Litchfield enquirer., 1839-03-21
The INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE.

session, is very long, so much so indeed, that |
there was no time to read it in the House.
We avail ourselves of synopsis published
tn the National Intelligencer, to give our rea-
ders brief abstract of it.
The Report is under five principal heads
The Defalcations of Mr.. Swartwout ditto,
ditto, Mr.. Price; the correctness of the re-
turns which have been made by the present
collector and naval officer of the port of New
York, respectively; the defalcations among
the receivers OF the public money the facts
connected with the foregoing defalcations,
and deemed material to develope their true
character.
The causes of Mr.. Swartwout's defalca-
tons as given by the Committee are six:
l. The responsibility of Mr.. Swartwout
in pecuniary character at the time of his APP
pointment 10 Office.
2. Culpable disregard of law, and neglect
Of official duty, by the late Naval officer at
New York.
3. Culpable disregard of law and neglect
Of official duty by the first Auditor of the
4. Culpable disregard of law and neglect
OF duty by the late and present Comptroller
Of the Treasury.
.. The discontinuance of the use of banks
as repositories of the public moneys, and
permitting the same to accumulate in the
hands Of Mr.. Swartwout.
3. The negligence and failure of the Sc
'crctary of the Treasury to discharge his du-
ty, as the head of the Treasury Department,
charged by law with the superintendent of
the collection of the revenue.
Under the head of the first cause, Mr..
Swartwout's responsibility, the Committee
make the following specific charges:
1st That at-the time of Mr.. Swartwout's
appointment, and of his re-appointment to
ott1ce, he was wholly irresponsible in pecun-
iary reputation, and was involved in debt.
I'd. That ut the time of his appointment
and of his re-appointment, and for the whole
period he was in office, he was VIGOROUSLY
engaged in large and hazardous speculations,
and deeply embarrassed by them.
Sd. That his pecuniary responsibility and
consequent invoIvements by hazardous spec
ulations, constitute one of the primary eau
ses of his defalcations TO the Government.
Under the second cause the Committee
charge that the late naval officer of the port
OF New York throughout the term of his SER
vice wholly disregarded the requirements of
the law prescribing the duties of his office,
and the instructions of the comptroller, of
Nov. 10, 1924 that he neglected to keep the
accounts and records appertaining to his of.
flee. and thereby rendered it nugatory as a
check on the collector; that if the Naval
ohIOI uutCS uuu UCCu GACCuLGu Will prop
er care and vigilance, the defalcations of
Swartwout could not have escaped detection,
and, therefore, that the Naval Officers re-
missness is primary cause of the defalca-
TONS Upon the First Auditor, and late and
present Comptrollers of the Treasury, sim
liar neglect Of duty, and omission of the per-
Torrance of the requirements of the law in
relation to their offices is charged and
against the Secretary of the Treasury it is
said that important books of records have
been permitted to fall into disuse, and checks
upon officers are therefore lost-thus furnish
ing another cause of Swartwouts long escape
from detection. The report says that the
Secretary Of the Treasury was wanting in a
proper discharge of his duty in permitting
Swartwout quietly to retain the 1901 900 un-
der pretext of indemnifying himself &C.
and that the secretary is also neglecting his
duty in permitting the present collector of
this city to retain under his own control, and
subject to his own use, commingled with said
collectors private funds, large and accunu. |
lating sums of the public money collected for
duties paid under protest, and against the de-
clored opinion Of said Secretary, and the de-
clared opinion of the Attorney General of the
u. States on the subject, and also against the |
former usages of the department, and instead |
ofcausing the same to be paid into the Trea-
sury Of the United States.
The amount of Swartwout's defalcations is
stated ut $l POS, 7O5 SO cents and that this
amount of Indebtedness has accumulated up
on the face of the quarterly accounts regu- [
larly returned by him for adjustment at the
Treasury Department, without the omission !
ofany of either items, debit or credit thereon,
until 1t became an absolute defalcation. His |
defalcations by false returns are said in the |
report to have commenced in 1887, and not |
sooner, and have existed since that period !;
and the defalcations thus accruing, added to
the moneys previously retained by him, ac-
cording to his returns 10 the Treasury De.
partment, and by the silent acquiescence of
the officers of the Department until the close |
of his term of Office. constitute the aggregate
Of his defalcations at the present period"
Of Mr.. Price, the Committee say:
LIST. That William HI. Price, as District
Attorney, is defaulter to the Government
In large sum.
Cd. That the detalcations are attributable
to the notorious responsibility and want of
character of said Price at the period of his
appointment, and .re-appointment, and dur
ing his entire terms of Office, and to the con-
tinued neglect of q proper and efficient dis
charge of duties at the Office of Solicitor of
the Treasury by the late and present incum-
bents Of that Office.
Under the third head of their report the
Committee charge upon the present collector
that his returns have not been correct, and
they have not at all times embraced the mo-
mics received by him for unascertained du-
ties, and at no time for duties paid under pro-
test that in his returns he has violated the
instructions of the Treasury Department. put
at defiance the duties assigned him by the
Secretary ofthe Treasury, repudiated the Of
fetal decision or the responsible law officer
Of the Executive, and use of the public mo-
ney, in the amount held by him for the pro.
test and unascertained duties The commit.