Madison Whig advocate. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1839-1841, 1839-06-22

ZIG q sfStSHCy- shortly alter he return
ed thanks to the defendant for having
provided funds to meet a check of So
200, which had been protested; and
adds, that the letters of the defendant
showed disposition ''highly gratifying
to the Post Master General. and TO all :;
Mr. Barry's letter of the 9th March.
1884, to Mr.. Gouverneur, demonstrates
that the leading object of General Jack
son IN the removal of the deposites. was
truly alleged by Mr.. Adams. that the
public money might be 'source Of pow
er TO himself, and Of plumber to his par
tIzans." In this letter Mr.. Barry ac-
knowledges the signal services rendered
by the defendant to the department, and
adds, congress will sustain the PresI-
| dent IN his course, and we must RELY on
the State Banks. The President assures
me the SEVENTH WARD BANK
SHALL BE REMEMBERED" Here
we find the President of the United
States sending word through the head of
a department, to a monied institution,
that 1t '1shall be remembe red'' When
and how remembered? Why, of course,
IN the distribution Of the spoils of the
Treasury. The Seventh Ward Bank.
as soon as the Treasury should be in
funds, was to receive a guild pro quo in
the generous use of the public money.
| A few days afterwards Mr. Barry
writes again, informing Mr.. Gouver-
neur that the President is assured that if
the department get through their diff
cultIes," 1t was to him, the present de-
PENDANT, they would ''olce their salUation.''
| tie says that It was not necessary to
enJoln on him TO "take care of his
frlend;" but he was pleased with an op-
| portunity of showing the President that
| the defendant was worthy of his station.
After this comes the gist of the letter, in
which he desires the President to ''pro-
tect the drafts" OF the department., and
as if fearful that the Presidents empha-
tic assurance TO the Seventh Ward Bank
might be mlsinterpreted, he suggests that
the deposites should not be withheld
from the Manhattan Bank. The Whites
are true friends"
Thus 1t seems that while the Seventh
Ward Bank was to be remembered"
the Manhattan Bank was not to be .'for-
gotten" Both were to be treated kind
y and rewarded with a certain portion
of the spOlls, because they were all ''true
friends" What a shameless instance is
here exhibited Of Presidential interfer-
ence in the disposition of the public
money. And it was in this mode, I'M
doubleday, by enlisting the sympathies
and interests of monied institutions
throughout the country, by promises to
corrupt bank directors and presidents,
like those of the Seventh Ward Bank, |
I Il. 4 L. l.
tain himself in his protllgate robbery of
the Federal Treasury. - For it was
equally an act Of plumber, for General |
Jackson to seize the public money, and |
distribute it among his Partizans to use
and enjoy, as if he had distributed it |
among them to be possessed and retain
ed. The tenure by which his hungry |
and grasping vassals held their ill-gotten |
wealth, does not affect the character of
the transaction by which it was parcel |
led out among them.
In April 1884, the Investigating Com |
mittee of the Senate was actively engag- |
ed in ferreting out the abuses of the |
post office. Mr.. Barry had long before I
commenced borrowing money to sustain /
his sinking department. Among other !
matters, he had borrowed a conside able |
sum of Mr.. James A. Hamilton. On the |
12th of April, Mr.. Barry wrote TO the
delendant-"From certain queries pro-
pounded by the committee, | am satisfied |
that they have by some means become
apprised Of the arrangements with Ham
iton. shall report these
matters as drafts, and not as loans; the
amount of liability will not be changed,
our drafts being the same, will of course
be reduced in proportion as they have
been protected" by the defendant.
II have conversed with the President,
who knows all about it, and says it is
right, and that have a right to borrow
of whoever will lendr'
In the June following, Mr.. Barry ar
rived at what he considered ''crisis'' in
his moneved concerns. He wrote again
to the defendant to 'protect his drafts"
| am sure, he said, ''that our friend
Hamilton will help US again" But here
it is in evidence that Mr.. Hamilton would
not ''go it again" He testified to the
Jury that he would not treat the Depart
ment further. Mr.. Barry in this ext
gence appealed to the defendant, telling
him that his services were not only inn {
portant to himself and the Department,
but '.vitally to the administration" of !,
which the present prosecuting attorney,
Mr.. Butler, was a member. From all i
this testimony, it is abundantly apparent {
that the embarrassments of the Depart 5
ment had long been notorious with the
and that General Jack
son himself was fully aware of them; I
that Mr.. Gouverneur had in various in {
rendered important services 10
the Department as financial agent, and {
in business entirely independent of the &
duties of his office; and that while Con- q
gress was endeavoring to institute an eff
cient examination into the affairs of the {
Post Office, Mr.. Barry was diligently en- q
gagged in attempting TO battle their vigi- |