Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1840-08-07
From the National Intelligencer Of this morning

From the National Intelligencer of this morning,
WORCESTER, (Nrass) July rs, 1910.
Messrs. GALES and SnAros: have seen with |
the utmost surprise in the 1ntegcnccr OF the 25d m
slant, which reached me this morning several certh |
Gates from 'Whig members of Congress on the SUB
iect of"a publication in the Globe of the Oh OF july
1910 under the caption of Messrs LNcoLN an, dLE,
and il has now become proper for me- personally, 10
notice both the certificates and the matters 10 whch
they refer. shall certainly have no controversy WIN
either of the gentlemen who have seen ut TO give these
certificates TO those of Mcssrs. Stanley, Allen and
Navlor have nothing to object. Indeed, to that of
the latter, in whom am happy to recognise person
al as well as political friend would myself most WI
lngly have subscribed; and the substantive iacls
stated by all, far respects the procurement OF
the furniture in the Presidents House, l no more
question than themselves. have never sald or nl-
thorizcd to be said or reported single word when
those certificates gansay, and feel entirely cnnscious
of having afforded no cause, on my part for any IN
| tcrp)siton between Mr.. Ogle and myself:
In one certificate, however, of Mr.. John C. Clark
and Others there are expressions to when icci pouu
! to offer word of reply. find in il the following
| paragraph ''Ihe undersigned do not undertake to
say whether Mr.. Lincoln use the language imputed
to him by the Globe not but as he has pgrE,ttcd
ts publication to remain ten days without public con-
tradicton, presume he now adopts the language
ascrbed to him, ilhc did originally utter IT r. II
these gentlemen heard the remark KS which dld, IN
fact make the occasion referred to IN the GLOBE,
they must have known that did not "orignnlly utter
the language ascrbed to me by that paper in the ex-
trac, thew have taken, nor any thing like it. Or, if
they heard my reply TO Mr.. Oglo n fortnight after
wards when, upon my return to my seat from tenn
porary absence he alluded to Misrepresentation
OF my remarks, they must have heard my uneq,vocal
denial of the fidelity of the Globes report, and full
and frank expression OF what did say on that occa-
sion.
From another part Of the same certificate, in con-
nccton with the extract from the Globe it might be
inferred that had spoken of the purchase of furniture
ns being under the direction of the COMMITTEE on
Drhl,, K,flI IF .lpl,V vynS ChuI
could be further from my meaning, or the statement
, made by me. Even the remark, as given III the ex-
tract from the Globe, greatly erroneous as ii most
surely is would hardly warrant the inference drawn
from Thy the signers of the certificate. What did
, say was in substance that since had been at the
head of the committee for period of nearly three
years no APPROPRIATIONS, to my knowledge, had beer
made at the request of the President; that the com
mittec had always acted on the requsitlon and esti
mates of the Commissioner of Public Buildings, ant
that on one occasion, when the President had beer
referred to- to the need of proposed appropriation
he had declined expressing any opinion or wish upoI
c the subject. Or PURCHASES which had beer
It made, 1 explicitly disclamcd all knowledge. hat
neither seen the bills Mt that time nor did speak oil
d or in any manner refer to them My remarks wcr
|. exclusively applied TO APPROPRIATIONS, and to III
" APPROPRIATIONS 1t is well known that there
IT Committee on Expenditures, distinct and ndepen
he dent of the Committee on the Public Buildings, an
'r no, the latter, all such disbursements as no,
e spoken flare properly subjects olnqury or annad
T. version.
,,c And here distinctly and explicitly declare tina
Is to the character of the purchases of furniture by VI
p Van Buren, between the 4th of March and 9th OF d.
III cember 1887, to which the certificate refers, uttere
i. not word of remark for knew nothing, and beto
N the delivery of Mr. Ogos speech, had heard nothln
Of the articles or the bills which are the subjects
= his comment When the appropriation was granite
s. under which these purchases made, | was n
n chairman of the committee. This was in the secoi
IN session of the Twenty Fourth Congress- and my a
IN polntmcnt in the Congress after. repeat tbs
re since that PERIOD whatever has been asked for eth
$, for the public grounds the public buildings in IL
w provements repairs, or furniture has come hroh!
m the usual and formal estimates furnished by the cor
10 missioner with no request made to the commute
so directly or indirectly, TO my knowledge from Il
IL President. This observation Is at least due to the
. dcpcnt action of my associates
u; The Appropriation under which it appears from {
y said vouchers that than eighteen thousand dc
wy lars were expended in furniture for the Prcsdcn
house between the fourth of March, 1887, and the q
of December 1927, was doubtless made in genoi
10 terms, with direction to the specific articles o.
ne cost at which they were TO be procured; and hes
as having agency myself in directing the expenditure
on l was, III fact, during the whole intervening peri
ID between those dates at my residence in Massachusct
lis 1t was for appropriations made since that time a
'es not for the manner Of th"r application, that said
committee responsible. Whatever there h
ms been of prodgallty or extravaganza in the eypcn
ay lures has never been, and will not be justified by n
10 The item in the bill which gave rise to the dlscussc
m embraced only the daily pay of the laborers, sol
at ordinary supplies for the cultivation of the groun
M and five hundred dollars for the cultivation of t
grounds and five hundred dollars for repairs, jnda
necessary upon the house; and in commenting up
these and the remarks of Mr.. Oglc, which they see
ed TO have called forth / incidentally only alluded
the propriety of suitable furniture to the house pro
c. ded by the people through forty years legislation
Congress, for the residence OF the representative Oh
MAGISTRATE of the nation.
With sentiments Of faithful regard, vonr obedt
servant LEVI LINCOLN