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

tie the public money in hand; and It he
failed to do so, ,cit|tom good excuse, he
should be removed from office. Well. sir,
he fails to make his deposlte in October,
not by accident or necessity, but yoIunta-
rIly; and sends, in advance, his excuse to
the Secretary. What is that excuse? 1t
is, that his democratic .(riend, thought he
ought not 10 ieaUe I'LL after The election for
PreSident in other words, that his duty to
The party was paramount to his official du-
'y; that his Obligations to Van Buren, (the
candidate for the Presidency were greater
than bis obligations to the country, in
whose service he was at least normally
employed.
Accordingly, he neglected his most i'm"
portant duties for many days, that he might
use IN The election that political influence
OF which the honorable Mr.. Hendricks
speaks with so much JUNCTION.
The Secretary receives this excuse; re
cognizes its suhiciency. by not recommend
ing his removal from office as he had prom
sed to do, in case the reason should not
be satisfactory; and has thus convicted
himself OF entertaining and practising the
prolllgate doctrine that interference IN cleo
tons by an office holder is not only iusliia
BILE but involves higher degree of obga
ton than the mere performance of oflicla
duty. 1t was not merely to exercise his
elective franchise as CIT zen that Spencer
violated the injunction of The Department !;
this right he could have exercised where
his Duty called him, as well as at Fort
Wayne. Bat that would not do; he had
| Influence at the latter place. winch it was
! important t. The party that he should exer.
else. Having thus violated his official
obligations, for the purpose of assisting Nj
Van Buren, into the Presidential chair, it
was Of course no more than fair that the
President should return the favor. lie
did return it. He continued Col. Spencer
IN office; and thus, at the same time, eX-
hlbitod his gratitude, violated his duty, ant
pros'i'u,ed bis high station. This, Mr.
Chairman, is but specimen Of that cor
rupt reciprocity Of service which constl
tues the ligature that binds together, like
the Slamese twins, the executive and The
office holders.
Sir, the document from which I have
made the foregoing extracts is a public
record, and was furnished 20 the Senate at
the time when Mr.. Van Buren was Presi
dent of hat body. Ofcourse, he cannot
plead ignorance Of its contents. Yet, in
the face of the report Of West; Of the
prohigate letter OF Hendricks Of the
shame less avowal Of the receiver himself
that he neglected the paramount duties of
his office for the purpose of exercising his
Influence at she election, in lace Of II this
The President neg elects and refuses 10 apply
the power OF removal; and the unbIushlDg
partisan still remains in office, ready, doubt
less, at the next election, to play again the
game which proved SO profitable at the
last.
will no longer detain the committee
with this dsgraceful case, but, leaving it
and the parties concerned to the Judge
ment of the country, proceed to the con
slderalion Of another. will take the case
of Harris, receiver of the land office at Co.
umbus, in my own State. In this instance
| mean to convict the Secretary of the
Treasury, not Of single isolated neglect
Of duty, but continued, daily, miserable
winkng and connivance at maversatlor
and de'a'caton, during a period of two
years, duplicating alike his honesty, hi
veracity, and his capacity. FIRST, howev
|
urv Department attached to the duty IN
cumbent upon collectors and receivers, o
depositng IN bank, at stated periods, ,h
=, public moneys in their hands, because /
was from the continued violation OF thl
duty that the defalcation in the case q
Harris, as well as most others occurred
! and because it will leave the Secretary n
excuse. From the supposed nsgnlfcanc
oftbe duty, for the gross and culpabl
negligence on his own part, which make
: him, in justice and truth, q partice!ps crimi
mis- in the whole affair.
hold in my hand book OF some fou
hundred pages, entitled Letter from tn
Secretary OF the Treasury transmitting CO
- pies of letters to collectors and receiver
= who have failed to comply with the law
: and regulations for their government; an
also, copies of reports Of examinations o
. land offices since The first January. 1884,
y !, sc. 1t is Doc. 297, and was furnished III
y House by the Secretary on the 3Oth o
y March 1888. 1t is the most eXtraordnar
, publication that ever fell under nay obser
" vaton. 1t is moral, political. and llIera
y ry curiosity
9 fyou are laughing philosopher, 20
d will find in it ample food for mrlh, 1t yo
belong to the other school, you cannot bu
, weep at the folly and lmbeclllly which
exhibits. The Secretary must have bee
/. frightened when he compiled it, for 1t
ID wllhou, form, and darkness rests upon /,
e face. 1t contains two hundred and slXt
ID letters to deiaulting collectors and receiv
ers; in some instances, from ten to twent
hi to the same defauter yet, so curlously
N the book constructed, that you must rea
pe the whole of it to trace single case. II
q. contents are as strange as the hell brotl
he that boiled and dubbed in the witches ca
te dron. From this fragment Of chaos sha
re proceed to extract and arrange such matte
" as Is material 10 my purpose. And first.
X, show, os proposed, what importance ii
We Secretary attached to the duty of deposl
in inc the public moneys in bank, at state
nv periods, so that they might not accumna
he in the hands of the colector,and thus aftoI
temptation to dedication.
The first letter shall quote was fro
Mr. Tanev, then Secretary Of the Treasur
1t is No. | of the letters to receivers,
ed dated January l6, 1884, directed TO X.