The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-05-28

OASIS OF the assessment, he said the amount
was from twenty 70 one hundred dollars aud
the tax was pro rata according to salary ~
There are two elections every year, and every
other year three, in the city Of New York one
for Congress, one for the State Legislature and
one for the corporation officers. When the
contests were looked upon as close and doubt
fui, suppose the assessment was one hundred
when less so twenty but one hundred dollars
contributed three times a year BY 4SS officer.
would amount 70 STAG, 400 Ii was proven thai
Abraham b. Vanderpoel, who was promoted in
the custom-house from salary of 1895 TO one
OF 1000 which he now holds, was the collector
o. the assessment Aren't s. De Peyster swore
that when called on by Mr.. Vanderpoel for hi,
contribution, he hesitated about paying II when
Mr.. " gave him to understand, IL he refused
he might be turned out Of Office, to avoid which
ne paid the assessment. All s9
But to settle this long mooted question, and
to get at the whole truth, this Mr.. Vanderpoel
was called as a witness 10 depose on the sub
jec, but the minority of the committee, being
friends 10 the Administration, knowing he would
make startling disclosures, objected to his an
swering, and prevailed on the witness not 10
answer the questions. a AsAs
After Mr.. Vanderpoel had declined to answer,
IN order to present the facts to the country, Mr.,
Wise, member Of the committee, offered IN
committee the following resolution, which was
unanimously adopted: A8 tE
Resolred, That the following facts be entered on
the journals: 4i.esy taAss ss .64 eNes8
L. Mr.. WISE propounded to the witness, Abraham,
B. Vanderpocl, the following questions, to wit:
Question q Do you know whether the officers Of
the custo-house have ever been Called ON TO contri-
butte sums Of money to party and political objects
What officers have 80 been called upon; by whom,
for what amount; with without regard TO their
salaries of Office when did they contribute; if they
refused, any ntmation given that their refusal
might occasion their removal; what amount has SO
been contributed collected, and for the support OF
what party at any one election
"Thc witness took the interrogatory without obiec-
ton to propounding the same and proceeded TO write
his answer thereto the paper attached the ques-
ton and had written the following, to wit I have
known officers attached to the custom house to have
been called on for-when Mr.. Owens, member
Of the committee, interposed and informed the wit
ness that he was not bound to any nterroga-
tory relating to his private affairs and thercupon
Mr.. Foster, another member Of the committee object
ed to propounding the nterogatory The witness
here commenced to tear of what he had written be-
fore objection was made to the interrogatory Mr..
Wise prevented him from doing So by forbidling the
act. Mr.. Foster insisted that the witness had the
right to tear of what he had written and that it was
not his until il was complete and handed in,
and he asked the witness whether il was his answer,
and he replied Ii was not and the committee having
decided that the interogatory should be propounded
the said question by Mr.. Wise was again handed to
the witness, and he returned the following ] de-
cline to answer the second question The witness
Mr. Curtis called for the yeas and nays and the
resolution was adopted.
"YEAs-Messrs Curtis, Dawson, Foster, Harlan
Owens, Smith, Wagner, Wse-s
NAys-None"
These facts speak for themselves, and need
no comment. r
Thus system Of appropriating public money
belonging to the whole people nominally to pay
clerks and other officers but in fact to carry the
elections Of one party by the corruptest means
is proven beyondcontroversy None can longer
dnny il There GRO two m osx,bers of the Swarf-
won't Investigating Committee now members Of
this Congress on the Administration side Of the
House, and if have asserted aught that is not
borne out BY facts, hope they will get up and
correct me- t
In 1882, when the first case of this sort was
brought before Congress on the affidavit Of Mr..
McCrate, surveyor Of the port of Wiscassett,
in the State of Maine, against Mr.. McClenlock,
the collector of that port, who required Mr.. Nc
Crate to contribute one-fourth Of his salary, il
presented, in the opinion Of Congress, case OF
such enormity, that they supposed il so improba-
BILE that they refused to prosecute an investiga-
ton into the matter, and referred it to the Secre-
tary Of the Treasury with directions to have il
district attorney in Maine to prosecute the inv
tigation, who himself was doubtlessly an assess
ed officer, and had quietly paid his assessment
and we are told by one member from Maine
(Mr. Smith, who was Mr.. McClenlock's attor-
ney in the case, that the whole thing was clear
ed up in the report of the district attorney But
when the report was called for, il seems TO have
been inaccessible. The veritable Secretary Of
the Treasury says il was burnt up.
Il -.
enormous to be credited, now too innocent
matter to be spoken of or investigated
Just at the end of Congress before last late al
night of the last day, notwithstanding the high
prices paid to clerks in this District, the gentle
man from Tennessee, (Mr. Cave Johnson, who
had always claimed TO be the leader Of the ultra
radicals of the Administration, moved, in com
mon appropriation bill, to increase the pay of all
clerks Of particular denomination twenty pei
cent, and all Of certain other denomination
ten cent. opposed it, and so did several oppo
sition members. referred to the case of Nc
Clenlock and McCrate, and charged that the
movement, whatever might be the object of the
author Of it, would but be a means to enable the
officers to contribute more largely TO this cleo.
ton corruptng fund. But the Administration
had majority, and the increase in the salaries
was made, and, very possibly, forthwith paid
over to the collector Of the assessments
Again, late at night of the last day Of the las,
Congress, the gentleman from Virginia, (Mr
Dromgoole) who also processes TO be an ultra.
radical friend Of the Administration, upon a 81
milar bill made similar motion to increase the
pay of the clerks. | opposed the motion, and
read from the evidence in the report Of the
Swartwout Investigating Committee, to prove
the existence of the practice of assessing the
clerks and other officers to raise funds to car
ry elections. | denounced the movement, and
held up TO the country those who were sup
porting IL as proposing to increase the pay OF
clerks beyond the demands Of the public service,
which would only the better enable them to con-