The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-03-05
December 8, 1887, he says:


that II by return of mail evidence Is not received o.
your having complied with the acquisitions Of my
letters Of 18th August and Sd November, IL will be
my unpleasant duty TO report your neglect 10 the
President, and TO recommend your removal from
Office
Well, sir instead Of being removed, he Is permil-
ted like Boyd and Harris to retire with honor upon
his voluntary resignation, appears by the fol-
lowing and last letter OF the infamous series;
Treasury Department, January 26, 1898
Sir: Your letter Of the 7th instant is received and
your resignation is accepted by. the President regret
that SO large balance stands unadusied in your hands,
and trust that certificates of deposite for the
with the Bank Of Missouri WILL without delay, be for
go LEVI WOODBURY.,
Secretary Of the Treasury
William Linn, Esq, vandalia.
Now, how dare the President and Secretary to say
that defalcaiion deserves TO be punished with the
penitentary when they did not consider deserving
even OF removal from office in the case Of Linn,
who was allowed 10 resign and retire, deaulter for
g.
But the Secretary lays he was not bound to notice
these dealcaions; that il impossible for him to
scent them OUT. Afier reading the foregoing letters
and extracts" elegant extracts" they may be called
II am inclined TO think Mr. Secretary Woodbury.
has taken his cue in this matter from the following
fable which, ifmy friend from Virginia (Mr. Wise)
will do me the favor to read, he will afford a mo-
menls relief both TO the House and myself There
Mr.. Wise read with much humor, from paper
handed him by Mr.. p.
"And how did it happen, Pat, that MistAer Van
Buren, always kept in with the ould gineral, as he
"Why, I'm thinking, Murphy, 1t was because he
always had such a bad could, jist!'
And what did his having a could to do with the
matter at all, at all Z
Why, didye never hear, Murphy, my boy, OF the
fox that had couldl Then I'll lelIye. Once there
was lion that wanted to know how polite all the
bastes were. So he made great smell in his den
with birthstone, or something else-I don't mind what
jst-but il smelt enough to knock YOU down intirely
and then he called in the bear and says he, Good
morning, Mr.. Bear, and what dye think of the smell
here this morning and says the bear says he Why
i smells bad' What's that you say says the lion ;
take that says he, eating him up altogether N take
that, and see If it will tache We politeness. We un-
mannerly son Of cubp Now, when the bear was
ate up, the lion called lin the monkey, and asked
him the same question precisely. Now the monkey
seeing the bear that the lyon had swallowed lying
jesty, (says he,) its fist the most delightful smell
ever smell in my life, at all, at ALL 80 il Isl said
the lion, (pating him on the head easy like so as to
bate the breath clane out of his body) so 1t is,
said he, and now you'llnot tell another lie soon I'm
thinking
n" Now, when the lion had kilt the bear and the
monkey he called in the fo1 to him, and, says he
Cooking very savage, and ready to ate him up, il
he should make the Taste foz par at all,) Good
morning, Fo1,' says he, how does my parlor smell
to-day2' And says the fox, (wiping his nose with
The brush OF his TAIL and pulling down his eye-lid
with his paw, much as to say Dye see any green
there, my honey7) Faith says he, may il please
yer majesty, I've rerv bad could this morning, and
it's me that can't smell, at all, at all So the lion
laughed; and told the fox he was very clever haste,
and that he might tread in his footsteps If he could
sraddie scide enough, and that all the other beasts
should mind him, or he would eat them up as he had
done the bear"
Mr.. p. resumed. The secretary, though in other
respects resembles a much larger and less cunning
animal, yet in this matter has certainly taken les
son from the fox. He's had Uery bad could = and
couldn't smell al all, at ALL" No, sir; the stencil
of corruption, which has been SO long steaming up
from his Department has not i seems, yet offended
his olfactories Besides all this, his friends excuse
him by saying that the Government will, probably,
not ultimately lose any thing by these defalcations
that the money will be recovered back, either from
the defaulters or their sureties.
Sir if a thief is detected, and compelled to dis
gorge the subject Of his larceny does Il relieve the
rogue and his accomplice from guilt does il ex-
tinguish the crime2 Upon the answer to this ques-
ton depends the validity of the Secretarys excuse
1t is also urged in his favor, that defalcations
have occurred under otheiT administrations; that
the public money has been stolen before. This plea
feel compelled to allow to its whole extent
Brave men lived before Agamemnon" and great
rogues before Levi Woodbury. In justice to the
utLy HtS PEGS are the
thieves on record and give him JOY of the able
defence which his friends have extracted from this
remarkable circumstance.
And now, Mr.. Chairman, what do you think Of
this Secretary of the Treasury of his epislolary
talent? Of his capacity and fitness for the station he
occupies He resembles much, both in manner
and morality that worthy old lady who lived at The
Mug, in Bulwers Paul Clifford" and rejoiced in
the name of "Mrs. Margery Lobkins," more famil-
iarly called Peggy Lob" ..
;c porreSpppdencp with his SuhalternS cannot
fail of calling your recollection the exquisite ad
montions of honest Peggy" to Lee,le Paul"
Thus moraized, not Levi, but the kind-heared
dame
"Mind thy kitychism, child, and reverence old
age. Never steal Especially rhcn any one be IN The
acay Be modest Paul, and stick to your stivation
in life. Read your bible and taik like a pins 'un.-
People goes BY your WORDS more than your ACTIONS.
If you wants what is not your own try and do with
out it; and if you cannot do without it, take it away
by itsiniudtion. not blster. They swindles does
more and risks less than they as robs"
Yes, sir; "your people goes, more BY your sords
than by your actions" Well has the President stu
died this maxim, and cunningly did he practise up.
on II when he recommended that defalcation should
be made penitentiary offence. Peggy Lob placed
in lee,le Paul's hand the sum of FIVE haipence and
one farthina. "There, boy" quoh she, and she
stroked his head fondy when she spoke, Gust as Lee
vi caresses his subordnates) "you does right not to
play for nothing, it's loss Of lime buplay with those
as be less than YOURSELF and then yoH can go Jor 10
beat 'enl If they says you go for to cheat"
Ay, and it has not been long since this was the
doctrine of those in power; and ito go for 10 beat
those rho sag you go for 10 cheat became the watch
word of the party. recoltect well, and my homo
rabe friend who sits near me (Mr Wise) recollects
still better than do, those days Of terror, when he
had to legisate, as he told us the other day, with
harness on !" when the best argument was the pis
toll and the only law was club-law. II was the time
when Hurrab for Jackson" constituted the "Open
Sesame of power, which gained at once admitiance
into the robbers cave, and participation in the plum
der
Then General Jackson had but to whistle, and
Instant from copse and heath arose
Bonnets and spears, and Bonded bows
His followers, like those Of Roderick Dhu, started
IN in every direction, ready and cagcr to perform his
bidding He had but to point his finger, and his fierce
hl,aa hnnnds buried their muzzes In the unfortunate