Liberty advocate., 1839-02-07
SPEECH oE MR.. pnENrIss,


tournament.
SPEECH on MR.. PRENTIss,
On DefaLcations-IH The Secretary ofthe Treasu-
ry, and Mrs. LObkiaS-NeU Mordlity-I The
policy Of haUing "bad cocld"
Mr.. Prentiss commented with great pungency
on the Presidents suggestions, that the applica-
tion OF public money to private uses by an officer
oIthe government ought to be visited with igno-
mlnlous punishment and on his wonderful dis
coyery IhaI the appointing power cannot always
| be we'll advised in its selections. He adduced
cases in which the Executive had failed to re-
move men, aud had reappointed men whom he
knew to have committed offences which he now
wishes should be stgmatised as felony, and
| punished with disgracelul Imprisonment. The
President, in this very recommendation, pro-
Inounces on himselfahd his own course, the most
decisive condemnation!
! Mr.. p. then went to the Secretary Of the
Treasury and gave him hagelIation that will
not soon be forgotten He took up that tunc-
1tlohary's report communicating the correspon-
dence between the department, and a whole host
of deiaulers--I know not how many. Their
name is LEGION.
i This document he pronounced TO be moral,
! political, and literary curiosity. 1t reminded
/ him of the cauldron in which the witches in
Macbeth mingled their helbrolh! 1t was "a col
/, lection olthe most heterogeneous artices-con-
d fusion worse conlounded-no order-no sim
'I plcity-no arrangement. Still he had waded
u through it; and he now undertook to show from
the correspondence that THE MOST ENORMOUS
/ IpEFALClTIoNs WERE KNOWN TO THE TREASURY
/ DEPARTMENT, AND THAT THE SECRETARY RETAINED
/ THE DEFAULTING INCUMBENTS IN OFFICE; and re-
: appointed them after their terms Of service had
a expired.
So far as talking went, the Secretary gave it
i to the defauters pretty severely. They have ii
e line upon line-precept upon precePt-here
:, little and there great deal-until their ears
1t must have been tired somewhat with the tedious
!. repetition of twenty times told tale. But the
: mischief is, it never went farther than talking
e when what was wanted was ACTION.
/. One man was permitted to resign quietly
u without prosecution; with cool sixty Thousand
a. of the public money in his pocket. The CORES
e pondehce shows that the Secretary know al
IS this time that this officer had applied this a
e. mouut to his own private uses. That amiabl
I'd Gunctonary had written repeatedly to his sub
ID ordinate, noticing the deaIcatio and earnest
ID calling on him to "pay up" And at ast toll
III the delauIter, that the president had directed
him (the Secretary to write decisvely tha
IL unless the accounts were settled at an early da.
b. he should be dismissed.
O But he was not dismissed, although he reso
p Iutely held on against the acquisitions and me
r. naces of both President and Secretary! Th
e correspondence shows an entire want ofcommo
II energy and spirit Of ordinary manhood on tn
p part both of Mr.. Van Buren, and Mr.. Wood
7, bury. After the lapse Of weeks, the threatene
n Idefauter received 3 letter from the Secretary
IL Is it the announcement of his removal! Nc
a. at all. The tarthost from it possible. It's
rs mild, gentle and almost obsequious remor
n STRANGE with him, for Withholding the publ
money, and hoping that hereafter he would nc
I'M fail to deposite it to the credit of the Govern
al ment as he was bound to do. Really Mr.. Va
Buren, and Mr.. Woodbury. must be the linet
lr descendants OF Job, for patience equal TO thell
- was never exhibited since his day.
en- The best of the affairs is, that in the end, II
as delauter RESIGNED. He was not remous
- for the action of the Executive had never gor
Is beyond severe menace; and he carried off,
al not S6O,000-but TWO HUNDRED AND NINETEE
ar THOUSAND DOLLARS
m Truly did Mr. Prentss say, that no man pc
eel sessing ordinary sensibiIity and patriotisr
err could reed the letters which had passed in tn
RI case, and others contained in the report, wit
out mourning over the deterioration CT publ
al morals, without lamenting the degradation
the country.
ow He noticed in this connection the case OF Il
I'M Receiver in Mississippi, referred to in the Se
G. retary's report, who was recommended to
OK continuance in Office on the express groul
IN that although he had speculatcd largely ,cith
,ct- public money, yet his hands were now full al
cen he had no reasen for temptation to specula
cy, more!
i'm This is very bad, but the Receiver who su
ted ceeded him made case very little better.
,rs, embezzled the public property in the shape
,w- lands to the amount of 80 or 40 thousand dc
ma lars. The honest pure minded people OF III
ion country may see from this, how the system
ng- the spoils party works. 1t is only one exaI
- pie. The rich lands Of the Southwest h1'
| at been bestowed in fee, on these public punde
ons ers Never did the Norman Conquerer OF En-
ere and give bis feudetores possessions hall
md ample or SO productive as this "Rcp~bhcdn A
of ministration' bestowS on its iavortes and pa
'ay tizans. :,
his One of the best things in the whole OF M
he Prentss' speech was his sarcastic commentaT
his on tho code of morality by which Mr.. Secret
in ry Woodbury. appears to have been regulate
an in all his intercourse with these deiauting pc
he and layorites Of the party
9TH He gave to Mr.. Secretary Woodbury. nan
so which apprehend will stick to him. He cor