Liberty advocate., 1839-02-07
of CongressS And they voted lc

him with acclamatlon.
This is the moral effect Of such state er
things We always claimed and held that the |
public money was a sacred trust, and that they
who held it were the peoples servants, accoun-
table to them. This was our doctrine in 1886,
when we wanted an investigation Of accounts,
We held that AN officer entrusted with the
keeping Of public moneys must always be rea-
dy to meet the demand for them. The United
States Bank, ay, sir, that horTid monster, which
collected and distributed more than Mree hun
dred Millions cl hour money whhoat charge,
and without the nss of one cent, was ready, al
ways ready, TO meet your demards, and meet
them any whore you Pased to say from MalneI
TO Georgia--lrom the Atlantic tp the Oregon,
she paid on demand. But what dove see now 4
One after another of the certified servants oil
the PRESIDENTIAL honest, all pure, all above
suspicion, and certified to be so--how 90 'hey
pode, one after another, till before the report
| OF one delalcation has died upon the eur, we
hear another, and greater go on how ma
ny more are to follow, who can fell I The
whole posse comitatus of the Administration
seem not unlikely TO 90 of in a body, and at
such moment, it is that the lag-sub- Treasury
scheme is now, again, for the fburlh tlme' 10 be
forced upon the Representatives oil the People !!
| feel it public disgrac. that the country
should have fallen into thii slough OF dela'ca-
tion; and there lies part q the evil. care,
comparatively nothing fo' the money; but !
feel for the public morals and FOR the national
character. a.
And now we are to raise committee to white
wash Mr.. Secretary Woodbury. Slr,Justlhed
as am by the case of Reckess--t Is all OF re-
cord; all on your files, Justified as am by thai
case, will hold Mr.. Woodbury. responsible. Ad'
nit him to have been ignorant ofthls enormous,
this long continued, this growing fraud on the
Treasury, | will hod him responsible tor his
Ignorance. The common law excuses no man
for ignorance. Why should he be excused
whose business it was TO know? How could
such process Of embezzement be going on
for eight years undetected, and that at a sPo'
where there ought to have been The most lynx
eyed vigilance Surely there must have beer
something to excite suspicion.
Sir, these are lessons. They are practlca
, illustrations, home felt arguments on the
: scheme of an independent Treasury. Yes, sir
independent enough? We know OF at leas
; two very independent sub-TreasurieS indeed
t If the Secretary was really ignorant OF this de
r falcation as things now are, how could he haV
I known it any better if this blessed sub -freasu
1 ry system had been legally adopted? Yo
A might have declared such embezzlement pen
n ltentiary offence, but how will you catch tn
. bird that flies on the wigs Of steam, and mock
e at your pursuit How you catch the dc
y lfauIter who has made a plan beforehand, an
!, has all things in readiness, even his venISon an
il his canvass. backs aud has only to slip on boar
4 the Great Western or the Victoria, and bid yo
r good night?
II Sir, instead of this select committee, WI
l. tell you what would be my plan to save the pul
d lie money. | would employ detachment
d troops, say the marine force, if you will, to kee
!. guard round the Presidents house and NJ
e Woo oodbury's office, Il would spare his dweIIIn
# house, and round your custom houses and you
s. land offices, and would in this way try TO kee
$, any more leg-Treasuries from running ava;
e till the People get ma orlty in the next CoI
q grcss Sir, remember! We have been not
m fled that one Of our public Departments IS In1i
ID mable; two have been burnt down during tn
is Democratic Administration, another Is milan
s. mable Yes, sir, and it is the Treasury too
III insist there ought to be guards, to keep 1t lro
I'd catching fire, and to keep the lcg-Ireasurers
r. homo
N But am wrong This is no subject for sa
IS casm or burIesque; it is too serious matter
G. 1t is true, might refer especially to 1897, wh'
Of the President addressed his letter TO me
chairman of the investigating Committee
ve Here Mr.. Wise fell into one Of his half VIII
vel pering undertones, and could not be heard
wv all by the reporter. All that caught his e
od were the words "loo nsultng'-"bribe-"
r. pensation for all my sacrhces.'l Sir, le
n no rejoicing at these public losses;-but &C
de tainIy can and do feel sense victory, Oft
N. lumph. cannot help it when see all that
nd predicted happening, and all that charged d
DE y coming to light.
us Mr.. Woodbury. has taken praise to shC
ce that Mr.. Swartwout's delalcations did not co
NO mence with the period Of Mr.. Van Buren's
in lection, but extended back through Gen. Jat
no sons administration, and even to the very co
)h, mencement Of his period of service as Cole
Lse or. remember the time. SwartWout had DC
er implicated by rumor in Burr's consplrat
,se which Gen. Jackson took much credit to HI
ta- self for exposing. But when it was report
ey that Swartwout, one Of Burrs consplrato
ey was to receive the place of Collector OF Ne
,ut York, there was one general burst of ndlgl
in ton throughout the country; the dlsapprobatl
ne was not confined to the opposition; was strol
in felt by the friends of the Administration.
or, Even the Governments own print shuddered
wd such an appointment. After the first emotlo
IIof indignation had thus been expressed, the
ey, was pause; it was found to be heavy a
,nt dangerous weight TO carry over the bridge
T.I 1.