Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1838-06-21
TWENTY-FlFTu CONGRESS-.
SECOND SESSION.

| " an WHO want HgHt!
Mr. Chairman, | desire distinctly to be understood
aud here IN my place, before the assembled Repre-
sentatives OF the People, charge the fact 10 be- and
challenge any gentleman friendly to the Administra-
ton to deny IT, II he dare, land If he does. will prove
the charge from the record) that your land office re-
eevefs, IN and ont of office, have III then hands the
enormous sum of one million nine hundred and Guy
thousand dollars, Isl $50 900 y that your defultina
! custom house officers not now in office but who
have been fully surietcd aud given way fot a fresh
set, have III their hands the round sum of one million
Tour hundred and twenty -seven thousand four hun
dfed and ten dollars, Isl .A27 100 making in all
three millions three hundred aud seventy seven thou
sand four hundred and ten dollars, tS3..}77IlOD
Nor sir, does thus sum include the two thousand and
more OF deiautng posmastcts; nor are the custom
house receivers now in office, who deiauers to
the Government, and other receivers and dlsbursrts
OF the public revenue. embraced in this estimate
because the Secretary OF the Treasury Ion reasons
best known TO himself, has declined to give us The
information. And, sir, that the committee and tins
nation may fully understand the subieruecs and
shutting eyasions OF the Secretary of the Trensur,
IN endeavofng TO conceal from us the true condition
OF those IN olice,and the amount OF their deiaeation
beg 10 refer the committee to the resolution which
passed this House On the motion Of the honorable
gentleman from Virginia, Mr. GarlandD and which
together with the novel reason of the Secretary |
shall read in support OF the charge and for the edit
cation OF the committee. Here is the resolution:
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Treasury
communicate to this House as early ia the next SEES
sion practicable the names OF all receivers col
lectors, or repositories of the public money who are
in default TO the Government the amount of such
dehult the length OF time due the security given
II any and how much has been, OF will likely be
lost together with copy of all correspondence M
on the subject from the lst Of January 1884 TO th,s
time"
This resolution was adopted at the extra session.
ana II not only required the Secretary of the Trea
snry to send us the names of all receivers coIlcc
tors or repositories Of the public money, who are in
default, but to send us also all tile corresDondencc
IN relation TO the subject repeat sir the Scc,eta.
ry was ordered to inform "who are in default D."
ne resolution was general full, and comprehensive:
requiring the names OF all "who are in default
those IN office, as well those OUT of Office And
sill instead Of complying with the PLAIN and simple
meaning of this resolution, apparent unon ts f,cc
and which could have been uudei by any school
boy IN my district OF ten years of age, he has SEM
us, Ton our ellca'on, list Of public dcultcrs who
were not IN office on the l2th OF October 1887
Not one word not one name, one letter it'll ref
ercncc To those deltultcrs who are IN Office And in
order tie more cllectually to divert our attention
nom the true object OF the inquiry, and say some
thing which he supposed would satisfy my honorable
mend rom Virginia, Mr. Garland. who was curious
to know the true condition of those biped sub-rea-
snrers he gives US IN his report the following most
extraordinary reasons. He says:
" But II will be seen that they do not include any
cases connected with the Post Office Department.
as ITS concerns have usually been kept separate and
are supposed not TO be embraced in the puryiew of
the resolution. For similar reasons the eases of
discussing officers, attached the army and navy or
to other departments, and the cases Of individuals
such as merchants and former purchasers of public
lands, are not included though the Indebtedness of
many OF them is very great"
What, Mr.. Chairman, does the Secretary mean
when he speaks OF the cases of individuals. ""such
as merchants and former purchasers of public
lands " These are not the individuals embraced
IN the resolution. Why. sli, this is a downright in
suit to the understanding of the House. Does the
Secretary suppose stupid as to believe that
there are any merchants who are deiaulters 10 the
government, as " collectors, receivers disbulscrs
OF the public revenue I" No such thing. They owe
the Government, 1t IS true, for duties goods iu-
ported but does therefore follow that they are de-
ianlers within the spirit intention of the resolution
TO which have referred! The Secretary moreover
knew that, by law Of the extra session these mer-
chants were permitted, on certain conditions, to
withhold payment for the periods aud upon the con
dl'ions therein provided. So much for the rner-
chants And then comes Tho " former pure lasers of
pubic lands Why, sir, am asouished Who is
IT that owes the Government the first dollar as for
mer purchaser OF public lands 7" The Secretary
ought to know, every body knows that the ioimer
purchasers OF public lands, made under the credit
system, have long since either reinquished the pur-
chase and obtained scrip therefor forfeited The
land to the Government. appealto every Western
man now before me to say whether not am ight |
know, sir, that your Secretary either knows nothing
about this matter, or is wiluly practising deception
upon Tins House and this nation
| am sensible, Mr.. Chairman, that this may be
considered somewhat OF DEPRESSION from the main
question: but have been forced into this debate at
tins late hour, against my will and if you are rem
defed the least unhappy, IN consequence OF some OF
the exposures which have been made, YOU must take
the responsibility" on yourselves. | have not yet
done either with The Secretary his deaulters, or
with the chairman OF the Committee of WAYS and
Means.
The Secretary gave us at the extra session, a
reason for Withholding from the States the fourth in
stament, (Which was passed by party vote,) that
the money was "chie1y it the custody Of banks not
paying Sir, he might with propriey have
said it was 'chieny' III the hands of the office hold
ers, and IN the banks. And sir if these defaul-
ting office holders had then been compelled to dis
gorge the millions OF the peoples money in their
hands, the necessity of Withholding the fourth install
ment would not have existed, and the pressing
sity for Treasury notes greatly diminished. And sir
while am on this subject, demand to know where
these six millions and upwards OF the peoples money
have gone? II the House will take up solution,
which submitted long since, calling Tor information
on this subject, am persuaded will know all IA
| bout it. But, sir, where is the money
AT the time the deposlte law passed, the fourth
| instaIment in the Treasury or reported 10 be
there. Ii is not in the banks because have shown
you there only four millions there not IN the
Treasury, because the Secretary he has not got
money enough, even IN Treasury notes. to last him
two days. 1t is therefore clear that the Secretary
has taken the funds which by law were ordered to be
deposited with the States, and appropriated the same
to other purposes he knew OF should have known.