Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1839-03-16

tornev,iS cefauiter 10 The government Ia
, large sum-
I'd. That his dofalcatious are attributable t
. the notorious responsibility and want OF char
: acter oil said Price at the period OF his appoInt
, ment and disappointment, and during his entire
terms of office, and to the continued neglect Of
proper and efficient discharge of duties at the 81
: fee of Solicitor OF the Treasury by the late an.
, present incumbents of that office.
!, PART 3. THE CORRECTNESS OF TIL
RETURNS WHICH HAVE BEEN MADE
, BY THE PRESENT COLLECTOR AMI
NAVAL OFFICER OF THE PORT OF n
Y, RESPECTIVELY.
Conclusions Of the Committee.
Ist That the returns of the collector of Gus
toms at the port of y York have at all times
embraced, as paid into the public Treasury, the
moneys received by him for nnascertaIned duties,
and at no time for duties paid under protest
Cd. That said collector, in his returns, has
violated the instructions of the Treasury Depart
ment has put at defiance the duties assigned him
by the Secretary of the Treasury; has repudia ed
the official decision OF the responsible aw-oficer
of the Executive department; and is guilty Of an
Illegal retention and use OF the public money, In
the amount then held By him for protest and un
ascertaned duties.
| Sd That the Committee has been prevented
| from ascertanng what is The extent of the Illegal
| reteDtOn anu use Vi PUBIC NoHeS DS tue
present collector ofthe port of New Yo.k, either
in funds collected under protest, or for unuscer-
tanned duties, or IN other funds collected by him,
because of his refusal to exhibit his own book Of
cash deposites IN bank, 10 permit the banks
used by him repositories to exhibit their
counts of his deposes.
4ih. That the public moneys received by
sand collector are mingled with his own moneys
on deposi,c, and not KEEP, by him, By his
banks Of deposiie, distinct and separate from the
individual moneys ofthe colecto. and OF his 'pro-
fessiona clients;' and his returns cannot, there
fore, be founded upon them a separate and in
dependent fund belonging TO Go. rnment, though
in his keeping.
9Th. That, appears by the letter of Cor
ham A. Worth, the cashier Of the City Bank, the !
present collector has deposited public moneys in !
his hands with bank which could not, under the |
law prohibiting the selection Of any bank as q !
Deposit ~ which has issued notes under the de.
nomination of FIVE dollars, be selected by the Sec
rotary Of the Treasury himself as u depository
Of moneys carried to tho credit Of the Treasurer
of the L. S.
9th Tina, the mode adopted and practised by
the said collector, of keeping and making returns
of the public money collected by him for unas-
certained duties and under protest, in the Ian
guage Of the present Attorney General Of the u.
States, "couid never have been the intention of
Congress; ;" and being tolerated, il has made il,
in the language Of the same high officer, 'tbe in
teres, Of the collector to postpone the ascertain
meut of duties, in the meantime he would
have the uncontrolled use of the money! 1t has
Also ia fuifiIment Of the reasoning of the Attor-
ney General, increased she danger of faithess-
ness in the collector, permitting LARGE amounts of
money to remain with him, nd under his indivij-
ual control, instead Of being in the Treasury Of
the u. s.
9TH. That, in the language Of the Attorney
General, the tenor and spirit of all our reven-
L.. hat st,rr
.en,ion of Congress has, at all times, been, that
money collected for revenue should be promptly +
placed in the Treasury, and not be permitted to
remain in the hands of the collector
Sth That the returns Of the aaval officer in
New York have not been correct, 1t is found
in the testimony Of the present deputy
val officer, that the naval officer under its exist
ing system, in not enabled, either TO determine
what amount Of bonds has been taken by the col
ec.or for duties in any quarter, or who are the
parties to said bonds, or the said bonds, or when
hey are PAYABLE, OF when such bonds paid,
hether the collector does or does not account tfu
Y for such bonds
PART t. DEFALCATIONS AMONG RE-
CEIvERS OF PUBLIC MONEYS.
TIE committee, in filflmen mt Of that portion Of
he duty assigned them, by which they were
directed to inquire into s-auy defalcations among
eceivers &c. which may now exist report 20
he House. that the limited period which they
lad for thorough Investigation Of the subjects
with which they were charged, and the time
.e.sariiy consumed in the examination Of the
.ases of the late collector and district attorney
If New York, have prevented a minute investi-
,a,iou of the extent, nature, and causes Of the i
IefaIcations OF receivers of public moneys, aris-
ng from the sales of public lands. The Com
nittee have, however, prepared. from reports
made by the Secretary OF the Treasury at the
asst aid present session Of Congress. tabular
.,atemen'. exhibiting the names of such default
ers, the amount due from each. when due, and the
penalties Of their official bonds, respectively al
20. the correspondence had between the Treasury
Department and fifteen Of the individuals whose
names appear in said sfstemeni-the ComuiIee
having called for. and been furnished by the De-
with the answers Of the receive TO |,