The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-01-22
CONGRESSIONAL.
DEBATE IN THE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE
FNIDAY, December =, 1913.
SPEECH OF MIR. WISE,
On The subject Of The late defaleations.

Cambreleng'S motion for select committee 10 in
vesligate the defacaiion OF Samuel Swartwout, late
Collector al New York. Several gentleman solicit
ed him 10 defer his remarks until 10. morrow Mr.!
| wise declined and said:
| : Mr.. SPEAKER: After once losing the floor in the
manner did, by complying with such requests the
other day, and by your decision yesterday that petit
tons had precedence for thirty days over this mo
iion feel very timid Of locofocoism in Welding
again. see, sir, gentlemen desire that this discus
sion should not proceed, al least not yet. They are
| afraid that public sentiment will be foreSiaed-
They are heartily sick Of this subject already and
would gladly get rid of il altogether For their
sakes, then, shall go on let them be patient under
the operation; II they are hungry, lei them go home
and get their dinner shall not have concluded be-
fore their return for, by refusing me leave to pro-
coed yesterday, they have only given me more time
to provide more materials; they have only laid up
Tor themselves wrath against the day Of wrath /
ieei better prepared, much better in body and mind,
than was before, and with this bank OF documents
before me, could rain forty days and forty nights
upon their sins and iniquilies!
Sir, in my rambling remarks the other day | said
many things which will prore now. | said the pro-
position OF the gentleman CHR Cambreleng) did not
go far enough. Instead Of nquiring only into The
manner and extent of Swartwoui's defalearion, il
should propose an investigation of the o6fcial e0a-
duct q he Secretary Of The Treasury, qriM rier
TO ms tmpeaehsHt il sufficient be found on which TO
base the articles of specification.
Let gentlemen understand me. | measure my
terms. speak in no spirit of bravado. dcciaim
would do their duty without fear, favor affection,
| the Secretary OF the Treasury would, before this
| House adJourns, be impeached II ever felon de-
served the hangmans knot, the Secretary of the
! Treasury, Levi Woodbury., deserves impeachment
That is the proposition which will now proceed TO
| demonstrate.
This is bold declaration know the weight of
its responsibility; il requires exerlion prove
1 1t and must be permitted TO 90 back a little, to
take review of the past, from the beginning, and to
gather, and group, and array all my exhibits and
| proofs
! To go back to the beginning, them you all know
that this present administration that now Is, is only
a continuation OF the one which went before il;
/ different stage of the same disease. II came into
| power reform administration, an Investigating adj
miRtSratt0H! Yes sir, they hot in the pursuit
and detection of all the nquities of The reign of the
| venerable gentleman before me, Mr.. Adams) and
| they found victims whom to glut and gorge their
party vengeance on whom to vent their holy hatred
of corruption, and through whom they might gam
| public confidence by making example of one
offender, which would at once blast the character of
the past administration, and emblaZon their own i'm
macuate purity and selfrighleousness. They sue
ceeded. Their first and last victim was Tobias
Watkins-they seized upon him and his effects
ncarceraed him nearly tour years for defacation
OF less than four thousand dollars, Frustrated the
power and the party which trusted him with place
and ingratiaed themselves in the favor OF the ma
\ ion as pure patriots and honest men who would re-
form and retrench all abuses, and who were them
selves, incapable OF like transgreSsions.
They were vigilant and faithful energetic and
efficient, unring and relenteSS--they sweep, like
new brooms, they swept clean as long any Of the
dirt OF the Adams administration was. left in any of
the departments They in this time exposed all the
enormities of their predecessors and began to form
character for themselves. Ii was thought that they
-they VINO mad been such scourges to all offenders
| against the purity Of the Government, would hardly
/ be suspected Of like offences themselves. But mark
you, sir, As soon as the Immaculate administration
OF General Jackson had been long enough in power
10 conceive iniquity and bring forth corruption and
crime, WorSe-en fold blacker than had ever before
been perpetrated all at once we witness an entire
change, and hear from " the party" different tone
| he cry OF corruption was now heard from another
! quarter-the trumpet blast came loud and long from
| different point OF the field. The Post Office De
parment was first charged with every crime in the
calendar OF malversaion and malieasance in office
4 The charges were denied, those who made them
/ vli'hed, and investigation was scorned and scofed
al, unlil Inc complaint became too popular TO be
4 needed longer; committee at last granted by
both Houses of Congress- their investigations could
not be stifed, and their reports from both sides in
oo'h branches OF Congress, exposed more bribery
| and corruption, more fragrant violations Of official
duty and crying abuses of official power and trusts
| than had ever been charged or dreamed TO exist
! The administration made narrow escape; they
run the gauntlet through this exposure and they
BY taught lesson which they have ever since
remembered-n0t fO0ishiv again TO grant ar uied 10
another iAreaigation To appease the public indg-
nation, Mr.. Barry, the only honest man among that
/
| of-what! FOREIGN MISSION O. B., Brown was
permitted TO resi- gu with ecia and the gains he had
laid up against day of trouble from the profits of
favored mail contractors, and the rest and worst OF
the robbers retained in their places
| But, sir, | was not for permitting the Administra-
| ion TO be "rhiPpcd and ecarcG" after conviction
upon Indictment against one Department, the Post
Office, alone believed that there were other De
parmens as foul, and that investigation was more
necessary in the Treasury Department especially
than any other | so charged during the long SEES
sion of 1856. | was laughed AT as a madman.-
| The Globe denounced me the tool of a faction
and daily were and my friend chr. PEYToN) pla-
carded for caumny and fasehood "by authority"
in the Official Organ. During that session, whilst
| there was time 10 investigate, we were not Needed
except by bitter denunciation for false cldmorS But
clamors brought forth fruit al the session.
official notice. though indirect, in the Message Of
| the PreSident-the "lasl annual Message" of the
! Greatest and Best.
| In December, 1896 General Jackson sent TO us his
4 last annual Message, in which he gave certih.
cate Of honesty, probity, and good demeanor 10 all
! the officers of all the Executive Departments. II
was given no doub, expressly to falsy the charges
which had been inmated by myself aud others at
the previous session respecting the then connexion
between the Treasury and Reuben M. Whitney,
| He held 10 Congress this language
Before concluding this paper | think it due 10
the various Executive Departmental bear testimony
TO their prosperous condition, and TO the ability and
/ integrity with which they have been conducted. Ii
has been my i'm to enforce in all of them avigiiant
and faithful discharge of the public business; and
ii is gratifying 10 10 believe that there is no Just
cause Of complaint from any quarter at the man
in which they have fulfilled the objects of their
creation"
And sir, as If to give this certificate all possible
Solemnity OF asseveraon, it was made Immediately
precede that closing paragraph in which, as win
a sigh of regret heaved from The bosom of the old
Caesar at the thought of leaving power he pourS out
his gratitude TO his ellow-citizcns for their encou
ragement and support-expresses his consciousness
OF having come Short of all he desired 10 accom-
pliSh, his confidence in favorable construction of
his motives his consolation that BiScrr0Ts would find
n rorrrryjrg 0u1 p0yrjoj of