The pilot and transcript. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1840-1841, 1840-07-11

he is enabled to rule as easily and much more Sc
curely with than without ii for it is a sort o.
" nominal shield between him and the people
which quiets their apprehensions and lulls then
into false security.
Another recommendation of this bill, says the
gentleman from New York (Nfr. SroBg,) is:
that it provides for more full and adequate secu-
rity of the public moneys than has been required
under any former system. And upon what ground
does he make this assumption Why sir, he con-
tends that in much the bill makes it fello-
ny TO embezzle the public moneys or apply them
TO private purposes, punishable by fine and inn
Prisonment, defalcations will be effectually pre-
vented. And he exclaimed with rapture that UNI
der its provisions we should hear of no more
Swartwout and Price cases. This, sir, is the
common argument Of the friends of this bill.
Now, sir, the gentleman seems to forget that
it is necessary to catch felon before you can
punish him. This argument would be of some
weight if the gentleman and his friends can in
vent any plan by which you can take thief as
well where he is not, as where he as and hang
him as he runs ; but otherwise it is all in my
eye-there is no force in it whatever. Unless
the gentleman favor us with plan of this
description this mode of preventing deialcations
and embellishments of the public money must
prove wholly nugatory and imperative. The
! defaulters are always gone beyond the reach of
our laws before their crime is known.
But, sir, admitting for the sake OF the argu-
ment that they could be caught, what guar
! anty have we that this administration would en-
force the law against them, and bring them 10
| punishment | answer none. Is it not fact
proven by the official communications of the
! Secretary of the Treasury to this House, during
the last Congress, that notorious defaulters have
not only been permitted to go unpunished, under
! the existing laws, (and they could always find
| law enough to punish wing defaulter,) but
have actually been retained in office by this adj
ministration for years after they had openly vIo-
| lated every obligation imposed on them by law
and the regulations of the department? Many
of them, sir, were permitted to remain in Office
until they voluntarily resigned from a sense OF
shame on account of their own enormities. /
might cite a large number of cases of this de-
! scription but will only call the attention of
the committee to one which occurred in 1898,
| since Mr.. Van Buren, came into power | allude
the case of Paris Childress, receiver of public
moneys at Greensbury, Louisiana. He had be-
come defaulter to the amount of So, 449, 76,
after allowing him all the credits he claimed =
He was permitted to remain in office with this
large amount of money in his hands until the
| 25th February, 1888, when he actually became
ashamed OF Mr.. Woodbury's conduct in tolerat-
ing his dishonesty, and resigned giving as TIE
reason that he was no longer worthy of the trust
| with the permission of the committee will
read his letter of resignation. 1t seems he had
not only embezzled the public moneys, but had
left the Office to take care of itself and gone off
on a frolick, | suppose down to New Orleans,
from which place he writes. Here, sir, is his
| letter.
e'NEw ORLEANS, Feb 25th, 1888.
| Dear Sir With this you will receive my ac-
count current aggregate of moneys received and
account with the Treasurer of the United States,
which have been delayed in their transmission
| by my leaving the office, and therebeing no mail
! at Greensbury during the last .iIonth. In this
| also tender my resignation receiver OF public
moneys, being no longer toOTtlty Of The trust,
and in conclusion must recommend Mr. t. N.
Battles as a gentleman worthy to fill the
vacancy than any one Of the present applicants.
Respectfully your ob't. serv't,
PARIS CHILDRESS.
Hon. LEVI WOODBURY., Secretary of the Urea
sury
1t seems, Mr.. Chairman, that this worthy dis
ciple of Levi had suddenly become impressed
with sense of his unworthiness; but at the
same time that he acknowledged the fact, and
gave up the office, he thought himself quite
worthy to recommend a successor. / unable
| to say, sir, whether Mr.. Woodbury. followed his
| advice or not; but have no reason to doubt it,
from the course he usually pursued in such cases.
| Now, sir, the most reasonable conclusion in re-
gard to the real truth of this case it would
| to me- from the evidence, is, that this man,
| (Childress,) had plundered until he was pretty
| well satisfied, and then resigned, and recon-
mended one of his particular friends as fit per
son to fill the vacancy, in order to give him an
| opportunity to do likewise.
| But, sir, / find am consuming more time than
| [ intended. l have few authorities which APP
ply with great force to this part of the argument,
and to the bill generally; and, sir, l regard the
! proof to which | am now about TO call the atten-
| ton of the committee as altogether unimpeach-
able and conclusive upon the friends of this bill
because 1t is from their own mouths. They will
| not. hope, attack their own credibility, what
ever others may do.
| The gentleman from Georgia (hdr. Black
caused to be read from the Journals yesterday
| the vote this scheme when it was brought for
ward by General Gordon, of Va, in 1885, from
which it appeared that the whole party then an6
now in power, and who are now urging it upor
the country in defiance of public opinion, voted
| against it, This of itself is an important fact
proven by one of the friends of the bill, rather
| by accident than design l think. But, sir, they
not only voted against it, but they denounced IT
| in the most unmeasured terms, as shall present
| ly show The thunders of their eloquence were
| then hurled against it scheme calculated 10
increase the power and patronage of the Presi
dent to an alarming and dangerous extent, ana
| put i'll his hands the means OF corruption-to give
him the absolute control over the public moneys
and to render it altogether unsafe and insecure.
Sir, will begin by introducing to the notice
of the Committee or two articles in the Globe
/ newspaper, then and now the official organ o.
| the administration. Speaking OF tins measure
the Globe then denounced it in the following clio
| quent and patriotic language:
at is disorganizing and revolutionary, subycr
| sive of the fundamental principles OF our gov
ernment and its entire practice from 1888 down
to this day.
And again. Had such suggestion came from
Gen. jackson it would have been rung through
the Old Dominion with the reiterated falsehsod.
about the proclamation and the protest, as con-
elusive proof of all the aspirations which have
been charged to the hero OF Orleans See 0hey
would saw how he wishes to put the public mo
ney directly into the palms Of his friends and
partizans, instead of keeping it deposite in
bank, whence it cannot be drawn for any other
than public purposes without certain detection.
In such case we should feel that the people had
Just cause for alarm, and ought to give their most
wat:hful attention to such an effort to enlarge
executive power, and put in its hands the means
of