The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-08-14

matter Of expenditure and call il crying injustice,
and say that large item is the three per cent fund
paid 10 the States Now sir this is rather an amusing
defence Has not the three per cent fund been paid
! To the States under every Administrator ID II not
paid only in proportion the amount OF sales OF thu
public lands within the different States Is It not guar
anted 10 the States by the compact under which the
became members of tn, Unioni And have they mol
received il from the rst day Of their admission al
States Really MIR. Chairman, these apologies arr
rather too shallow TO deserve serious notice But sir
after ALL the friends of the Administration some
what excusable for these attempts at subterfuge and
evasion. They soreIy pressed by many searching
inquiries The stern gaze of the people Is at last d.
reced their action and they compelled to aya
themselves ofany and every excuse no matter how
pitiable and unsatisfactory.
Sir, (said Mr. Pr have touched these different
branches Of expenditure but slightly and leave II
with gentlemen better qualified To particuarize abuses
and unjustfable expenditures. will leave the sub
ject by saying that although the expenditures have
increased nearly three fold should not SO loudly com
PLAIN had the money been properly expended buti
SIR, II has been wasted. Our Notifications were never
in worse condition We have scarcely ship OF war
fit for sea When the frigae United States received
damage entering the port Of New York, and was
condemned unseaworthy after an expenditure Oh
some seventy thousand dollars there was not snip
ready to receive her and months passed before
could be fitted out to take the place OF the con-
demned frigate. We have not single steam ship OF
war which deserves the name beg pardon, SIR l
believe there is one-he " Ponsett"-they call her a
frigate she is nothing but miserable old scow
II am rightly informed. she used to be employed
somewhere about New York as ferry boat was pur-
chased at an enormous price by the Administration
fitted up and has cost near one hundred thousand dol
lars | am told that it took all hands (when serving
in the Florida waters) two weeks to cut wood enough
her three days. She is now lying at Norfolk,
the perfect laughing of every sailor but she IS
reported to Congress steam frigate Really, sir il
libel upon the name. In short, SIR, the money Vot-
ed by Congress within few years past for harbors
for hight houses for breakwaters for clearing out rivers
has nearly all been wasted foolshly thrown away, by
the mismanagement and extravaganza of the Admin
Where is our money! The laconic answer is, mil
lions have been stolen millions squandered; millions
unaccounted for.
But the gentleman from Virginia not content with
clarifying the Administration, has thought il necessa-
ry TO charge us with making unprovoked attacks upon
the President and his friends, and in tone OF triumph
has deed us to prove any act OF malieasanee or ms
tcasance. Sir meet the challenge, and will prove,
from under the gentlemans own signature, charges
made by him against the present Administration snfii-
ccnt to blast the fair fame of any party shall refer,
sir 10 report 3l3 of the House of Representatives,
commonly called the Report of the investigating Com
mittee ON the defalcation of Swartwout and others
The gentleman from Virginia was member of that
committee, and although he did not sign the report
with the majority he made Especial report TO which he
affixed his signature sir, shall not at this time,
ter into an examination of the merits of the document
II is enough for me know that the gentleman name
is signed to it, The following is the special report of
the gentleman and he complains that 1t Is unfair to
give extracts will give it entire:
"1h Hopkinss special concurrence in The report efMe
committee appended thereto by a rote ofhe commit
+" have not had the requisite time for scrutnizing
the report Of the committee with that care and atten-
ton which its length and Importance deserve, ana
which could have desired and should have prefer
.,l a., m hoya prcs ntat he
the committee without comment, to the II. OF Reps.
But conflicting opinions prevail IN the committee,
and are be submitted to the country in the shape OF
formal reports consider II my duty to say that con
cur with the committee in all the conclusions at which
they have arrived far those conclusions apply to
the extent and character of the dealcations of Samuel
Swartwout and VIM M Price.
~ should be fai,hcss to my duty and do violence to
the most conscientious convictions of my judgment If
did not also declare my entire concurrence in those
conclusions of the committee which relate TO the
duct Of the late naval officer of the custom house at
New York TO the late and present Solicitor of the
Treasury the Secretary and accounting officers of
the Treasury Department including the late Comptrol
Ter ofthat Department. and in that part of the report
which reviews the conduct of Jesse Hoyt, the present
collector ofthe customs at the port of New York.
&C. w HOPKINS, Member fthe Committee"
Now, Mr. Chairman, we find by this report that the
gentleman fully in the censure of the commit
passed upon the Secretary of the Treasury and,
what is said by the committce-page 80.
The committee will forbcar to rccapitul here the
extraordinary submssivcness and want of energy that
betrayed by the Secretary of the Treasury his
tolerance, without known complaint made to the Exc
cutye of the retention and use of the public money
collected by the present collector New York for du
ties imports against and under the protests Of mer
chants"
Again, sir, upon the same page the committee fur
ther say
II is believed to constitute an imbeeiiay q admt-
nstraton the part of the Secretary that calls for
immediate correction whether regard be had the no
nor of the Cover to the security of the public
money"
And further, sir, the report says;
!" The negligence and failure of the Secretary ofthe
Treasury to discharge his duty the head of the
Treasury Department, charged by law with the super
ntendence OF the collection Of the revenue and his
want of correct appreciation of the beiorcnamed re-
cords in the superintendent of the collection Of the
public revenue and the consequent neglect to continue
and complete them, Justly regarded as a primary
of the escape from detection for long period
of the immense defacatons of the late collector at the
port of New York"
Here, sir is direct assertion made by the gentle
man himself that the Secretary of the Treasury has
manifested extraordinary submissiveness and 'want
of energy y that he has been guilty of "ipbeciiity Of
administration y and that such conduct REQUIRES
immediate correction J" and further sir that the
Secretary, by his negligence and failure discharge
his duty, is directly responsible for the immense de-
ialcatlon of Swartwout amounting to million and
quarter ofdollars.
Sir, where is this g imbecile Secretary ~ Has he
been dismissed by the Executive Has even an in
quiry been made by this House into these grave
charges preferred by the committee No, sir no i!
The same negligent, imbccilc, criminal Secretary still
presdes over the Treasury Department Instead OF
having been discarded the gentleman said he should
be he is the pampered pet of the Executive and the
gentleman from Virginia is loud in his praise
as he was in his denunciation and he has the as
surance to lecture the Opposition for complaining of
this gross outrage perpetratcd the character and
exposing
But sir, the committee may check the expression Of
astonshmcnt which Mt this time seems SO senahly 10