Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-02-13


the frontier.
The fifth section Of lie bill, he sud- provided for the
appointment Of four additional salary officers ana WINCH
in tile draughl Of the BILL the committee had, 10 ostih
gus them from The receivers of public money Ut Tue
various land Offices denominaed receivers general Of
public mnney These officers to be appoih'ee oy
the President BY and with the advice and consent u M
Senate as other officers OF like Importance were appoint
ed were 10 hold their Offices Tor the same Terms VI our
wears and were to be located at New orR one a.
Bos one OF Charleston, and one at ST Lous, ~
the charge of the Offices aud vaults Tor The SAFE Aeeps
of The public money at those points respectively uu "
the money placed therein =, ~,
He va wi aware that this was feature of The bill
not calculated he popular, upon sshl eSa'uto"'
and that il was palalube TO some oil the irienus OF e
measure generally II not his purpose 10 discuss
this provision nj large in tins place. as the course he han
marked ont for himself would require that le should
amin recur TO il; bul few remarks upon INC Necessity
IF some provision OF The sort were Called i"r lire:
was Indispensable necessary 10 the opefao.s "I t'e
Treasury that i, should have agencies OF some descIlp
ton at these points The collections and disbursements
at them all made this Imperative; and II IL was @esiHneu
TO discontinue the banks fiscal agents. some o'hr
must be substituted This would be apparent 10 an,
merely recurring 10 the names OF the piaccs anu "
their Importance commercial towns II was tFue tha
in the bill reported by the committee, al the extra Se
sion Of Congress September, no provision WINS iaue
for this addition the existing officers "i Inc feaso'y
Department The duties now proposed 10 De assign
cd IN these new officers were by that BILL devoved upon
the respective collectors Of the customs at the places
named; but il then stated to the Senate by nun
self in his place, That this and many other matters o
detail were purp sely omitted that The bill then report
ed uubt be made simple possible and eInb"dy the
ureat principles intended 10 be secured by IT. knowngh rs
the committee did know. the strong desire nni d"terIna
ton OF both Houses Of Congress to iItnt ina session
within the shortest possible period which the pubic uo.
sness would allow. They believed That these Details
including well the provisions of the sections before
noticed. as the now under discussion, ana ulnefs
which follow wou b. Gale atcd to prorac d'scussi"n
tSnif Tho
vent the fpal passasc Of the bill They were then con
WINGED that the recommendations Of the President and
SECRETARY of the Treasury. as 10 the appointment oil
these additional officers, would have TO hr carried on"
bI in the then almost suspended state OF our foreign
trade they did believe that the operations oil Inc
Treasury would suffer fur the wan, Il" them during The
very short vacation which I" intervene between mat
and the present Of Congress; and was then IN
timaled that tie defects in that bill could be supplied
now.
The inquiries which the COMMITTEES have since made,
only the Treasury Department. but al sire oil the
places named have proved to their entire satisfaction
that this addition of officers will be rrqured that these
collector of the at these places, certainly al
some of Them already charged with mrsc oIeTous
and responsible duties than any one man, whatever may
be his industry aud capacity for business, can well dis
charge; aud that AT the port n New York nj least those
duties would justly bear Division n" that from
their and character, they cannot be divided
The same must be nearly the truth at Boston and call
not vary very materially from 1t at Charleston aud ST.
Louis
The Secretary of the Treasury supposes that the re-
ccp,s and disbursements of the money ordinarily col
eced and disbursed each Of these points will occupy
the full time of one c"npeent business man; and will any
suppose that duties 50 Onerous and So responsible
be added to these at present to be performed by the
collectors Of the customs? Will any desire that such
duties and responsibilities should he confined tn mere
clerk in the Office of the collector lie thought not
Then the provision oil sinn1r character r,
indspe ami lis rejection would eudanger The
safety OF the public nnnry, rnharrass the operations OF
the Treasury aud put jeopardy, If not defeat, ie sue
ccsslul action Of The whole system.
