Piney Woods planter. (Liberty, Mi. [i.e. Miss.]) 1838-1840, 1839-03-30
REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMIT
TEE ON THE SWARTWOUT
DEFAICATION


TEE ON THE SWARTWOUT
DEFALCATION.
This committee made report to the
House of Representatives Yesterday, and
the Chairman requested. as the reading of
the entire report would occupy much time,
that only hatportion should be read which
set forth the conclusions at which the
committee had arrived.
MIR. PErRIKIN, Of Pennsylvania, deman.I
ded that the whole, If any part. should be
read; upon which the Clerk commenced
the reading, but, in fifteen or twenty
minutes, on an understanding between Mr..
WISE and Mr.. OVENS, that the reports of
the majority and minority should be laid
on the table and be printed, Mr. PETRI-
EIN waived his demand.
Ifthe conclusions" at which the maio-
rity arrived have any resemblance, in
tone or tendency, to the exordium. the re-
port will be what, from the speech Of Mr..
WISE at the time of the appointment Of
the committee, was predicted of it, a bold
attempt to nuke political capital on which
TO trade in some of the coming elections,
especially ia the Gubernatorial election
in Tennessee Tho burthen Of that speech
was, that the Administration party hat
profited by exposing the defalcation o.
4 TOBIAS WATKINS, and that SIMILAR or grea
ter results, IN favor of the Wings, would
follow the dedication of SwARTwoUT;t thai
political benefit had already resulted il
New York; that but for the suppression
or conceament Of it, immense gain woul'
have been made in Ohio; and Mr.. WIS
piously calculated, in the midst of his ca
ger and vulgar address to the Speaker
THANK God. sir, it will DO time cnoug
, for you in Tennessee!' The loss of reve
nue., the loss Of character to the country
! by the dclaIcations complained Of, wer
all lost sight Of in the search after tn
beautiful, Illustrative comparisons of "ter
: rapin" and "night hawks in the antici
patiJns of political power to be obtaino,
4 by general and sweeping denuncia
tons of every member of the Repubical
party, and by inqnisitorial investigation
into the private concerns of particular in
diyiduals.
The opening Of the report is denun
citation Of the President for not hayin
furnished that which the whole clerica
force Of the Treasury Department ha
} not had the time TO furnish.
: The committee intimate one oftwo cal
f ses for. this omission Of the Executive, III
last Of which is, the possibly enormous in
crease ofdefaulters; the other we did nc
I hear with sufficient distinciness TO quot
it, They next speak Of the obstacles in
terposed by MIR. HoYr, the collector {
, New York, when the fact is, as may b
gathered from the correspondence con
taned in the memorial of that officer, par
} OF which the committee excluded fro,
their journal, that no individual could hav
t cvinced a greater readiness to afford, 0
have afforded more prompt or more full
} facilities.
Obstacles indeed! He would have di.
} graced the situation he holds, and th
? very Game of freeman, had he moi
( (whilc he submitted 10 the course of thi
committee from conscious integrity an
in bold defiance of insnuated or allege
} malyersation, protested against the unpal
J alleled and unjusIifable denial of justic
to one whom they had put upon trial, with
out charge or specification Of any kind d
gainst him, and sought to condemn b
the testimony Of the principal deputy G
the very collector whose deialcations the
were specially raised to inquire into, an
that deputy one whom they knew III
present collector had, for cause, refuse
to continue in Office for single day
This man they examined against the co..
lector, but denied the accused the oppol
tunity of inyaIidating the testimony q
the witness, by the proof of thirty witnes
ses named, with which he could have ut
terly dscredited him,
II has been said BY ono member Of tn,
ma ority that the testimony Of this wit
ness has not injured Mr.. HoYT, and wa
not calculated TO iniure him in the opin
ion of the committee; and il has been sal,
by two memaers Of the majority, that hat
not Mr.. HoYT pu6 lissed his memorial 4
Congress nothing srould hare been said 4
his injury. Is it so, indeed2 and is thi
the justification for the attack alrea
dy made, that he had interposed "obsta
cfcs? MIR. HoYT had asked of the com
mlttec what is never denied to the veri
est lelon--the privilege of showing VIII,
sentence should not be passed upon him
Privilege! right which the bloodies
Judge dare not, in this country or in Eng
lngd. deny to Gny criminal when he shall
have been fairly tried and legally con
: demMedy much less when no charge hu