Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1838-05-17

rcport cf the gentleman from New York; Mr..
And his friends, condemned
/" tho practice introduced BY the Secretaries
Of the Departments, ot sending the reports OF
their clerks or heads of bureaus, instead OF
condensing them, and making them substan
TALLY their own communication" THIS prac-
tce, il had, has never been corrected. but ~
daily INDUCED in by all the Departments, as
the ans wers to the calls and resolutions OF
this House abundantly show. But still
more remarkable commentary follows. When
the Department Of War passed into the
hands Of John II. Eaton, a jealous rcforiner,
no, too, was called upon 10 carry out his re-
trcnchment system, aud reduce the number
Of his clerks, in fulfilment OF the public ex'
pcctaiion, which he aud others had excted.
To the surprise Of all, he referred the subject
TO the clerks themselves! and here, sir, Is his
repy ,..o
II "siR have the honor to lay before you reports
from the several bureaus connecisd with the War Depart
mens the subject Of resolution ~ the 9TH Inst, re-
i,rred TO me by the co'nin'ics m hctrrncninent ne
specially, j.. u. EATON"
These bureaus, so far from agreeing to part
with any of their tscuicheons, actually ask for
an additional supply Thus ended that
farce.
| .4noihr Precept.-This rctrcnchment re.
port alleged that our diplomatic relations and
Il foreign intercourse were unnecessarily en-
pensive, and recommended ga fixed appro-
priation for the contingencies of each mis-
sion," ain no case exceeding 5000, (annnal-
IIly,) to cover the expenses Of stationary, post
| age, office, clerk hire, ,aad all other conlngen
/ cies whatsoever"
Il Let us see the practice. Andrew Steven
/ son, our Minister at London, IL allowed for
these contingencies, including "pr' sents to
1 the menial officers and servants Of tho Court.
and others, on his prcsentation,and at Christ
mas" S2O!'S 56, in the space Of about a
/ year The like expenses Of nearly all our
other foreign n'i-sions are in correspondent
ratio.
H Profession. grade of our foreign
Ministers was TO be reduced in some instan-
ces, especially that at Madrid, 10 a Charge.
with salary OF Sl,5CO.
\ Praciice.-A Minister Plenipotentiary has
bcen kept at Madrid constantly, and John H..
n Eaton is now there on u salary of $4,000,
having also received his outfit Of the same
II amount. And during the last session ofCon-
n grcss an attempt was made 10 increase the
H salaries of all our foreign Ministers !. Who
could have anticipated this from an Admins
tra,ion that proclaimed on this floor, lat least
II one of its most powerful and influential sup
| porters, the late Mr.. Randolph, who joined in
! the cry Of rctrcnchmcnt here proclaimed, and
what he said received the full appreciation of
4" the party.")
II $50 long as members of Congress-, anl not Of this
House only "'rily viii bow, and crnge, hnJ duck,
and iiwn and get out Of the way at pncing vote, or
lend helping hard AT pinching vote, to obtain these
places never viii consent o enlarge the salary attach
Ell To them. We are told that they live at ST. Peters
bnrgh and London AID that living there : very exprn-
yc VEL W r ~sp ,c~ s KEEN br tSre ,"'f ." .
cr-h knocked down, handculid, chucked on bosr, Of
tender and told that they must take The pay and ra-
tons which His Majesty was piensed 10 allow :"
H Now appeal to you, Mr.. Speaker, if the
moral application of these remarks has not
been fully felt ain Congress, aud not in this
/ House only or chiefly" under the rctrench-
mcnt and reform Administration
H .lnoihcr prectpt of the reforming report
The committee thought the mode Of cap.
pointing and compensa,ing bearers Of des-
patches liable to strohg objections, prone to
degenerate into a species OF iavorltism little
short Of convenient mode of sending favor
ties abroad To travel for their pleasure, health.
or instruction, out Of the public Golfers"
Il Practice.--Thc President and his Secreta-
~ Of State, both Jackson eiorincrs, now
take a favorite clerk of the State Department.
H whose salary at the time WAS at The rate of
u 81 ,76O per year, send him as bearer OF des-
4 patches to Mexico, and, for about three
months service, pay him Sl,2l2 So, and suf-
| fer Kim also to draw his clerks salary for
The period of his absence For this ] refer
Il You to The case Of Robert Grecnhow, who
H Is the translating clerk of That Department
H all the facts of The case being stated in the
reports Of the Secretary. lie excuses this
Transaction, by saying that the trsnslatons
which were required during Mr.. Grccnhow's
/ absence were made ut his expense. Ii light
be well TO inquire whether any translations
were required during that period, and why
also it would not have been quite as well to
discontinue the salary for the time, and let
the Government poy for any ransla,ons
which were needed. But do wc not here
distinctly realize what the retrcnc hmcnt re-
po,t condemned in these words: "that nn
actual incumbent rs considered 10 have such
n sort Of property in the Office as 10 enable
him to farm ont its duties. and to receive
part of its revenues for doing nothing?"
II Another illustration of this L" convenient
mode Of sending favoriles abroad" "out of
Il the pubic Golfers" is found in the same list
of contingent expenses Of foreign Intercourse.
! alludc to the case Of Mr.. Charles Dddle,
who, when nominated by General Jackson
/ for indgesIIip in Florida, was rejected by
tie S, nate.
Aiicr this rejection Mr.. Biddle was des-
patched by The Executive to Central Ameri-
ca and New Grenada. What service he
rendered we know not but it appears that
for this mission an allowance Of S7,l22 IS
has been made. Mr.. Charles Biddlc is the
same gentleman who had a controversy with
Mr.. Senator Grundy, in which the devotion
Of the latter TO General Jackson was ques-
toned. We learn BY one of the printed doc
umenls, occasioned by that dispute, that the
Senator, for the purpose Of proving himself
10 be what is called whole hog Jackson
man." said he "bod swallowed the hog not
only whole, but wrong end foremost, taking
the brislles against the grain and had gone
for all General Jackson's Lob-tdi nominations,
even to Charles Biddle."
| You may remember, Mr.. Speaker, that
great fault was found with Mr.. Clay for an
allowance to John II. Peasants, who was
employed ms bearer Of dispatches, and sat
out on his voyage, but, being taken i'll, was
obliged to abandon IL, though he caused his
dispatches to be safely delivered. In the
account, which am now examining. we find
the sum Of 81 ,522 ~, paid by Mr.. Forsyth,
the Secretary Of State, TO Eleszei Early, sent
with dispatches for our Charge d'Affaires ut
Bogota, bu. which were never delivered