The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-04-03
PO S II s C. r. P II
Washington.
Correspondence ofthe Herald-l

The senate Gen. Parker's Casc-Analysis OF
the Matter, with some Comment
The business Of The morning was of little public
importance in the Senate to-day. Mr.. Mangum,
from the Naval Committee, reported bill for the
appointment of board of officers for the purpose
of framing rules and regulations for tie government
OF the navy, which, after some discussions was iad
on the table. The Senate went into executive se'
sion, at an early hour and afterwards adjourned 10
Monday.
Mr. McCuloch confirmed as fiis' oohpHoF
lerand Mr. Powell Consul to hlo Janelio'
la nv letter of March 4th, certain reports are
mentioned concerning claim oil General Parker,
which was allowed under Mr. Secretary Spencer.
This allowance was stated to have taken place pre-
sentlv after General ParkeI's admission to the War
Denarment as chief clerk, although it had been
nelIed for many years before, and through several
administrations. My letter expressed wish for
formation whether the reports could be sustained
that the claim had been so repelled and long re-
PEELED, and eventually so admitted. 1t added that |
should be glad Of a chance, il this were not the
case, to say so. am sorry now to be compelled TO
rejoin that General Parker, though he has told a
long story, has not given me the chance sought.
He has not even touched the charges. They are
thus summed up in the letter.
.'Was General Parker trying for some iou. teen
or fifteen wears to get claim which he SET up OF
some two or three thousand dollars for Extra allow
apcc and irving in vain! Did he make his attempts
through the accounting officers OF the government
through the differen. Executlyes-through the
courts Of the country-aDd even through Congress,
vet always fail, until with this very clam pending,
ne obtains the highest place under Mr.. Secretary
Spencer, and, within month Of that gentleman's
induction into Office, also obtain that very claim
which, ever since 1928. has been rejected p And
was not the General actually sued in 1872, as de-
faulter TO the United States, and judgment given
against him, after carrying the case up 70 me gu
preme Court for the sum covered by this allow
ance I And while actually under such judgment as
a defauIter did he enter the Office In which his
claim has been allowed :!
These are my words. Surely they are direct
enough, but General Parker evades them, and clum-
silly and ipjuriously to his patron, MIR. Secretary
Spencer. Among other wanderingsirom the mark,
ne calls the judgment which hung over him as de-
faulter his personal affairs, with which, he says
that distinguished public officer" Mr. Secretary
Soencer, "never had any thing TO do" II Mr.. Sc
Cretary Spencer prizes his former reputation for
patient research even into infnitesimas we com.
msserale him that his special friends, Generals
Scott and Parker should both have deemed it neces
sary for his vindcaton upon other points, to PROVE
in their cases, his utter blindness and ignorance
of what passed under his own hand and nose.
And what is this, which the General without epau-
le,tes, designates his personal affairs 70 Moth
ing but the small matter Of having been, for do.
zen years, confirmed debter the Treas ury books
by judgment OF the Supreme Cortland, with this
judgment over his head, obtaining an appointment
10 office, and in few weeks thereafter, further OBJ
tanning the allowance OF this very claim through the
action the Department which the appointer
and appointee presided II ignorance is bliss and the
Secretary has hitherto deemed it folly to be wise in
relation to such private and personal AFFAIRS his
happiness must end now, since, not only 10 the for
Indebtedness Of his right hand man last pro-
claimed, well as the way in which he has
contrived TO make the Secretary, however habi-
tualy suspicious, unconscieusly remove it,-but
both he and the public aredistnctly advised of the
existence Of YET MORE claims TO pay and enoIu-
ments still due for past services" to Gen. Parker AT
this rate, if the past is to supply rule for the future
the Hon Secretarys chiefcerk bids fair to be found
somewha, costly coadjuor, especially ifhe should
ever become as liberal 10 others as to himself But
as the Secretary appears to be somewhat in the
dark regarding the character Of these personal af
fairs of his Prime Minister we feel our own homo
rable selfcalled upon, good patriot, and illumi-
nator universal, instruct him from report Of one
of them, which we quote from executive document
No. l23, House of Representatives, 26,h Congress,
I'd Session, page 1l, where Mr.. Spencer may find
others concerning the officer to the same eff
feet. The then Attorney General, Mr.. Beren,
there says, % do not think that this claim can with
propriety be allowed. 1t appears to me that Gen.
Parker received double rations during the time fol
which he seeks to obtain an allowance for fuel and
quarters under an order by which those double "a
lions were expressly given as a Communication tor
this other allowance which he now claims. 1t seems
10 me that this was his own contemporary under
taking; and that it was the motive which influ-
enced the War Department to make the allowance,
is proved by the fact that it recalled soon as
the Government was in condition to furnish
the fuel and quarters, as a substitute for which
these double rations had been allowed" And,
incidentally, it may not be amiss TO point out |
TO the Secretary another clause in the opinion
as 1t happens to bear upon the ignorance pleaded
for unctionares Of his high ORDER concerning such
personal affairs" as the we considering of
General Parker. "If,'' says Mr. Attorney General
Berren, in 1879, g the sum allowed TO General
Parker had been payable TO him, the Secreta-
ry of War must have issued his requison for
its amount and, surely, before he did so, he
would have been authorised TO inquire into the
validity of the claim, or he cannot be sald
TO have the control Of the expenditures of his
own department. 1t can make no difference, in
this regard that this money is not to be paid to Gen
era Parker, but placed to his credit the books of
the Second Auditors for the same question would
arise the transfer of the fund as on It's payment,
General Parker observes that his case was never
IN any way before the present Secretary Of War,
and yet that In December last, Mr.. Legare took 1t
up As General Parker evidently quotes only what
suits him and suppresses what does not, there is no
knowing how far he may be sustained by the opinion
of MIR. Legare But if Mr.. Legare has given any
official opinion, to whom must it have been address.
ed Could 1t go to any one but the Secretary of
War, Mr. Spencer And if to him, mus, i, no,
have removed Mr. Secretary Speucers Ignorance
OF what the General calls his personal affairs"
But as for The assertion that Mr. Secreiaru Snsnaa