Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1839-05-17


which orr attention is invited nre but some
of the bubbles that are every day breaking
upon the surface of the still aud man,ng
pool. | shall not stop TO measure their
relative size or color, but will, unpleasant
as the task may be, dredgc for the corrupt
cause which lies at the bottom. These
cases are bur the windallS from that tree
of Sodom- Executive patronage. Here
iofore, the Representatives OF the People
have in vain urged an examination into the
character Of its lrut; but It has beer
guarded with more vigilance than were
the golden apples OF the HcsperldeS. -
Now, our attention is solicited to 1t by the
President. Is be in eatnes'? Let him
but give us a chance to shake this tree, and
he viii find his rotten pippIns falling from
every limb and branch.
But our attention is called, particularly.
to the case Of Swartwout. The Admins
lra'ion has delivered him over to our ten
der merces, they have dropped him, a.
the bear, when holly pursued, drops one OF
her cubs, for the purpose Of dlstractlnG the
attention of the hunter, and so escaping
with the rest of her young. |, for one,
shall not be thus diverted from my purpose.
bur will follow the dam to her den, and
there, if possible, crush at once the whole
brood.
Swartwout has been found out. This Is
the unpardonabe sin Of the party in power
Their morality is the Spartan morall'y;
not the theft, but the discovery. constitutes
The crime. Sir. if every office holders
mantle were thrown aside, how many,
think you. would be found without stolen
fox fastened to the glrdle?
Mr.. Chairman. have no confidence that
the President has recommended this lnves
tigGtlou in good faith, or that his par,isans
here intend to permit it. They dare not
do It They are not yet sufficiently mad
dened, scorplon-lke. to dart the sting INTO
their own desperate brain. No, sir, 1t IS
mere ruSe. Regardless Of the maXlms,
that "iherc is honor among thieves" The
rest Of he office holders are very willing
TO turn States evidence against Swartwout.'
to gain immunity for themselves, and favor
with the commonwealth. Let the Admin
istraton give us fair committee, tavora-
bic TO investigation, not packed by the
Speaker; throw open to us the doors OF
your Departments-lhos whlted sepuI-
cbres, within whose secret vaults cprrup'
ton has so long rioled and reve|led; let
| your nsoent subaterns be taught that they
owe some allegiance 10 the laws; compel
them to submit their official conduct TO a
rigid examination by thus House then,
and not till then, viii | believe them in
earnest; then, and not till then, shall
e1pec; any good To come Of invesl gat,on.
| Rut Ia 10 m hn cd ftoy
! the action of this House, anticipate much
good from the discussion. This Hall is the
ear OF the nation what is said here touches
the auditory nerve Of the whole country
Before this mighty audience do ! impea eli
! both the President and the Secretarv--nOl
before the Sena,e--no, sir; but before the
People before fifteen millions of frccmen
| charge them with knowingly appoint
ing and continuing IN Office public default
ers- men who had appropriated the pubic
moneys to private use: who had commit
ted in office nets of as great mora! turpltude
and deserving OF as much odlum, as attach
es to the case OF Swartwout; acts whlc'
the Prcsdant now processes to think ar
deserving of the penl,entlary. l charg
the Secretary, directly, with having caused
by negligence, and kno,cin@ ,ciDW CONNIE
dnCe, some of the most Important delalca
tons which have occurred. | charge hT
ecifcally with having, 10 ono case, hter
ally watched defac cation through perio
Of more han two years, and seen 1t gradu
ally swell, during that time, to upwards
, 800 600! | charge him with havn
permitted, in numberless instances, the re
, pea,ed and continued neglect and Violate
, of what he himself asserts 10 be the para
mount d,tty, without removing from Office
or even replimandlng the dellnqnents.
: charge him with having, in his otf:c'a CT
f pacilv, received, and tavorably consIdere
d spondence degrading to his high ofiic
5 insulting TO him as an honest man, and
corrupt and profllgale character.
Sir, the Secretary can only escape
G the plea of " non compoS meniS." Out
= his own mouth will convict him; | "
d bot let loose upon him the documents
l. himself has furnished, and, like the hnplG
IT Acleon, he will be torn to pieces by
" own bounds!
Mr. Chairman, the cases which | q
1t about TO examine, in support o: my po:
> tons, have been selected at random fro
e the report Of The Secretary himself and
N present them merely as specimens; scOr
n of he same sort--the phoSp horescenl gin
/: merings of corruption break through Il
81 darkness and illuminate the path of Il
J.. Secretary, from the very moment he car
in into office. Shou'd treat of them all t
r., Attn of March would find me here, and I
n, chronicles of the desauIters still uniinshe
ed The first case to whcih shall call ate
a. lion is that OF Colonel John Spencer,
a ceiver of public moneys at Fort WayT
$: Indiana, and which commenced in 1886.
Is, The report OF the whole case is found
nj, document l42 of the second session of
ed twenty. fourth Congress. | shall extr'
If such portions as are in point
ms Under date Of the 25lh Of April, I8
N" the Secretary writes to Col. Spenc
ID among other things, as follows:
ere "As these statements for January {
if February last have not been received
on the Department, | must claim your att
no ton to the omission, and insist on tt
ore transmission, in future, Immediately al
al the close of each month At the sa
not time. | would also claim your strict att
ITS, ton to the regulations of The Departm
IN. in respect to the periodical deposlles of
-. ! nnhlic mopov and In Tho Iutv IF tranEu