Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1839-05-03

w peCuntdry matlerS,-tacts which were |
perfectly notorious at the time Of their ap.
poinlInent TO office.
Swartwout obtained his appointment
through the personal friendship Of Gen.
Jackson, and, contrary ns it 10 said, to the
remonstrances of some Of his supporters,
who knew his character and who did not
esteem him fit TO be trusted. Gen. Jack.
con, however, who always placed his own
private humor far above any other consld.
erations. chose 10 take the responsibility.
and TO bestow the appointment upon this
ancient friend ard confederate, with whom
he had formerly been joint actor in the
conspiracy Of Aaron Burr. When Mr.
Van Buren, came in power. having pledged
himself ito walk generally in the footsteps
he saw fit still to continue in Office a man
of whose utter want Of trustworthiness he
was fully aware, and against whose original
appointment he had himself protested.
With regard to Mr. Price, his character
for fidelity in the performance of his pecun-
larry obligations, was inferior, if possible,
even to that Of Mr. Swartwout. It appear.
ed from the testimony before the lnvestiga-
ting Committee, that for the last twenty
years the general opinion has been, that he
was utterly unworthy Of any pecuniary
credit. But Mr. Price was busy partisan
politician Of considerable influence with the
lowest order of the adherents of the dmin.
istration; and this was esteemed sufficient
reason for giving him the Office of District
Attorney.
The two Offices of the Collector of the
port of New York and Attorney for the
Southern District of New York, in a Pc
cuniary point Of view, are the two most
responsible Offices in the gift Of the Presi.
dent; yet these two officers, responsible
as they were, under the existing tory ad.
minst!atlon came into the hands Of two
men as notorious for total lack of regard
for their pecunlary obligations, as any two
men whom it was possible TO find. That
under these circumstances the treasury of
the United States should suffer from the
such agents is not remarkable.
Such, however, was the system of checks
existing under the old system. by which
the custom house bonds were deposited in
bank, and paid at bank, that no opportuni.
ty could have occurred for very extensive
frauds upon the government, upon the part
Of these officers. 1t was only in conse.
qnence Of the subtreasury system, pract.
cally introduced at the time Of the srspen-
sion of specie payments, That Mr.. Swart
won't was enabled to peculate to such q
vast amount, upon the public funds.
The secretary Of the treasury, it is true,
assisted by his subordinate officers, has at.
tempted to show that Mr.. Swar,wout's de-
fa'cations commenced shortly after his ap.
pointment, and went On increasing during
the whole term. But the report of the
committee proves very clearly, that down
to the suspension Of specie payments, the
quarterly accounts rendered by Mr.. Swart
won't to the treasury department were per-
fectly correct; that is, that all the moneys
which were received by him were regular
y stated and accounted for in his quarter.
ly returns; and that so much OF the money
thus accounted for, as was not paid by him
into the treasury, was retained in his
hands, with the knowledge and the acqui.
escence of the Secretary Of the treasury
1t was only after the suspension Of specie
payments that he began to render false and
fraudulent accounts, returning large
amount OF bonds as unpaid. which had in
fact been paid. and the proceeds appropri.
aled to his own USE Out of the $1,000
900 in which Swartwout is now indebted
TO the public, more than 5000, 900 is of this
description. lfthe secretary of the trasu-
ry had pursued at New York the system
Of special deposits, which he did in some
Jess important instance, he would have
preserved the great advantages Of check
upon the proceedings Of the collector nor
would it have been possible for any bonds
10 have been paid. without that fact being
known to the treasury.
1t appears further, that while we have
had men of the character Of Swartwout
and Price, appointed to Offices Of great
pecuniary responsibility, and while by dis.
continuing the use of banks in the colec.
ton Of public revenue, great and new op.
portunities for defraudng the public have
been afforded, at The very same time, many
Of the checks and guards established by
the original arrangements of the treasury
department, have been suffered 10 fall into
dlsuse, and have been discontinued!
The naval officers oftbe several ports were
originally appointed, principally to &c, os
checks upon collectors, whose books and
accounts they were bound to examine. and
to report the result of their examination to
the treasury department. At New York,
and probably elsewhere, this duty of late
years has been wholly disregarded.
Several Of the accounts kept at the
Treasury department, as means of fur.
nishlng materials tor an investigation, at
any time, into the accounts Of collectors,
have la,erly been discontinued and so
little had this important matter been at
tended to, that The secretary of the treasu.
~ seems in some cases not TO have been
aware of their former existence, and still
less of their utility. This is the conse.
quence of converting the mere heads of de.
partmens into mere parlizan politicians.
With all their time devoted TO the affairs
"of the party" how can it be expected