Litchfield enquirer., 1840-01-02

al docket of each ofthe Circuit Courts and me l1,u
 per o hs Sass lsds sn. nai n ,hs
 amount 0f labor assigned to each iudge The num-
 Der of terms to be held in each of the courts coTnpo. sing the ninth circuit the distance between inc nls
 at which they sic and from thence to the sent of CNv
 ernuent, represented to be such as to render t
 impossible for the judge of that crcu. perform, in
 manner corresponding with the public exipences his
 term and circuit duties revision, therefore of the
 present arrangement of the circuit seems Id bs called
 for, and is recommended to your notice.
 hiKk it proper to call your attention to the power
 assumed by Territorial Legislatures to authorize the
 issue of bonds by corporate companies on the guar
 antee of the Territory. Congress passed a law in
 ls providing shas nS scf s 0i LIertSral Legis!a
 law until approved by Congress, but acts of very
 exceptonable character previously passed by the Le-
 gislature of Florida were suffered to reann force,
 by virtue of which bonds may be issued to very
 large amount by those institutions, upon the faith of
 the Territory. Aresolution intending to be joint
 passed the Senate at the same session, express.
 ing the sense of Congress that the laws in question
 ought to be permitted to remain in force unless
 amended in many material respects, but it failed in
 the House of Represenatlves for want of time, and
 interests involved are of great importance. and the
 subject deserves your early and careful attention.
 The continued agitation of ths question relative to
 money, tlinunously affects the business of the coun
 try The suspension of specie payments in l937 rem
 dered the ofdeposite by the act of necessity placed e custody ot most of the public
 money afterwards collected in charge of the public of fcers The new securities tor it's safety, which this extra session of Congress but in consequence of Disagreement between the two Houses neither then, nor any sgbseaaens per%!pd. % nas here been any e sesslci to obtain the authority of Congress to punish
 the use. of public money for private purposes as cri9e. measure a,ended andef 1s O,ne. governments dversities of opinion in that body, the anxiety doubtless felt by it to afford every ,ti cable security The result of this is still to leave the custody of the public money without those eafepnards which have been for several years earnestly desired by the Executive; and as the remedy is only to be found in the action of the Legislature, it imnoses oi me the duty of again submitting you the proprietv of passing law, providing for the safe keepino of inc public moneys, and especially to ask that its use for may be declared to be felony, punishable with pen altes proportioned to the magnitude of the offence These circumstances, added 10 known defects in
 the existing laws ana .S SnIsusl h in the years, much increased the difficulties attending on the collection, keeping, and disbursement of the re- venue ana caea S 0;,n SSespona,ng axertlons from been successfulbeyon expectation. Vast sums have been collected and disbursed by the several depart, ments with unexpeeted cheapness and ease trans ;fers have been readily made to every part of the Un- 'ioD however distant; and defalcations have been far less than might have been anticipated from the assence S ansasGs'e egP s Since the were charged with the custody of most of the public moneys received by them, there have been collected $60 and excluding the case of the late collec tor at NewYork, the aggregate amount of losses taned in the collection cannot, ts believed, exceed $60Oo0 The dedication of the late collector of that city, of the extent and circumstances of which Con- modes of keeping the public money that have been htherton use, and was distinguished hy an agsrava. ted disregard of duty, that broke through the re- usefuly referred to as test of the comparative safe. y of either. Additional information will be furnish ed by the report of the Secretary of the Treasury, reply to call made upon that ocerby the House of on the subectef defaults by public off cers agents under each Administration, from l759 to ls37 This document will be submitted to you in Post Oce which kept separately and will be sta. ted by itsel) far they bear upon this subject, are that losses which have been and are likely to be. sustained, by any class of agents, have been-the greatest by banks including required in the res0- lnton, heir appreciated paper received for public dues that .he next largest have been by dsbursing officers and the least by collectors and receivers | the losses on duty bonds included, they alone will be hreefold those by both collectors and recevers- Our whole experience, therefore. furnishes the strong alone wanting to insure in those operations the high est degree of security and facility: Such also ap- pears tc have been tue experience of other natons of the Treasury in regard to the practice among them, am enabled to statc that in twentytwo out of twen ty.seyen foreign Governments, from which undoubt-
 
 are kept in charge of public officers. This coneur renee of opnonin favor of that system is perhaps as great as exists on any question of internal adnnnis traitor. A5 In the modes of business and official restraints on dshufsng officers. no legal change was produced by the suspension of specie payments The report last referred to will be found to contain also much useful information in relation to this subject.
 have hetetoforc assigned to Congress my req sonsor believing that the establishment oi an inde- pendent National Treasury, as contemplaied by the s s ments in 1887, by the banks having the custody o the public money, showed in so alarming degree our de, % 9ss ,ba sn ,qe entife dissolution of that connection. Ihis recon, mediation has been subjected, as desred It should
 ow yse .a beeTe se a the natural diversities of opinion which may oe antcPa- ted all subjects involving such imporant consde- renes f h nas M s isscs ond be expected on
 Recent events have also continued to develope new Oolsc.cns to such connection Seldom 's any y 0ans' on demand, all ns liabilities for deposes ana noes m circulation. It maintains specie payments. sgd trans; the public in it's solyency; and wheneverhis s de shoyed, ihe demands of deposiiors ana note Cpressed more rapidly than it can make collections ef confidence, with it's conseqseIees, % occurred in lSS, and afforded the apology of tho banks tor heir suspension. The publcthe acQuiesced m the vaifd-
 y Of the excuse; and, while the State Ieg,satures dd no. exact from the m their forfeited charters Con gress, in accordance with the recommendation of the executive, allowed them time to pay over the public money they held although compelled to issue Treas u'y notes to supply the deficiency thus created. Nnow appears that there arc other motives than | want of public confidence under which the banks sesk to justify themselves in refusal to meet their oohgations Scarcely were the country and Govern neut relieved, in deoree. from the difficulties ocea- stoned by the general suspepsion of 1887 when par
 ai one occurring within thirty months of the former ploaaced now and serious endorsements, though t