Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1838-01-04

All this distinctly appears from the sdmis-
sions Of the majority of the Committee, in the
article signed by them, and published in the
Washington papers. That article says, "The
Chairman of the Committee did consult the
Secretary of the Treasury about the bills re-
ferred to-" "At his request the Secretary of
the Treasurer transmitted to him drafts of
most Of The bills
These are the express admissions of the
majority of the Committee under their own
hands but several things are alleged by way
of excuse, and as q means Of escaping from
the force Of these admissions.
1t is said in the first place, that the chair
man consulted the Secretary Of the Treasury
with the knowledge and assent Of the commit
tee. had no knowledge of such consulta .
ton, till after il took place. never assened
to It. IL any resolution was passed by the
committee instructing their chairman to con-
suit the Secretary and to obtain drafts of the
bills from him, it might be well to produce it.
And being produced. what would il prove
Why, that committee, instead of consulting
together and deliberating as to the measures
10 be adopted. commenced operations by
sending their chairman to the Secretary oftbe
Treasury TO consult him, and get drafts ofthe
bills
But again, the majority of the committee
attempt to Justify what thoy did on the gruund
of usage:
AS to that matter ] said nothing nt any
time. am informed by gentlemen OF eXpc-
riencc in the House, upon whose statements
/ place full reliance, that no such usage as the
committee set up, ever existed. The fact Of
any such usage has been strongly denied up
on The floor Of the House during the present
session and the assertions of the majority
of thecomm',ce. respecting this matter, re-
main as yet unsupported by any additional
evidence.
But whether this orignation with the Ex-
ecutve of important bills of general interest,
and this obtaining them ready drawn from
the Secretary of the Treasury,b be an old prac-
tice or new one, IN the view took of the
matter, made no difference at all or rather
it made only this difference, that the older the
practice was, the more alarming it was be-
cause the older it was. the stronger proof it
furnished tha, the spirit of the constitution
was evaporaiing, and that all power tended 10
Il concentration in the hands of the Executive.
The minority Of the committee allege in
the third place, that "they duty considered the
measures recommended in the Treasury Re-
port but that not one of the bills reported,
in form with any proposed by
the Secretary Of the Treasury, and most of
them essentially differed in principle from the
suggestions Of that officer"
Touching this paragraph, it is to be observ-
cd in the first place, that the committee do
not pretend TO have held any deliberations
which were not expressly founded upon Ex.
cculve suggestions. The treasury report.and
the bills prepared by the Secretary of the
Treasury, formed by their own confession, the
sole subject of their consultations. They
claim to have modified, but they do no. pre-
tend TO lravc originated.
In the second place, there are certain un-
dcnlablc facts, which will enable the country
to judge what due deliJeraiion the committee
gave 10 the measures they undertook to con-
slider; md low extensive were the alterations
which they had opportunity or time to make
in the drafts furnished to them by the Sccrc
iary Of the Treasury.
1t appears by the journals Of the House,
I hat the committee was appointed on Monday
the llh of September. They met for the
frs, time, thc nest day and that same day,
reported 10 the House, as the journal shows,
the bill to postpone the fourth instalment of
depostes with the States. On Wednesday,
they reported the Treasury note bill on
Thursday, the bill postponing the merchants
bonds; and on Friday, the Suh-Treasury bill.
and the bill for Il settlement with the late De-
Dosite Banks. All these five bills, the great
measures of tho session, and the only great.
measures of the session, bills involving ques-
lions of revenue to the amount of upwards of
twenty millions oi dollars,-on Of which pro-
posed to refuse the performances Of pledge
sOemnly made to the several States of tire
Union, and by them solemnly accepted; a.
mother saddling the country with new ma
tional debt to the amount Of ten millions and
a third proposing to introduce an entire new
system for keeping the public moneys, and
designed in fact TO revolutionize the currency
of the country ;-thcse great measures were
duly deliberdted, the principles Of the bills set
lied, and the form OF the bills determined up
on, and the bills themselves ordered to be re-
ported TO the House, all in four sittings of the
committee, held on four successive days, and
which could not, ] think, have exceeded, on
the average, two hours each, as they were all
held, believe, the mornings previous to the
meetings Of the House.
A committee of nine members, in which
any real deibcration takes place, is not bo-
DIV capable OF acting with much rapidity.-i
From the above statement. any person may
easily calculate how much due detiberdtion,
the committee could have bestowed upon the
matters entrusted to it and how many could
have been the alterations, whether in princi
pie or form, which could have been discussed
and agreed upon; and how far the committee
must have relied upon work ready prepared
to j, : hand. Aud from these facts, it may al
SO be Judged, how much injustice is done to
tho co,nmittcp that thew aDDroyeu the bills
without any examination.
In the discussion in the House, it was ask
ed whether it had not been incumbent upon
me to suggest any fault had to find with the
proc ceedlng in the committee, at the time the