The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1840-01-04

securities for its safety, which this requi-
red, were principal cause of my con-
vening an extra session of Congress; but
in consequence of disagreement between
the two Houses, neither then nor at any
subsequent period, has there been any
legislation onthe subject. The effort made
at the last session to obtaian the authority
of Congress to punish the use of public
money for private purposes as crime,
a measure attended under other govern
ments with signal advantage, was also un-
successful, from diversities of opinion in
that body, notwithstanding the anxiety
doubtless felt by it to afford every practical
security. The result of this is still to leave
the custody of the public money without
these safeguards which have been for Sc
vcral years earnestly desired by the Exc
cutive; and as the remedy is only to be
found in the action of the Legislature, it
imposes on me the duty of again submit
ting to you the propriety Of passing law,
providing for the safe keeping of the pub
lie moneys, and especially to ask that its
use fol private purposes by any officers
entrusted with it, may be declared to be
a felony, punishable with penalties pro-
portioned to the magnitude of the offence.
"These circumstances, added to known
defects in the existing laws, and unusual
arrangement in the general operations of
trade, have, during the last three years,
much increased the difficulties attendant
on the collection, keeping, and disburse-
ment of the revenue, and called forth cor
responding exertions from those having
them in charge. Happily these have
been successful beyond expectation. Vast
sums have been collected and disbursed
by the several Departments with unex-
pected cheapness and ease; transfers have
been readily made to every part OF the
Union, however distant; and defalcations
have been far less than might have been
anticipated, from the absence Of adequate
legal restraints. Since the officers of the
Treasury and Post Office Departments
were charged with the custody of most of
the public money received by them, there
have been collected si1ty-six mollions of
dollars, and, excluding the case of the
late collector at New York, the aggregate
amount of losses sustained in the collec-
ton cannot, it is believed, exceed sixty
thousand dollars. The defalcation Of the
late collector of that city, of the extent
and circumstances of which Congress has
been fully informed, ran through all the
modes of keeping the public money that
have been hitherto in use, and was dlstln-
guished by an aggravated disregard of du,
ty, that broke throug gh the restraints OF
every system, and cannot, therefore, be
uscfulIy referred to as test of the com
parativc safety Of either. Additional in
formation will also be furnished by the re-
port Of the Secretary Of the Treasury,
in reply to a call made upon that officer
by the House of Representatives at the
last session, requiring detailed information
on the subject of defaults BY public Off
GERS or agents under each Administration,
from 1889 to 1887. This document will
be submitted to you in few days. The
general results, independent of the Post
Office, which is kept separately, and will
be stated by itsclf) so far as they bear
upon this subject: are, that the lossse
which have been, and are likely to be, sus-
tanned by any class of agents, have been
the greatest by including, as required
in the resolution, their deprecated paper
received for public dues; that the next lar.
gest have been by disbursing officers, and
the least by collectors and receivers. If
the losses on duty bonds arc included, they
alone will be threcfold those by both col
lcctors and -rcccixcrs.-Q Qur-whole- -expe=
rriiccnGye, therefore, furnishes the strongest
evidence that the desired Legislation of
Congress is alone wanting to insure in
those operations the highest degree of Sc
curly and facility. Such also appears to
have been the experience of other nations.
From the results of inquiries made by the
Secretary of the Treasury in regard to
the practice amongthem, lam enabled to
state that in twenty-five out Of twenty-se-
ven foreign Governments, from which un-
doubted Information has been obtained,
the public moneys are kept in charge OF
public officers. This concurrence of opin-
ion in favor of that system is perhaps as
great as exists on any question Of internal
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