Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1839-01-03

which shall lock the door before the horse IL
stolen. -. a II
vestiQation cannot any longer be checked
down; that the consequences are breaking
forth with the force of a cataract, and that |
they might as well arrest Niagara. And
now they come pulling to us, and ask for a
committee! ] suppose II is to be such as
we had before--sfr good staunch Administra. |
ton men, and Mree men disposed to investi |
gate. Six men ready to vote for any despotic |
principle advanced by the Executive, andl
three who stand up for the right Of inquiry. |
Will the gentlemen give me an investig eating |
committee TO look into the Postmaster Gen |
erals land specU,ations? to 20 into the In |
dian department.? Yes, sir, a gentleman
over the wav, famous for the glory Of the
Previous Question, Mr.. Cushman) mods his
head;he will give II me. And why? lie knows
it's 10 vain 10 propose these Investigations
now, They are too massive. Will he give
ta the People such committee rs will do
tbeir duty? committee appointed by ballotf
committee with majority in favor Of in
vestgation? committee who shall have
nothing To do with the pail md brush aI
committee who will use he scalpel aud probef
Or is it to be a committee 10 whiten sepu
chres? Why, | ask, was Price left out p
Why are we told Of Swartwout alone? il
~ will read Mr.. Attorney Prices letter to you !;
it seems TO be official and certsny it en-
titles him, when taken in connexion with all
q. the crcumstonc of his escape, to be dubbed
the most gallant defaultcr ! ever heard Of in
al, my life. Here Mr.. Wise read Mr.. Prices
letter to the President Of December 9th. l.
l see that the Secretary has ordered some
inquiry into the accounts of this chvalrous
on. gentleman, and that they have discovered
already deficit of $4,000. So much for a
beginning. Iie had taken care TO assign his
property and his furniture has lately beer
'' attached and sold. have list Of port OF
il; and really, sir, instead Of being such a
one might have looked for in the house OF
good democratic loco Foco and willing Ad
ministration Tamnany Republican, 1t might
rather suit the richest apartment in the pal
ace Of an Emperor. ] understand, too, tha,
on his way 10 the ship, he stopped aud pnr
chased quantity of veDison, canvassback
ducks, and other luxuries for the voyage and
that he carried out Sl00 900 in gold +; thut he
sold bond given to the United States in the
sum Of 5000 for 10000, in order to get the
gold for it. But no inquiries were proposed
into his matters. ] am told he has been re-
moved yes. after he resigned. And sup
pose the Globe will now show To the good
people OF this free and happy country that
no sooner did Mr. Price arrogantly refuse to
prosecute Swartwout, than this pure e,patornal.
vglant, guardian Administration instantly
dismissed him! and great merit will be
claimed for so prompt an evidence Of its de-
cision and frmness
Their there is the case of Gratiot have
often seen Gen. Gratiot in this city, and have
always respected his character: and even
now rather imagine that his default hap
pened more through mistake than any de-
liberate purpose 10 defraud but the truth is
that these gentlemen who have the public
purse in their hands are all so IN the habit OF
using the public money that they do 1t as
thing of course, and always with the hope OF
ultimately being able TO replace it. But this
furnishes a curious comment on the oiicla
assurances that since the sub-Treasury sys
TEN has, notwithstanding any lamentations
here or elsewhere" been in practical opera
tion, the public money has no longer been
applied to private purposes. oh, no. IL
never has been applied to the purchase OF
canvass-back ducks nor venison, ever
given to turn bonds into gold. Never
These good and faithful, these pure and i'm
muculate sub. Treasures, while taking the
"Peope's money" little by little, as they
needed it, have always felt sure that they
should be able TO refund it to the last dollar
out Of their specula,ions IN the public lands,
or in mulberry trees. Indeed, have seen
omewhere lately the account Of a stump
speech in which this was honestly avowed.-
The orator, with a melancholy face, said 10
the crowd: Gentlemen, have been very
unfortunate! did, to be sure, use little
Of the public money, and invested it in public
lands at the Government price but honestly
thought should be able TO return it all 4; and
so I should, gentlemen, so ] should, But, by
the operation Of these odlous banks, these
overgrown and grasping corporations, and
their dishonest suspension of specie pay
ments, all my fair prospects of speculation
have been completely cut up by the roots
ain very unfortunate and now, 'instead oi
being esteemed telon and candidate Tor
the peni,entiary, ] respectfully present my
eelf as a candidate for your votes rs a mem
Der of Congress" Aud they voted for him
with acclamuton
This is the moral effect Of such a state o!
things. We always claimed and held that
the public money sacred trust, and
that they who held it were the peoples ser
wants, accountable to them. This was our
doctrine in 1886, when we wanted an invcsti
cation of accounts. We held that an officer
entrusted to the keeping Of public moneys
must always be ready to meet the demand
for them The United States Bank, ay, sir,
that horrid monster, which collected and dis
tnbuted more than three hundred millions OF
your money without charge, and without the
loss Of one cent, was ready, always ready, tol
meet your demands and meet them any
where you pleased to say: from Maine tol
Georgia from the Atlantic to the Oregon,
she paid no demand. But what do we see
now? One after another of the certified
servants Of the PRESIDENTIAL honest, oil pure,
oil above suspicion, and certified TO be So
how do they explode, one after another, I'll
before the report of one defacation has died
upon the ear, we hear another, and greater,
20 OF! How many more are to follow, who
can tell? The whole posse commitatus oi
the Administration seem not unlikely to goI
of in body, aud at such a moment ii is tha,
the leg sub Treasury scheme is now, again,
for the fourth time, TO be forced upon the
Representatives of the People! feel it q
public disgrace that the country should have
follen into this slough Of defalcation and
there lies the worst part Of the evil. care,
comparatively nothing for the money: but !
feel for the public morals and for the national
character.
"A .,s.u MA ara Ia saiso a caunrnittoa L.