism.