Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-03-09

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,,
= DI1 vi
Iuesday, March ., 1S4l.

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revive and continue the corporate existence Oh Inc
Banks in the District of Columbia
On that motion the yeas and nays were ordered nnd
resnlicd-yeas "a, nays a.
There not being twothrds, the rules were not sus
pended
On motion of Mr. VANDERPOE the House then
resolved itself into Committee of the Whole on The
state Of the Union, Mr. Wise in the Chair0 and took
up the bill providing for the support Of the Military
Academy for the year lS4l.
After the bill had been read through,
Mr.. ANDREWS moved TO strike out the enactng
clause; which motion was rejected.
The bill was then read by clauses, and there being
no amendment offered il laid aside to be reported
Mr. EVANS moved that the Committee take mp the
bill making appropriation for surveys and other pur-
poses; which motion agreed tn.
The bill was then taken up, and numerous amend
ments offered; pending the consideration OF which,
The hour having arrived, the House took its usual re-
Eecning Session.
The Housc resumed lis session in Committee of the
Whole and after some time spent therein the commit
tee rose and reported
The bill making appropriation for the support Of the
Military Academy at West Point for ISL, without
amendment.
Also the bill making appropriation for surveys and
other purposes, without coming to any resolution
thereon.
The above bill making appropriation Tor the support
or Tho Military Academy at West Point then, after
some debate read third time, passed, and sent 10 the
Senate. - 49,,
The House then went into Committee the Whole,
and considered the amendments of the Senate to the
bu mak:nr appropriations lur the civil and diplomatic
cxpenses Of Government Tor lcll
FEES OF NEW YORK COLLECTOR.
The question being on agreeing TO an amenomert Oh
the Senate 10 the general appropriation BILL restricting
the allowances of the Collector Of the Customs at New
York,
MIR. WISE said that The Investigating Committee
appointed some years since, discovered that the Collect
or of the por, Of ~ York received immense sums from
in addition 10 his regular salary and, IN conse-
ouence Of report made BY that committee, the salary
Of the collector was restricted in lS39, to 81 That
officer had then admitted that he made proht oil per
cent on the protest money retained IN his HANGS lie
had been ordered by the Department to pay over ther
moneys to the Government but he had positively retus
cd So replying 10 The Secretary ofte Treasury that
bc intended when he should 90 on. Of Office 10 have
his accounts settled according 10 Shrewsbury clock.
This same collector had resigned; but ne was not
delauer oh no there was now more rehneo phrase
in use-he ssretaned the fees, (Which amounted TO
the moderate little sum Of SlIo000) Yet every other
CHARGE Lr had made in the settlement OF his account
had been allowed By the Department. What should
have been done with such man, when he refused to
nav over moneys belonging either to the merchants OF
New York or TO the Government OF the United States:
He ourit TO have been "expnnged. The Govern
mcnt ought 10 have clipped his official head oil ms
shoulders and said, $50 much for lloyt Instead oil
This. the Government might cry, $50 much tor our
slI0,0G0."
Mr. VANDERPOEL observed, he compelled to
say few words in reply and what he said, should be
on his responsibility as member great many
yapue and erroneous rumors were IN circulation aoont
this affair Of Mr. Hoyt, and he would now state it as he
had understood it to he from the best authority lie
would state in the first place. that the balance retained
in Mr.. Hoyts hands only $4,000 and the greater
mart of this was for official fees received by him. lthad
formerly been thought that the bill fixing the salary OF
IN. collector cut off all fees for entries, permits, etc;
and under this IMPRESSION the predecessors Of Mr. "yt
had uuid over these fees To the department But Mr.
Howl on further examination, had 10 the concl-
sion that the law did not forbid him to receive these Tees
and in this opinion he claimed TO be supported 6y de-
c;son of Judre Story establishing legal distinction
between ..cn,oIuments and "ees " and as the law cut
otf only uemouments," he insisted that "ees did not
come under its provisions The Treasury resisted
This Interpretation of the collector and sued Mr. Hoyt
for the amount of fees in his hands. The matter had
been submitted 10 the President who alter personal
examination of the question, had decided against the
collector. and ordered him to be sued he and his
ties had been prosecuted accordingly, and MIR. Hoyt
had been ordered deposte the balance in court, TO
abide the issue of the suit On this the collector, see
np what was coming, resigned, and had not paid over
the money ordered MIR " SAID ne was personally
acquainted with Mr.. Hoyts bail, and believed them
TO be worth more than FIVE times much as the amount
claimed by the Government TO be due from him. dc
believed and hoped, too, that Mr. Hoyt himself was
able to pay II.
AR IIoyt had offered 10 discharge the duties OF The
office till should be appointed, put the re-
side had refused the Offer and nominated successor,
and tho Senate had confirmed the nomination. Mr..
Hoyt was the political and personal friend OF the IRE
;dent hut the latter would not, seems, treat hun
more enently than he had treated others who retained
money under circumstances somewhat simiaf'
IL ed he
collector had been in the habit of receiving, was SAID
bv many and believed, from $4,000 to Sl5,OOO, in the
shape Of storage, and nearly Slo,OO0 more IN the form
of fees The fees had been excluded by the
adnped the Senate, but the storage had been always
conceded as a perquise of the collectors office al
New York; but the Srnate's amendment proposed
10 cut that off Also There were public stores IN
New York. The collector, therefore, hired buildings
on his own account, and all goods stored there he
charged importers for storage The section IN the act
Of 1889. to which the gentleman from Virginia Mr..
Wse referred, cutting of storage, had no more to
do with that subject than text from the Heidelberg
Catechism But the effect of the Senates amendment,
which would soon be read was 10 cut OF all fees, and
leave the collector to his salary Of $4,000, and his
storage to the extent of $4,000 morc put together
= srm of sc OO0 In addition TO this, the coec-
,or uo Of all seizures, fines, and toreltures
which seemed necessary incentive 10 vigilance IN pre-
venting frauds and abuses
AIR MORGAN observed that his colleague had de-
sended the New York collector.
MIR. YANDERPOEL said he had rot; he had merely
stated the facts and not by way of defence
Mr. MORGAN gave it as his opinion that, instead
of beup defauer only to the amount OF 100000, II
would turn OUT when the facts were fully investigated,
as they soon would be- that this man was larger de-
fauer than Price. The claims Of Mr. Hoyt were nn-
derstood to be 5000 000 under the pretext OF
guarantee for his responsibilities for seizures. Mr. NJ.
suspected he would be found treadng in the footsteps
of his predecessor
The committee having concurred in the amendments
of the Senate the bill amended reported TO the
House.
The amendments were then concurred in by the
House. and the Clerk directed to apprsc the Senate Of
that fact.
After the disposal of motions relative to private
business an account Of which will be given hereafter,
AT ten minutes before 10 o'clock,
On motion Of Mr.. BEATTY
The House adjourned.
Wednesday, March 3, 1S4l.
IN SENATE.
The Senate was called to order by the Secretary ana
proceeded to ballot for President tempore ana me