The Ohio Democrat. [volume] (Canal Dover, Ohio) 1840-1900, 1841-08-12

pOTcr, '0ithoat hGUing required one Gddlh0nHI
dollar from the people
Mr. Woodbury. handed his statement TO Mr..
Benton. ltwas in these words:
"MR. WOODBURY. STATES IN RE-
FLY TO THE QUESTION OF Mr.. BEN
TON, THAT THE MEANS POSSESSED
AND EXPECTED TO ACCRUE, WERE
FULLY EQUAL TO ALL THE COMPU'
TED AND PROPER EXPENDITURES,
AND WOULD DEFRAY THE WHOLE
If NO UNFORESEEN ACCIDENT
SHOULD INTERVENE"
Sir, said Mr.. d. addressing himself to The
President OF the Senate, we have got you! We
hold you in the grpe of tive hand! when
your Secretary ofths Treasury sent in his re-
port at the commencement OF this seeson,glv-
ing his beggsrly account of empty boxes;
showing that he had spent what we left HIM,
and calling out for more;-l said to myself as
the report was in the course Of being read 10
the Senate, that there ives sn omission in it
that The Secretary had not told us how much
money had been delivered out to disbursng
officers and agents, before they needed il! how
much was now in their hands, unapplied or
unacrounled for! and that The knowledge of
this was necessary TO enable US to understand
how far the present distress OF the Treasury
js real, or srtificiall ! said this was necesSa-
~ 10 enable US to understand how far The mon
eys had been delivered out as actually requi-
red for the public service, or now far they had
been laviehed precipitateIy-fasler than they
could be used-in order 10 create vacuum in
the public chest; and thus justify an extra call
for Congress to fill it!
These enquiries passed through my mind,
and upon the inst. submitted resolution cal
ling for tho omitted information. The call was
in these words:
"Resoved that the President Of The united States he
requested to iuform the Senate what amount Of public
money has been placed in the hands Of discussing of-
GERS and agents since the 4th of March last also what
amount of public moneys now remain In the hands of
dsbursns officers and agents unaccouned for, not
reported to have been paid over according to law
THIS was submitted on the Sin day of June,
and alopied bv the Senate, and tho answer TO
| it has lust come in. /, has been delivered hia
| morning, Just in time for me to See 1t before !
rose 10 speak. This answer shows the sum
| ofseven millions Of dollars, eud fraction ov-
| er to he in the hands Of distributing agents or
officers, unaecounted Tor, or not reported TO
| have been paid over. TINS le, the secret out.
1t showed how the Treasury had been emptisd,
and whst the poor Secretary had heon Obliged
10 do in order TO furnish an er rpOst tGcto reas
on for this pre- ordained extra session Of Con
gress! Sir, | know how Treasury can be
emplied. 1t is only TO deliver out the money
in masses to officers aud agents before /, il
needed for tho public serV ce, and let ii lie in
their hands, or in the hands of their frendc,
or in fsvotile banks, until until wanted for pub
lie paymeuts. In that manner the Treasury
can be emptied on any day, no matter how full
il NAV be. In that manner it would have been
emptled a dozen times during Mr.. Van Buren'l
administration. if MS Secretary Of the Treas
urv had yielded TO the imporluNate demands
made upon him. know what say; for my
duty as member Of the Finance Committee
often lead me to converse with The Secretary
and to learn The conditions Of The Fisc. Tht
present Secretary says he has less than a mil.
lion 60 hand: say that has often been thecast
with the late Secretary Elehas often been drail
ed down 10 less than million. and would havt
been drained dry ifhe yielded 10 the demands
upon him for premature supplies; hut he Tough
them of, and kept the money in the Treasur
until the public service required /, TO be pu
over to those who had earned il. In this wa
he eeved the Tteaeury heretofore, and wou
saved 1t again This summer. | call upon tn
ex-SecrAtary to say if am not correct 10 al
this. NJ. Woodbury. said wee.
Mr. BENTON You hear his answer! an,
in that answer you feel the condemnation o
the present Seete,aryl
Mr.. B. here begged the Senate 10 obssrv
that he had not called for the amount Of uuac
counei for public moneys for the purpose q
imputing defaults to the officers. No sue
thing. He know iha. there was no time u
fot the greater part ofthese new accounts t
be settled: his only object was to show what
mass Of money was now in the hands of off
GERS and agents, and thereby TO show the rOa
son why 90 little was in the Treasury.
| now proceed, said Mr.. BENTON, 10 III
second class Of entries which find in thes
new books, namely, the additional mean
which The new administrators have provided
or attempted to provide for themselves, an
the want Of which has been made the puta,V
cause Of calling together this most Ominous an
portentous session Of Congress. At the hea
Of these means, not for its amount, (for it
but tride in the lotality of The sumo which
shalt have TO present. but Tor itS pseuliarii
and novelty, shall place the item which
brought to the notice Of the Senate on SaIur
day last, namely, the loan Of million at tim
for six months together, and at six per centuI
interest, which the Fiscal Bank, by claus
in ito charter, is authorized to lend to the Go
| aFnnoent wiihnut AnV Ia " of CouOraaa IN Auit