The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-01-19
CONGRESSIONAL.
DEBATE IN THE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
TUESDAY, January 8, 1899.
THE swARTwoUT pEraInarroN

swartwoui, having come up as the unfinished bust.
ness, together with The amendment thereto proposed
1 by Mr., Wise
i Mr., WISE modified his amendment by adjoining
aresoution offered some days since by Mr. Garland
i of Virginia, In the following words:
/ Resotred, That select committee be appointed
10 consist Of nine members, 10 be appointed By ballot
whose duty il shall be to INQUIRE INTO the canses and
extent Of the late defalcatons of the custom house al
New York and other places The length of time they
have existed, the correctness OF the returns which
have been made by the Collectors, and naval and
other officers, and the deposite banks respectively;
and all such facts connected with said defalca,ions
as may be deemed naterallo develop their true cha
| racter
4 Ben further resoLred, That said committee be re-
/ CURED TO inquire into and make report Of any de-
lalcaiions among the collectors, receivers, and dis
| bnrsers OF The public money, which may now exist
who are The deiaullers the amount OF detalcalons
the length OF lime they have existed and the causes
which led 10 them; and that said committee have
power 10 send for persons and papers.
| Mr.. EVERETT said that, as IL would be necessa-
~, II ADMINISTRATION was 10 take place this session,
that II should be entered on without delay, he hoped
the resolution would be voted on once and he de-
manded the yeas and nays.
/ Mr.. CAMBRELENG said he could save the
trouble OF taking The yeas and nays. This amend
ment was more extensive than he had supposed. The
| gentleman from Virginia mr. Wise had expressed
j surprise that Mr. G.. had not included in his resolu-
ton The case OF Mr.. Price. II would have been won
derfu II he had, as the dcnarure of Mr.. Price was
not known at the time he ohered the resolution. The
same remark would applyt TO the defalcation Of Gen
Graiiot but # the gentleman had taken the trouble
70 inquire Of bis colleague, Mr.. Mercerl he would
! have found that Mr. g. had suggested to him to in
| clude the case of Price The gentleman had said
! much about whitewashing the Secretary and had
nmated that that was the ultimate design of raising
| this commlee; but did the gentleman forget that
Mr. e. had expressly stated that he desired 10 be
| cused from serving on the committee II, then,
! there was any whtewashing 10 be DONE it must be
~ ahnAp alS Vah Hmm Iha ftatsan
from Virginia 10 take his own motion and then that
! OF his colleague, Mr.. Garland and see how they
wonld stand together. A most notorious defaica-
ton takes place in the custom-house at New York,
and now gentleman rises and proposes committee
| TO investigate fraud in which not only his own
| Conservative friend Swariwout was concerned, but
/ in which many other of his Conservative friends
must in all probability, have been largely concern
| ed with him for IL was notorious that SwaTtwout
was always in want Of money. This friend Of Swar-
won't proposed TO inquire about the fraud but not
word as to what became Of the money. II had not
gone 10 Swarwout, for lie was always needy. No;
il had been swallowed up in the Morris Canal and
+ Banking Company. There was where it had gone
TO; but not word was 10 be asked on this sube .
Did the gentleman seek to shield his friends by hav-
ing committee appointed in the dark2 For him
self he cared but lille how the committee was ap-
pointed lie presumed that whatever committee
should be appointed, it would feel under obligation
10 act with ylgor wherever the result might strike
whaher at the Treasury as seemed intended or at
i a
sons at present unknown. He wished-the House TO
follow the usual course. The Speaker would then
be responsible to the nation for the mannerin which
he appointed the committee. But who would be re-
sponSlble lot committee appointed in the dark? II
dId MOI look we'll for gentleman Mr. Garland ! TO
wish TO be placed al the head Of select committee
to examine into the frauds of his own political
friends II was very important subject of INQUIRY
wh e the money had gone.
| Mr.. Z. said that he accepted the amendment pro-
posed as modification OF his own resolution, with
The further modification that the committee be Or
dered 10 inquire whether any others participated
with Swartwout in the fraud or its consequences
or course, he excepted the clause about appointing
the committee by ballot. /.
MT MASON, of VIRGINIA, would respectfully
ask the gentleman from New York whether he ex.
cepted the American people, when they found thai
! the money which had been collected from them for
The public service had been squandered by public
agents and applied to their private uses, would be
satisfied with vague declarations from him that the
fraud had been committed by men Of this or that po-
ltcal creed2 Did he cherish the opinion that The
Conservatives in that House were he would not say
to be Deferred but TO be in the least affected In their
course by the opinion of that gentleman or Of the
public press that the defaulters we're Conservatives?
For one, acting as did with lall party known
at home as Democratic Republicans, whatever name
they might bear here or elsewhere, he would say to
that gentleman that they should be satisfied with |
nothing short of an exact, minute elaborate inquiry
| not into the political opinions of the delnquents-
though others might drag in that consideration in
OTuertO serve u purpOSe-Dut INTO the extent and
nature OF The pecuations which had taken place and
into the insufficiency of that Treasury machinery
which ought long ago to have detected the fraud as
well as into those legislative provisions which il was
proper to adopt, in order TO guard against like
currence in future II the gentleman had the in
tormation-and he alone could possess it-tha there
were others connected with the Morris Canal and
Banking Company, who participated in the pecula-
ton or in its fruits, and that would by the inquiry
be brought fully 10 light. Let The House, let the
country, have the facts. Nothing less would satisfy
them.
The gentleman had insinuated that it was very
remarkable thing that Conservative should desire
to be placed at the head of an investigating com
mitlee TO look into these delalcaions Thus the
gentleman attempted 10 parry the attack of one of
his colleagues (MI WisE,) by throwing out insinn-
atoms against another of his colleagues who has not
| yet opened his mouth The gentleman was assailed
by gentleman sitting on side of he House, and
by way of reply, he made an attack upon another
gentleman in quite different quarter. However,
his colleague MIR. GARLAND) was well able TO take
his own part. As one who should vote for the APP
! pointmenl Of committee by ballot Mr. M. cared
not of what political complexion the peculators
might be; the American People discaimed the idea
that public trusts were only to be confded TO those
who were of one particular way of thinking in po-
litcS. He had said he should vote for committee
appointed by ballot. II wassnot needlu that he
should dscaim the belief that proper committee
would not be appointed by the presiding officer of
the House if he should be entrusted with that duty,
for he entertained no such belief; but he would
vouch for it. that the partisan press in opposition to
the Administration would not tail be the complexion
of the committee what ii might, TO attribute its APP
poinnent to wrong motives. Let the committee,
then be appointed in such way that no such suspi-
cions could be entertained with any color Of reason.
1t great subject The end in view was to pro-
tect the treasure Of The country from dapidaon.-
II had been most shamefully squandered for nine
years in succcssion and yet Treasury machinery
had proved wholly inadequate to detect the robbery
This not vague assertion: itrested on the au
| I'LL r,.ft
ment the Secretary ofthe Treasury himself lfsuch
were the case, it called for the immediate nerposi
ton of the House. For one he DESTROYS of a
committee appointed by ballot, in order that the A.
~ he