The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-02-26

= WHILE M. Z04.
and kaoiDiag, tofM continuance, Of the most i'm.
portant defacatons which have occurred. CHARGE
him specifically with having in case, literally watch
ed a'defaicafion through period Of more than two
years, and seen i gradually swell during tina. iime to
upwards OF 100000! charge him with having per-
mitted, in numberess instances the repeated and con-
nued neglect and violation Of what he himself
TO be the paramount duty, without removing from Of
nee or even reprimanding the delnquenis. charge
hum with having IN his official capacity, received and
iayonby considered, correspondence degrading to his
high Office, insulting to him as an honest man. and Of
corrupt and proaigate character.
Or, the Secretary can only escape by the plea of
" non eompos MENUS" Out of his own mouth will
convict him; will but let loose upon him the docu-
ments be himself has furnished and like the hspess
Action, he will be torn 10 pieces by his own hounds
Mr. Chairman, the cases which am about to ex-
amlne IN support Of my POSITIONS have been selected
az random from the reports Of the Secretary himself
ana present them merely specimens scores Of the
same sort-the phosphorescent glimmerngs of corrup
tionbreak through the darkness, and illuminate the
path o. the Secretary from the very he came
into Office. Should | treat of them all, the 4lh OF
March would find me here, and the chronicles Of the
deiauliers still unfinished.
The first case to which will call attention is that of
Eo john Spencer receiver Of public moneys at Fort
Wayne, Indiana, and which commenced in 1885, The
report OF the whole Is found in document l42 Of
the second session Of the twenty fourth Congress
sha, extract shch portions as are in point
/ Under date Of the 25ih April 1885, tho Secretary
writes to Colonel Spencer among other things fol-
! lows:
"As the statements for January and February last
have not been received at the Department must claim
your attention to the OMISSION and insist on their trans
mission, in future, Immediately after the close Of each
month. AT the same time, ! would also claim your
strict attention the regulations of the Department in
nf
and to the duty of transmitting the usual evidences Of
such depostes 70 the Secretary Of the Treasury as the
instructions require
immedaiey afterwards, the Secretary writes again to
the following effect
TREASURY DEPARTMENT, May %, 1886.
SIR Since the date Of my letter to YOU Of the 25,h
utimo, your returns for the month Of Apr have beer
received from which perceive that the public moneys
in your hands the 3Oh ultimo amounted to the sum
OF S24725l "a, which amount is the accumulated re-
celps OF your office since the LIST Of January last You
cannot but be that the retention Of the public
moneys in your hands, beyond the period of one month,
unless the receipts Of such month be less than
violation Of your instructions The object Of this
letter Is, lst To require that the whole balance on
hand at the time OF the receipt of this letter. shall be
| immediately deposited, and certificate Of such de-
poste transmitted to the Department without delay 3D.
TO inform you that the Department overlook the
omission TO do So your future neglect to deposite
panied by the evidence Of your depose in time to be
received at this Office within the month next preceding
that for which the return is rendered Sd That any
neglect or inattenon to these requirements, unless
satisfactorily accounted for will require Of me, from
of official Duty that you be reported the Pres
dent with recommendation that you be removed from
office.
am very respectfully, &c,
LEVI WOODBURY..
Secretary Of The Treasury.
PEW
On the 9th Of July the Secretary directed that Mr..
West who it seems Isl sort Of rotary portion of the
Department, called an examiner) should proceed in
person to make special inquiry into them after and
report to the Department the result"
Accordingly, Mr.. West proceeded to fort Wayne,
TO examine into the delinquency of the receiver; and
having accomplished his task, made report the
Department. From this report IT appears that he
mel Colonel Spencer, who was on his way to Rich
Government The following is an extract from the
report in relation 10 charge Of shaving" upon the
public moneys
"Upon the subject of using the money of the
United States, beg leave to state, that find il uni
versally stated and believed and il is conceded to
afad by the clerks in the receivers Office, that both
he and hts relative Dawson have been much in the
habit, in the office, of shaving money! e. exchang
ing the money which could not be received for pub
lie lands; the rate OF exchange or discount varying
from three TO five per cent. | find in the case of
Isaiah Wells, of Marion county, Ohio, that SO re-
Gently as the 9Th instant he paid into the hands Of the
receiver in his Office eghtdollars Tor exchanging two
hundred and forty dollars OF Ohio bank notes OF five
dollars each. To what extent this shaving" bust
ness has been carried in the office, of course do
not know but Tam satisfied IL has been done TO Dery
considerable extent and that the Government money
paid in BY one person, has been handed out by the
receiver in exchange for uncurrent Cor not land Of
fce) money-he receiving for his own private use |
the discounts as agreed upon; and that the same Go
vernment money again is passed into the land Office,
to be again used for the like purpose, in pay for the
public lands.
g That the receiver has taken in bank notes of
five dollars contrary to ORDERS the schedule prepar
ed at his Office, herewith enclosed will prove that
he received bonus for taking the same is, think,
almost beyond doubt"
In postscript 10 his report, he says: Mr.. Spen
Ger has just come in, having been as far as Rich
mond, where, by obtaining discount upon some |
drafts due in September, originally taken here for
land, he was enabled to swell his depose there to
1852 83l "a; which, together with the money taken
with him from here the silver in the bank here, and
sorse other money, enabled him to depose," &C.
The following is the supplemental report of Mr..
West
MIAMI COUNTY, Indiana, August 90, 1886.
Sin hasten to correct an oversight in my state
ment of Mr. Spencers account, in the postscript OF
my letter from Fort Wayne. wrote the postscript
Just upon the point OF starting; and Mr.. Spencer
being present, requesting me to give the assurance
of his good intention for the failure, must be my ex-
cuse for the oversight.
1t consists in passing either the whols amount of
his deposite at indianapolis, in which is included
certificate Of depose of 1926 600 Of silver at Fort
Wayne; or, as the gold was left in the bank at Fort
Wayne as collateral, to make up deficiency of 49,,
O0O silver should not have passed all the gold to
his credit
His account, as corrected, should stand thus:
THE REcEIvER--Dr.
June 30. To balance 800, 500 ~
Received in July, ($355S97
75) 356, l55 20
Received in August, up 10
the Iilh, at 8, p. m. 9,774 GA
r
44s6 500 81