Rutland herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1823-1847, 1839-03-26

] compelled
mos, unexpected obstacles inictposcd hv the col
lec,cr himself and setting at defiance the su,horly
delegated to the Committee by the House. Tho
facts connected With the bafllcd endcsvors Of tho
Committee to obtain niormsiion Tor tho House and
country from this officer Of tho executive branch
I Of She Government, who is IN immediate charr. Of
aud control public MONIES that EQUAL n,,ri,,
fico thirds n The iehole amount collected from Gus.
toms IN oil he Uniied Stdfcs," will be more spo
oially detailed in subsequent portion Of this re-
port.
The Committee will remark here that In tho
onttet OF the investigation they have made. they
supposed it both proper and safe place themselves
somewhat conhdnRiy under tho guidance of the
several spec'nl reports which had been made 10 the
House upon the subject of Mr. Swartwout's defsl.
cations, by the Treasury officers. previous to tho
appointment, Of tho Notwithstanding in this
view. reports of he Secretary of the Treasury. the
first Comptroller. the Solicitor aud first Auditor of
the Treasury, in House doc. 10. It, however, ve-
ry soon became evident, that those reports were
not to be implicitly relied on auxiliarics in find
ing out either tie law the facts Of the case and
that, on the contrary. they furnished but oblique
view of both the causes and duration of Mr. Swart.
wouts defalcations, as also of the law md many
material facts which developo the true character of
those dealcaions. OF necessity, therefore, these
reports, although emansllng from the highest or.
ders Of Judicial .unctionaries employed 10 the col
lection and disbursement of the public revenues.
became tho subjects of as cautious and critical OK
ANIMATION as any other portions of evidence which
the case presented, and as such it will be oblipato-
! ry upon the Committee to treat them in this re-.
port.
| In reviewing tho details of their lubors so that
the progress and results Of them may DO presented
| in the simplest form, the Committee propose 10
consider
| PART ]. The defalcstions Of Mr. Swartweut.
PART II. The dciaications of Mr. Price.
| PART III. The correctness of the returns which
have been made by the present collector and naval
officer of the port of New York respectively.
! PART ~. The deiacations among receivers Of
the public money.
| PART V. The facts connected with the forego-
ing defalca'ions, and deemed material 10 the deye-
opement Of their true character.
Each of the divisions thus proposed will prooerIv
involve the law appertoinng TO it. as the nppro-
pirate adjunct OF It's facts. Aad as the language
Of the law itself will in each instance be cited in
detail, that its authority and Injunction may bs
correctly understood by every one so the language
OF the individual testimony relied on in each nstan-
ce VIII be induced, that It's import and force may
he lett neither to uncertain construction or doubt.
iuI inference. The increased fidelity OF their
port, in the estimation Of the Con'-~-.'"r, VIII be.
by this mode, an amal" -"set 10 's consequent en-
largement.
p-Hre proceeding to the geur'l topics of this re-
port, rs already laid down, 1t may DO proper hero
to express the deep sense of disc ppon Inent and
regret which the Committee feel in not being able
TO communicate to the House one document that
was called for al an curly dry regarded as having
| important and interesting influence upon tho
Judgment which the House might form, on the sub
lect of defslcalons nu.ong public officers, and tho
causes which have led 10 their multiplication. II
will be- perceived from the following letter that tho
Committee svaed itself Of the earliest period az
ter their organization to make q call upon the Pre-
sdcnl To furnish list Of the deialcatons that have
taken place nnong tho collectors, receivers. and
disbursng officers Of public money and other pub
/ lie officers since the 4th of March, 1929, showing
| the amount of each &c.
More than four weeks have now elapsed since
that call made upon the President, and the on
~ information which the Committee has obtained
to report upon TO the House 10 contained in the
following letter the distinguishing feature Of
which information IL, thst still time than e.
ven the whole remainder Of the session will be re-
quiste TO answer The call. From this the Commit
tee compelled reluctantly 10 infer, either
l. That The accounts aud records Of tbs seversl
Departments, IN general. are 80 incomplete aud de-
ieciIye Ms not 10 exhibit, without great labor and
delay, the true relations Of collectors receivers and
dlsbursers Of the public money, aud Of other Off
GERS Of The Government. ss TO distinguish debtors
from defaulefs. and creditors from both.
2. That the number Of :he deisuliers have mu-
tiplied 80 rapidly since 1920. under the system Of
Accountability pursued towards collectors. receive
ere and dsbursers Of the public money and other
officers To preclude the pfaeticabilty Of reee,v
ing account current Of their defschtioDs with
all tie clerical force at the command Of those De
psrtments. under existing sws and appropriations.
If ether Inference be just land none other Of
equal weight seems to be fairly dedoeible from the
letter Of the Secretary Of the Treasury il mast
fests lsxity Of administration which demands the
earliest application Of suitable remedies within tho
reach Of Congress AID 81 the country.
For the papers Nos. and 2. be referred 70 in
the sobjooed letter. reference "a respectfully made
to the journal Of the Committee, p. 47O aud on
ward.
Treasury Department,
, February ~. 1889.
/ Sir.-The President. on the 23d piimo, rsfr