Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1839-03-14
REPORT OF THE INVESTiGAT.
ING COMMITTEE ON THE DE.
FALCATlONS.

ING COMMITTEE ON THE DE.
.FALCATlONS.
The National Intelligencer of Tuesday
contains an abstract OF this report from which
we have arranged tho following, somew what
more abbrev lated.
The committee state in their "prefatory
remarks" that in entering upon their duties
iii was most obvious that the whole field of
inquiry, presented by the resolution appoint
| ing tho Committee, could not be PROPERLY
| trdversed 10 report thereon, either sa,Isfac.
| torily 10 the country or To the Committee.
during the short remainder of the present
Congress-; and that they were induced 10
limit their investigation TO such subjects
as had deeply excited public anxiety and a.
iarm, and only SO much Of these as might be
exhausted within the brief time allotted 10
them. They express the hope that the in
vesligation will be continued aud COMPLETED
by the next Congress.
They express the conviction that at no
period in the history of the Federal Gov
eminent has there been deeper or better
founded cause than exists at the pre sent mo.
ment, Tor every patriot heart to desire a
prompt contamination of that signal task
OF reform" which public sentiment many
years since Inscribed on the list OF Execu.
tive duties, in characters too legible 10 be
Overlooked, requiring, particularly, the cor>
| rec'ion oil those abuses that have brought The
patronage Of the Federal Governm.o, ;nio
conflict with the freedom of eleutinns and
the counteractIon OF those cuuses which have
disturbed The righiiul course of appointment.
and have placed or continued power in un,
faithful or incompetent hands,"
They then proceed 10 give an outline of
me manner In which their examinations
nave been conducted: in the course Of hich
'hey remark that they thought il incumbent
upon Them to examine the correctness of the
returns made by the present collector of the
customs and The naval officer al New York
considering That The customs collected ai
New YORK equal nearly two thirds of the
whole amount in the United States" "Bui ("
say they, sin the execution OF 40 much OF
ms part OF their Inquiries as related 10 the
present collector OF New York, they we're
compelled TO encounter most unexpected Oh.
s'acles, interposed by the collector himself.
and setting at defiance The authority dele.
gated TO the Committee by the House.
me Commute state that in the onset OF
'he investigation they supposed il proper and
sale 10 place themselves under the puidsoce
OF several special reports TO Congress from
the Secretary Of The Treasury and others
~ however, very soon became ev ident thst
nose reports were not 10 he impIici,Iy re-
lieu on as auxilIaries in finding out either
ihe Law or the facts Of The Case and that. an
the contrary, They furnished but an oblioue
view OF Doth the causes aud duration of MIR.
S"art"outs delalcaiions, as also of the law
anu many material facts which deyeIop the
true Character Of those deialcaiIOns. Ofne.
cesshy, therefore, these reports, although g.
manalins from the highest orders of official
1 nm ri a..
disbursement of the public revenues. became
The SUBJECTS OF as cautious and critical ex.
animation as any other portions OF evidence
"hch Inc Case presented and such il " i'll
he obligatory upon the Committee TO treat
them in this report.
In reviewing the details OF their Iabors so
that tho progress and results of them NAV
be presented IN the simplest form, the Com.
! mittee propose to consider
| PART l. The delalCations of Mr.. Swart-
| won't.
PART II. The deislca,ions of Mr.. Price.
PART Ill. The correctness of the returns
which have been made by The prssen, col.
lecior and naval officer Of the port of New
York, respectively.
PART Nv. The defalcaiions among re-
ceivers Of The public money.
| PART V. The facts Connected with the
foregoing defalcatIons, and deemed material
10 develop their true character
Inc COMMITTEE express disappointment
and regret at not being able 10 present TO
The House document Tor which they bad
made call upon The President, embracing
"A list of the defalcaIions that have taken
place among collectors, receivers and dis.
ouss'"g officers Of public money, and
o on puoiic officers, since the 4th of March.
ioZ9, showing 'he amount OF each, Sc.
which would have had an important influ.
ence on the Judgment Of The House, relative
TO the defalcatIons Of public officers, and the
causes of their multiplication.
More than four weeks had elapsed since
me call was made aud the only information
obtained TO report 10 The House is The toll
lowing letter, from which the Committee
| conclude -
LIST. Tbot the accounts and records OF The
several Departments, il general are so in
complete aud defective DIS moi to exhibit
Without great labor and delay the true re-
iat'ons oil collectors. receivers and disburssrs
OF the public money, and Of other officers of
me Government, as 10 distinguish debtors
rom defauiteTs, and creditors from both
Zd'y. hat the number OF the dsiauIters
nave multiplied SO rapidly since 1929, under
'he system of accountability pursued tow srds
coleclors, receivers and dsbursers of The
pubic money, and other officers, as TO pre
dude The prsciicabiliiy of receiving nm &C.
count current Of their de!alcaijops with al;
The clerical force at the command of those
Departments under existing laws and ap-
preparations.
IL either inference be just, (and none 9TH
or oi equal weight seems 10 be fairly dedu-
clbie from The letter of the Secretary of the
lreasnry) II manifests Iaxiiy Of admins