Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1840-04-03

due TO the various executive departments, 10
bear testimony TO their prosperous condition,
and 10 the ability and integrity with which
they have been conducted and il is crafty.
ing 10 me 10 believe that there IS no ius,
cause of complaint from any quarter ut the
manner in which they have fulfilled the OBJ
jects Of their creation"
Several members Of the House Of Repre-.
sentatives denied the truth Of this certificate
Of the President. and insisted that there was
FOUL CORRUPTION and great cause Of com.
plant. Consequently this part ofthe Presi.
dents message was referred TO select com.
mItee Of which Mr.. Wise was chairman, with
pienary powers to examine into all the de.
partments ofthe government and report 10 the
House This committee was packed by
Speaker Polk to suit the President and heads
OF departments and contrary TO Parliament.
airy usage. consisted OF six tools of the Ad-
ministralion, who were against the investiea.
lion, TO three Wings in favor OF investiga.
llon The President denounced this investi.
CATION. rs worse than the SPANISH INoUIsI-
TIoN.-And backed by majority OF the
committee itself, and by the Tory PARTY
and the government press. he suppressed il.
Improved to be mere mockery. Swarwoui,
Price, and the whole swarm of public plund.
erers looked on with intense anxiety 10 see
what would be the final issue Of the invest.
CATION. And when they found that the Pres.
ldent and his friends had siiAed it and shiel-
ded them from detection, and in effect promi-
sed them full protection in their course Of
plumber, these sharp-sigh,ed sub-treasureIs,
immediately commenced operations on larg-
er scale.
Swartwout's defalcalion at the time this
investigation was suppressed did no, exceed
two or three hundred thousand dollars; but
in the course of fifteen months after, il a.
mounte 10 over a MILLION AND QUARTER.
The defalcations OF other receivers of public
money under this Dynasty, swelled from
little over foui hundred thousand, TO over
eight hunded thousand dollars. in the course
oftwo years from the failure OF this inves,ga.
ton How much more has been stolen from the
Treasuryin consequence Of this free license
OF the party in power. no one can tell nor
Is II probable we shall ever be informed
Who that reflects upon these facts, and the
circumstances ofihese defalcations, can doubt,
that the course Of the Administration. 10 battle
Investigation into The affairs OF the Treasury
collectors and receivers Of the public money,
had distinct and powerful influence upon
these Sub Treasurers 10 carry ontheir system
of public plumber already begun, on more
extended scale2 Who can not see that il
operated as full license TO these officers, 10
pick and steal the public money without fear
oil detection WHO is so ignorant of human
nature as not to know. that in proportion as
the chances Of detection are lessened, in the
same proportion will be the increase ofcrim.
among all men OF loose morals2 Conse.
qnently. when these immaculate Sub Treas
urers received certificate of their honesty
in the message, and the guarantee oflhe par
~ in power, that no investigation should BE-
made IN their accounts, it was the signal Tor
them to give full scope to their. avarce, and
ill their pockets with PUBLIC PLUMBER
Had the party in power suffered full inves-
ligalion Of the affairs ofthe Treasury depart.
men, in the winter Of 1887, il would in ali
probability. have been the means Of Of saving
near TWO MILLIONS of public money from
being piundered and los, by Sub Treasury
defaulters Had they have felt conscious
that all was fair and honest, who can doubt
that they would have courted investigation
with view to raise their credit in the eslima-
ton Of the people2 But being conscious Of
the GUILT, FRAUD. AND PLUMBER, which
would be brough, to light by the investigation
they suppressed j. by the exercise ofarbi,rary
power, and the people must suffer the conse.
quences.
There is another fact showing the palpa-
Bile neglect of official duty. and disregard OF
the public interest, connected with the defal-
cation Of Samuel Swartwout. which ought
not 10 be lost sight Of The correspondence
between Secretary Woodbury. and Mr. Swarl-
won't. soon after Swartwouts removal from
Office shows that Swartwout had retained in
his hands two hundred and one thousand dol
lars Of the public money, under pretence
that there were suits 10 recover back the du.
ties for which this money was received. Ii |
is evident also. that Mr.. Secretary Woodbury.
had all the means at command, 10 ascertain
the real amount OF Swarlwouts defalcation
in April or May 1888, that he had in Nov.
1898, when the amount OF this heavy defalca-
lion was first announced TO the public.
Now what was the reason. that this deial-
cation was hushed up and kept cabinet Sc.
cret Tor seven long months ; and in the mean
time Swarwout allowed peaceably 10 slip off
to England with his million and quarter
ofthe peoples money?-for no steps we're
taken to secure il and although well known
10 the Secretary and his masler-Mr. Van
Buren,, still it was all kept as hush as death.
The answer to all this is plain. 1t was for
the interest of the party"