The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-05-02
LETTER FROM MR.. Bolts.
20 Tam, o Tam, thou'Ilt get Thy iarln'
u-r IL ..,,ll ros "A thee like q het1n.

y;legs vhsch l. too absurd on ia very iace nougn
endorsed by Mr. Richie N an saa,ora S e.
The m.lignity that originated it, and pity for the folly
that gave countenance 10 H. 49, !,
Win Mr. Richie and his own highly censurabls
conduct which shall DC exposed before nnlsn sh,
the public but this attempt TO assai me through thu
uubic prints in order TO screen his friend who has
been assailed in another quarter whether jusiiabl'
or not pretend not 10 say
I, + NOT the first time this winter that have had
reason to complain of Mr. Richie, towards whom :
have ever been courteous and civil, for Lending sne
use Of his columns hireng writers to defame ns'
when he knew that there was not particle o.
in what he published; and now that ne mas 49,.
circulation TO, and endorsed Islander ana Ia'u -
which, on its face proves the folly and wickedness u
the charge shall avail mysef ofthe OCCASION -
muncae for the benefit Of all who may cnoose 70 ~
few facts which will make even mr. fs"en'e 'iu''
if he is at all sensible to shame. ), ...;..a
This letter writer charges me with having practcea
stupendous fraud on the Post once DSP1 -, M
Richie and is in the following language ne Is de-
Tending Mr.. Roancpand says -
"a, f.r A. the law is concerned, Mr.. Roane has
complied with il in the instance above reracd pu. 70
settle the gentleman squeamishncss the subject,
would inform him that in no instance has the Thanking
privilege been abused to such extent coming within
INV knowledge as that inflicted by the Hon. John Mi
nor Bolts who ranked the posthumous speech OF nc
Hon John Davis of Massachusetts,, in reply 70 Mr.
Buchanan This gentleman made up bag OF the
above named speeches, leaving the superscripton
blank to be filled up by the members of the Leglsa-
ture, and addressed it to v. w Southai, Richmond,
which, instead Of coming through the channel desig-
mated BY the Ia,c Of The land WAS SENT As FREIGHT
Now to this charge, substantially, plead guilty;
though il il not true that sent them Mr.. Souhall.
did send saek-bag full Of Ar. Davis speech to
Chairman ofshe Central Committee, she,ring that the
Satb- Treasury scheme supported by Mr. Bncaan-
an, and other friends Of he Administration, on ne
I. M
property and the price of labor, TO be distributed as
called for among political friends in the Legsa-
turc to be taken home by them or directed and sent
BY mail, might be most convenient to them; the
labor of directing being at least as convenient 10 them
as to me.
wish | had another sack bag TO send of in the
same way-I would if it were in my power, put that
document in the hands Of every reading and rejecting
man in Virginia, and would trouble the United States
Mail TO carry them for me, If believed they would be
distributed in time for the elections and should think
was rendering my State and my country essential
service in doing, Nolc let them make The most Of IT,
This was the abuse OF the ranking privilege com
planned Of 1t was for this that held up in tho
columns Of the Enquirer committing fraud ON the
Government because chose to pay the freight out OF
my own pocket to the steamboat and railroad do
cuments that the Government bound to carry for
me, lciatom compen sdtion, il had required It.
had supposed that the frauds usually complained
OF were such as Mr. Richie has himself been guilty of
an sending papers and packages prohibited by fdtc
and not for seeking pirate conreyance for such
the lac authorised me to send free Of postage
Mr. Richic, | suppose, would be satisfied that
should stop here after pleading guilty the charge Of
sending documents freight; but for his information
as well as othOrs, will furnish hun with the prnci-
pal reason that Influenced in that course-it was
because was afraid TO trust them in the hands of the
Post Office Department, on account Of the daily
frauds that are practiced on every Wing Member of
Congress who undertakes to exercise the privilege OF
frankng documents to his constituents calculated to
hxtvxR nEah
and corruption Of the Government.
And now for an instance in point M
On the second day of February last sent to the
Post Office in this city several hundred copies of my
first speech the New Jersey contested election d.
rected to the Richmond Post Officc--on the 18th of
the same month, went to Richmond myself and had
many applications from personal friends for copy Of
the speech had sent nearly fortnight before. 1 nc
paired to the Post Office Of that city to ascertain whe-
Their those documents had been stopped in Washing
ton, or II they had been received in Richmond why
they had not been distributed Nobody could give
me any information on the subject but in looking
about tho office, | observed mailbag under tho
counter, filled with something and the mouth Of the
bag united | asked what il contained; one of the
clerks said he didn't know; looked in il, and found
my frank ON every paper in yie@ then asked how
long that bag had been in tho Office but one could
tell; on emptying its contents, it was found to
tain nothing else but my documents by which it
would appear that they had been separated from every
thing else whether in Richmond or Washington
know not
Does any man in his sober senses believe that if
those papers had been ranked by political friend Of
the Administration, they would have been uncere-
moniousy laid under the counter? II he does, he is
amentaby ignorant of the present state of things
Believing that there could be no design on the part
Of the young gentlemen in the Office (who are all
young men, taking little part in politics)
rest the distribution Of documents ranked by me,
complained to the Postmaster (Col. Gooch) himself
who said he did not know how long they had been
there, but it was possible they might have been de-
tanned by the state Of the roads.
II is not possible for to say how long they had
been in that ofice-l only speak Of the facts as they
occurred but know that other papers mailed sub
scquenty to them had been received and distributed
at that Office and that these papers had been detain
cd improperly for ten days somewhere; and also
know that they should have been distributed as
soon as received and that the bag had heen opened
and laid aside under the counter, with no purpose Of
having the documents distributed al that time
Is II remaTkable, then that should prefer to send
my documents as freight rather than trust them
their immediate and certain delivery?
But more than this-l have daily applications from
friends n different sections Of the State for documents
sent them many weeks ago, which shews that there
are other offices where the same scheme il practsed
Whether this is case calling for the interrogation
OF our scrnpulous Postmaster General (who does not
hesitate to charge members of Congress with prac-
tslng frauds, for all ! know, good grounds, or
not, leave TO him to determine
Here | take occasion to say that I exonerate the
clerks from all blame look only TO the salaricd Off
GER whose duty it is to that all papers and letters
reaching his office, properly and promptly distri
bu;cd
But the secret Of this complaint against me on the
part of Mr.. Richie and his correspondents is two
fold-frst, that did not furnish the opportunity TO
the officers of Government to stop my papers and
secondly, that adopted the safest means of circu
lating information among the People calculated TO
strip them Of the power they 50, shamefuly abuse
Now let me tell Mr.. Richie that should NEE, with
difficulty in ranking hcd-tick and sending il nv