The sixth section pi The bill was, in substance, the
frs, section of The bill reported by the committee ut the
extra session; the un alterations being those required
10 make conform tu the pr""iHinnS wlch we're before
il and which he had already noticed. 1t declared what
officers of the Government should be repositories EN-.
Lrlcn. in addition those named the former sec.
lioa&, cnrci"rs Of The customs. receivers OF public
money at the land offices, pSHas'es, and some other
classes aud assigned generally the duties to be perform
ed by them in thus capacity
He would now pass 10 section TO- which required but
single remark It conferred T"nera power upon the
Secretary OF the Treasury to transfer The money III the
hands of any depository 10 tie custody and Keeping OF
uuy other Geposiiuy as OCCASION might require lhIs
provision was necessary well 20 give The Department
cou.rul over its own affairs cs In enable it consult the
safety VI! the public mhne", and The calls OF The public
service It money accumulate at any gwen point To an
u3uon which from the sia'!nps OF INC officer bond,
or :.in any other cause the Secretary shall hive reason
to fear is may br. unsafe he should be authorized I"
transfer H. pu:ion Il" IT. 10 place "l safety II
ulorl ac:uu!"r III points wh'r" IL is not wanted tor
disbursement IT, should haze the same authority to
tianss,r il Ia point wI.rc il is wanted. ii deposl.
,nry b., located u place rcm"c from any bank, and any
Office Of safe kcr pug similar authority wil! be required
TO tranr his collections nr dep"slc These, and many
other occasions will arise for the exercise OF this power
10 make transfers.
The twelfth thirteenth and fourteenth sections con-
tanned provisions 10 authorize special drpositrs q" public
money for satp.krrpng all places where there was
no office for the saikerping belong to the Govern:
mrnt. The only parts al the sections which IL wnnid
be material for him to notice, those which defined
the character of the depoS!cs They made strictly
special and broad discretion is gwen To the Secretary
OF the Treasury 10 the n'as'ireS he VIII adapt TO Sc
cure 10 them tia, character In CASE he should think
il ysp do liz Is authorized 10 provide iron sarS,
10 be plac-d the vaults al the banks for tn" exclusive
keeping of the public money. and 50 constructed that
they b.. under the joint rn"tr" ot tn" bank and
Tie drpQsIiinG officer. 81 thai neither can gam accesS
tn The money without the consent and and oi the other
A further coudilnu is, that nnhng but guild and ST.
yer. and paper issued upon the authority "i the United
Siales, and mad" ny las" receivable III payment OF the
puhlic dues sirl be offered ; d.pnSie by IN" dep SiiU
ries or received drnste by The hanks II is further
provided that all dep"Si,rs shall b" carried upon the
books Of the bank I" The credit n the officer making the
drros,c and to tho credit OF the Treasurer OF the
States that neither the Treasurer t- Secretary oi
the Treasury shalt draw upon the bank for dsburse
Inents nr transfers and that the money deposited shall
not be drawn from the bank by ' officer To whose Gre
dit il stands. without order from the Secretary at The
Treasury for payment A conmissinn upon the money
deposited is proposed TO be allowed 10 The banks for their
trouble and risk but The committee had no Informal
ton the rates ni commission which would he sale
for CONGRESS to fix as u marimum and not incur the
danger Of so limiting this compensation rs to induce the
banks refuse The depositrS altogether, they have
ported the bill in blank III This respect
These PROVISIONS il would be seen, were very close
and il lad been suggested, well by some Of the
friends ns BIZ the opponents of the BILL thai they
so close render possible if probable, that the
bapking institutions would reject them on tia, account,
upon the ground thai they carried upon their face a
dislrus of the snvemry and responsibility Of the IN.
situations of the integrity Of their officers and ma
nacers or both. lie would dctan the Senate few
moments 10 examine these objections and, first, if he
understood the matter and the law of the case, the