The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-01-24

enactment similar 10 that Of other countries TIE op
plieatioa 81 public money By eeer Of Goeernmeni
10 pirate uses should be made foHy and riSted b.
serere and tgnoaiiaOas punishment"
will soon show you, sir that millions OF The pnb-
lie money have been applied by officers Of the Go
vernment to private uses with the knowledge Of The
administration.
The Government, II must be admitted has been.
from Its commencement comparatively fortunate in
Tits respect But the appointing power cannot al
ways be well advised in its selections and the expe
rience of every country has shown that public OH
GERS are not al all times proof against temptation"
is The Government fortunate in this respect now 7
Can any one tell us how much we have LOST We
nave certainly been taught OF late that Government
oncers are not always proof against temptation and
we may all verify pray that part OF the Lords PRAYER
winch prays-" Lead us not into temptation"
:, II is more direct cooperation on the part Of
Congress in the supervision OF the conduct Of the
ocerS Entrusted with the custody and application Of
.he puoie money Is deemed desirable IL will give
me pleasure TO assist In the establishment Of any ju
aclons and constitutional plan by which that object
may be accomplished"
NOW, sir, what wonld the President consider jl-
dicinns and constitutional plan? We recoIlect thai
ms illusrious predecessor considered a committee
to report to Congress as worse Than a Spanish in
QUESTION. What is Mr. Van Buren,s plana w.
will soon see.
Submit 10 your consideration whether a com.
ihhee OF Congress might not be probably en- ployed
W inspecting al such IN eivalS u igh be deemed
proper the affairs and the accounts Of officers in.
trusted with The custody Of The pub ic MONEYS The
frequent performance OF this duty might b. made
ooh@a'orv on this committee in respect 10 those Off
Ia aIa ~ nave large sums in their possession and
eit u'screuonsry v ith respect 10 others"
Sir, all this would seem to BE- reversing mo rn,s
and line OF conduct pursued nv q neral JacLsn
ne Would seem 10 be coming at last to my doctrine
him = ' ~ '''' near
They might report 10 the Executive, such dsc,,o,
tions as were fonnd 10 exi NTH rim 20 a nyo,on,
rem"rat from oce unless Mt dejauH ras satisEoe,orj
acc"unted for," dc.
All sir, here the mys'erv is solved. Here is The
clew TO all Executive ces>ion-it is but al o'he
step 10 Executive as"randiZ 'ment. The committee
Of Congress is 10 report 10 lie Erecutire is in A
committee of Congress Is 10 travel all over the Unit
ed States, as Executive servants 10 supervise the
officers OF President who is sworn 10 see that the
laws ar faithfully executed! And pray what have
we an Executive for2 Why have we President
and Secretary, and Auditors, and Comptrollers
with pienary powers TO do this very servce1 Could
they not have done this whenever ihev pleased TO do
their duties, for the last nine years2 We are TO
convert our committees into mssiona rieS-thiS
House Is TO be a new sort Of " American Board"
with this difference, that instead Of being miSsiona
ries Of Chris we are to be missionaries OF Mr. Pre-
sident Van Buren, General jackson claimed il as
the duty and prerogative Of the Executive alone 10
ly; but his successor asks Congress to perform the
Executive duties for him. Does Mr.. Van Buren,
mean TO say that II has been for want of such Con-
gressiona aid, heretofore that there has been no
such supervision BY the Executive7 That there has
been no such super vision is true but, that such aid
was wanting, or necessary is not true. The Presi-
dent has always had the full power of this supervi-
sion--he might have found some honest men of his
own party fit for offices, and have appointed honest
commissioners to supervise those who were not fit
This is iDSuDpr bile ohpc that hep
dent not only asks to go out of our usual course
but to bccomc merged in the Executive. What, 81 ).
is this House in fact in actual service TO become
Executive slave2 Is it the aim of the President
bfanch Of Government Would any other Presi-
dent have dared 10 propose such thing ! would
ask the venerable gentleman from Massachusetts
whether he would have dared to ask Congress 10 d.
rect its committees by law, TO report 10 him? That
gentlenan's worst foes, those who vifed him most
never charged him with thus insulting the dignity
of Congress Is this the sort Of committee you are
now asking from us2 ! would prefer tlat defalca-
lions should go on-hat the public moneys should
be squandered-that the public character and morals
should go with il overheard TO having the lines of
demarcaIion between the coordinate branches Of
the Government deStroyed-to amassng all power
in the Executive This would bring as at once and
at a leap, 10 the lowest degree Of degradation
whittier defalcatons and general corruption
only gradually and slowly leading us-to the very
footStoo of deSpo
But, sir come 10 the important question now
With what view would the President have these
committees report 10 him He tells US, nth pie'o
to a prompt rem0roL Jrom 0Fce." This brings me 10
another branch of this subject will now proceed
show that after has been reported to the
Executive, of defalcalion and of delinquency in Of
fee, and violation Of duty, in subordinate officers
reported by commissioners appointed by the Presi-
dent himself-cases not only Of default, but fraud,
Of repeated applications Of public money 10 pirate
less than 40 since 1895, in three years-and
ed to Office after their deiDquenceS and moral ur-
pitude were known 10 the Department / will 60
further: they have been connenaGced and en-
couraged to become defaulters and Ia perjure them
selves and detraud the Treasury. am not declaim-
ing-I will prove what say When say forty
cases, mean that numb'r al least which can emu
merale SINCE 1884 Il can give the names; ] have
them before me- Will first lake up the case Of Joseph
Reckless collector at Perm Amhoy New J'r>ey
advert to this case particularly do General Jack
son Justice. believe that he was imposed on IN this
case by false abstract Of tesmnny mode out al the
Treasury Department. WIN. Van Hook, OF New
York, preferred the charges against Reckless in
letter to Secretary Woodbury.:
"NEw YORK January 3, 1885.
"SlR: The following facts Of fraud upon the Go
yerpnent Of the United States came to knowledge
some time since hut being DESTROYS Of satisfying my
self Of their truth before submitted them to you,
delayed doing I'LL this time now feel Il nv duty
to charge j X. Reckless, the Collector Of Perth Am
hoy, New Jersey, with the following frauds, committed
by him in his official character, upon the Government
"lst charge-A wilful omission TO credit the Co
vernment in his accounts with the sum OF $l47, re-
ceyed by him as Collector on the 18Th Jnly 1889
heresbouts for tonnage duty the schooner Pacific.
seized by his predecessor in Office for violation OF
the revenue law, and remaining under seizure when he
came into Office, and which remains unaccoun,ed for at
this time This sum was received from Messrs F. Sc
cor and Son. Of this city, under compromise made
with them by said Collector Of the actually due,
and which amounted to about S4l7.
"2d charcc-That the said Collector has charged