The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1839-04-23


only for want of help in the Office. Hereafter,
think can get my reports off, without much delay
after the close of inc month and quarter; 4 am,
Yours, respectfully, JOHN SPENCER, noc'
Hon. LEVI WOODBURY., Sec. &c. .
What think you of this3 The repeated 1nJ 5 or
ton of the Secretary had been, that at the ehd o.
each month he should deposiie the PMo,1 ,noJ .a
in hand and if he failed 10 do so, solfhout go1@ &C.
cuse, he should be removed from ONCE wen, sH'
he fails to make his deposte in October, not by ac'
cldont or necessity but voluntarily an" What IL
that excuse /? 1t is, that his democratic friends
thought he ought not to teaoe till after tho election
for President in other words, that his duty TO Me
zarty was paramount to his official duty that his
obligations to Van Buren, Qhe candidate for the
Presidency were greater than his obligations to
the country, in whose service he was at least nom
nally employed.
Accordingly, he neglected his most important
duties for many days, that he might in the cleo
ton that political influence of which the honorable
Mr. Hendricks speaks with much JUNCTION.
The Secretary receives this excuse recognizes
its suffi cheney, by not recommending his removal
from Office as he had promised to do, in case the
reason should not be satisfactory aud has thus
convicted himself ofentertaiDng and practising the
prohgate doctrine that interference in elections by
office-hoder is not only justifable. but involves
higher degree OF obligation than the mere per-
Torrance of official duty. II was not merely to ex-
ercise his elective franchise as citizen that Spen-
violated the m JUNCTION of the Department; TINS
right he could have exercised where his duty call
ed him, as we'll as at Fort Wayne. But that would
not do he had influence at the latter place, which
it was important to the party that he should exer-
else, Having thus Violated his official obligations,
for the purpose of assisting Mr. Van Buren, into the
Presidential chair, il Of course no more than
fair that the President should return the favor He
did return it. He continued Col. Spencer in Of
flee and thus, at the same time, exhibited ms
gratitude, violated his duty, and prostituted his
high station. This, Mr. Chairman, is bnt speci
men of that corrupt reciprocity of service which
constitutes the lgature that binds together like the
Siamese twins the executive and the office holders.
fha nf fr0n WI
foregoing extracts is public record, and was fur
nished to the Senate at the time when Mr. Van
Buren, was President of that body Of course, ne
cannot plead Ignorance CT its contents et,in Inc
face of the report of West of the pf2Higate ietter
of Hendricks of the shameless avowal OF the :e-
ceiver himself that he neglected the paramount du
ties of his Office for the purpose of exercising his
influence at the election ; in face of all this, the
President negects and refuses to apply the power
of removal and the unblushing partisan still re-
mains in office, ready, doubtless, at the next cleo
ton, to play again the game hich proved so pro-
fitabe at the last.
will no longer detain the committee with this
disgraceful case, but, leaving it and the parties
concerned to the judgment of the country, proceed
to the consideration of another. will take sthe
of Harris, receiver of the land office at Column
bus, in my State. In this instance l mean to
convict the Secretary of the Treasury, not of a
single isolated neglect of duty, but continued,
daily miserable wnking and connIvance at mall
versatlon and def lcaton, during period of two
years, duplicating alike his honesty, his ve1acity,
and his capacity. First, showever, l will show
what importance the Treasury Department attached
to the duty incumbent upon collectors and receiv-
ers, of depositng i'll bank, at stated periods, the
public moneys in their hands, because it was from
the continued violation of this duty that the de-
falcat;on in the case of Harris, well most 9TH
ers, occurred and because it will leave the Secre
tary no excuse From the supposed nsignlficance
of the duty, for the gross and culpable negligence
on his part, which makes him, in justice and
truth pGrticeps criminis in the whole affair.
hold in my hand book of some four hundred
pages entitled "Letter from the Secretary of the
Treasury transmitting copies of letters 10 collectors
and receivers who have failed to comply with the
laws and regulations for their government and
also, copies Of reports of examinations of land Of
fees since the first of January, 1884, !" &c. 1t is
Doc. 297, and furnished the House by the Soc
rotary on the 30th of March 1888. 1t is the most
extraordinary publication that fell under my
observation. 1t is moral, political, and literary
curiosity.
If you laughing philosopher, you will find
in it ample food for mrth if you belong to the
other school, You cannot but weep at the folly and
imbecility which it exhibits. The Secretary must
have been frightened when he compiled it, for it is
without form, and darkness rests upon its face. 1t
contains two hundred and sixty letters to default
ing collectors and receivers in some instances,
from ten to twenty TO the same defaulter yet so
curiously Is the book constructed, that you must
read the whole of it to trace single case Its
contents are as strange as the "he BROTH that
boiled and dubbed in the witches caldron. From
this fragment Of chaos shall proceed to extract
and arrange such matter material to my pur-
pose. And first, to show, as l proposed, what i'm
portance the Secretary attached to the duty of de-
posting the public moneys in bank, at stated Pc
RODS, so that they might not accumulate in the
hands of the collector, and thus afford temptation
defalcaton.
The first letter shall quote was from Mr. fancy,
then Secretary of the Treasury. 1t is No. of the
letters receivers, is dated January 16, 1884, di
rected to r. B. Sterling, of public moneys
End concuds as follows:
81 will only further add, that the obligations to
deposite the public money promptly, and to render
your returns and accounts punctuay, are impera-
tiDe, and 1t must in future be regarded para
mount to all other daties'
Again, under date of 18th of May, 1884, Mr.
fancy writes to J. w. Dickson, receiver at Mount
Salus, Mississippi:
"Certifeates of deposie are 10 be addressed to
this office these, and the prompt and punctual de-
poSite of the public money, are to be regarded as
paramount duties, the strict performance of which
will be insisted on"
On the 18th of July 1884, Levi Woodbury. writes
he fol Lar to nIna or oil