Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-01-30
ysE.ssU.gEs Y 30, 1888.

But notwithstanding The atruciuds conduct of these
VllIainos OBJ ecs Of sympathy notwithstanding they
had murdered our citIZens destroyed property and
bcseged outstanding all this, yet the
gentleman refused to grant appropriation for tie rur
pose Of protecting our citizens from The recurrence OF
| such ouunges.
But public sentiment md sympathy was ready 10
exert itself for The red mnu and the negro TIE white
men of the South might be huchcrcd by hundreds and
the uct looked upon with indifference: but when co"rsd
skins were concerned, ihrn it was that an oucry was
raised. 1t for the Indian nn! the negro for whom
| public sympathy boiled md Dubbed nvcr
The gentleman had minated that The people of flo
rida we're !altenng upon The appropriations lie
would ask that gentleman To cas his eyes upon their de-
soa!cd ces, their wasted and impoverished country,
and then say from whence had They the oi a;-
tening the appropriations. Their horces, the VA.
guns. their prnvso1s and sus,annce CONC. ia. ne
whole Of their property lad been destroyed aud taken
hy the enemy Had The gentleman been able |" show
but instance where the public money had fell TO the
share of The people of Fluraa nnd beer improperly used
could he adduce instance Of fraud on their paft!-
1t was true that charges had becn made in the House,
through the medium of anonymous letters, about $lO
being paid for wagons. when tho could be had Tor
So &c. ard il had also been alleged that certain quar-
had taken receipt Tor than article
had COST for the purpose % p"ckeing the money But
they thus To h influenced hy charges through such
sourcrs: II gentlemen knew Of any such cases where
fraud Ind been practsed it their duty to make com.
! plant To the proper tepn tment when they might rest
assured that ample redress would be obtained But Tor
Wl!cn
prved Of tn" nrccssar!es of life, that they were getting
| rich and facnng upon the spns-
! Mr.. Wise here nlerpnsed TO explain. lie had not
charged the People Of Florida any body in Particular
he had declared that there had been lavish and
expenditure Of money, and had called The House
to inquire The charge Of atlening the pubic sp"s
pointed noTe particularly at Government contTac
| tors
Alr. Downing resumed In the whole Territory of
Florida there was not single Government Contractor;
whether for horses shO. PROVISIONS The contractors
b. found where The supplies were to be furnished
but there supplies to be furnished from the vast
cd fields cf Florida. II in Kentucky the gentleman
must look for the contractors for horses in New York
and Charleston for The contractors for provisions Where
did the public money 20 10: MOI 10 the poor settlers IN
! Florida AL they got Of it was ST month as lhe
pce of their sweat and their blond, and that poor
pttance the gentleman was for refusing To pay Vas
That the justice Of this Goycrnincn' Alter the People
oil Florida had undergone the toll and danger Of tile
field aud had been regularly discharged, were ley not
! even To receive l:is poor So n month:
| Mr. Wise again inlerpuSrd lie lad not said that.
lie had sad let the Government pay all necessary con-
tracts; hut before they appropriated more, even l"r tcSe
poDr citizens Of FurIGa, let Congress take some steps
10 ret OF an account IF the expenditure Of this money
and no, rt the Iarpes hover that suffering region,
and devour what ought In 80 10 pay these troops
Mr. Downing said let Congress give the money cEd
the npupe of Florida would IN that The difficulty
with them had been The impossbly OF getting The Co.
vcrnments money ont of The hands OF the ds1urSing
officers uT want of acquaintance with all the form.
alirs of Office, of which thry knew nothing They had
been in this way kept out OF their Just dues unul her
very heart was sick
Bat what did the gentleman from Virginia propose
Why, after he had got committee OF investigation !;
after they had called for persons and papers from all
Dnr;s of the universal world; alter he nd there discussed
this wfur mass OF evidence ntirr the c"ninee had
made long repnlt. Eay. Two reports, why, then, ana
not ill then the troops in Florida were TO receive their
money. Now, Mir. Downing y plan would be- ilrs let
tie Government pny just debt ana end lHe war, ana
then 90 nn and canvass, ard crnsure, and imPrach,
whoever deserved punishment. Had he (Alr D"wnng)
the management Of matters, he would Certainly give
the gentleman committee In his own full satisfaction
"a Committee uf his choice; and not let the friends
of the Admins alton make the report; because, how
ever fne it might be- coming from them 1t would have
| little weight with the public Give the gentleman Ills
| own committee, and then, humble rs Mr.. u WIS, he
| pledrrd himself 10 be able 10 justify this Government
against the world in every nct il had authorised IN tins Sc.
minoe war II might have been deceived by agents at
distance whom it obliged to trust and to believe
But had not lis Army been commanded by some OF the
Generals Of highest standing IN the service: was he
| Qnartcrnnnsle General corrupt person: Would any
man say il? As 10 the hire o.! Wagons &c. was the
country lie told that b"canse nearly thousand MILL
tia Officers had been employed, and many of thrm from
necessity made discussing officers tins was mace re-
proach upon the Government: Were his constituents
TO he publicly abused the iluor of Congress for this
These things if true, do not attach to the skirts OF The
Government. What uEj nst and Illegal claim had been
passed by the Departments: What QnarlerfnaSter had
en In be held answernb for nil the acts OF these thou
sand militia officers; Were charges To be publicly made
here based on Anonymous letrrs-nnonym1ps, ut enst,
TO the House?
red werr not anonyn and lie had produced aidavIts
with the names Of the witnesses signed 10 thcm
MIR D suid all that might be SO; let the gentleman
carry this testimony To the proper public oihcefs, ana II
the cIarrrs were proved fraudulent lie was very sure
they would not be ussed al the Departments II the
real Object Of the gentleman 10 prevent frauds, that
was his obvious course II his papers not present
ed at the Department. lie ought not 10 complain If the
| Government did mol notice them. If the gentleman
had had experience in these matters: Mr. d. would
willingly lend him his
Mr. Wise said he had had experience Of his own,
which quite enough 10 warn hin from Uaslihg, at
least, Of the Departments.
Mr. D resumed and said he had always believed the
gentleman from Virginia TO be an upright, worthy man,
who aimed doing justice nc never had entertained
any other opinion Of him; bot 1t was Fir u hrm bfef
that his knowledge oil the Indian character was oft'
| ter by far than that gentemaDs lie had lived very
near the Indians for ten years; and II was hs delibcratc
conviction that If the Chrrukces had never gone To TO-
rida this would have been ended before inns lime
| Jbnse mediaiors of whom the gentleman spoke so
warmly had peace their FPS here and war there
MR. d. had received letters, which not
which stated that Jumper and Alligator two OF the SEMI
mole Chiefs declared that the Cherokees had told Them
that if they would only hold on TIL the Spring, Con.
rress would appropriate money, and they could
hold the county He had three letters, which confirmed
this and similar statements had been puoIished
in Florida Sam Jones, the celebrated chief VINO now
held out, would have in with the others but for tins
| assurance And had these Cherokces proved true
prophets Had no, the House refused TO appropriate,
save in The most pressing emergency: III tie Siiar-
man of The Committee of Ways aud Means had not been
fearful of the state of feeling in the House. he would not
have been driven bring in partial appropriations like
| that now asked for.
One gentleman had said, few Gays since, tIat VIC
had 10000 troops in Florida, and that mere were nor'
soldiers there than The entire number Of The semInoes,
chiefs, squuws and pnpoos"s, included This might De
so Mr. d. was moi Of their numbers But ne HAD
always heard that, in conducting war, II IOoGO were
found insufficient the proper course was to send ~ ouO
hut gentlemen now said that if 10000 were found not