The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-05-05
MR.. STANLY'S REPORT.

MR.. STANLY'S REPORT.
The extreme, uncalculating rash and reck-
less animoslty of certain gentlemen In Congress
towards the Administration, has been very hap
PLY displayed by their conduct in recent at
fair-the introduction to Congress Of Mr.. Pom
dexter's report. Let us shortly present the facts
in relation to this matter, and we will then ven
ture comment or two.
Early last year, Mr.. Ewing, by the direction
of the President, appointed Commissioners, OF
whom Mr.. Poindexter was one, to investigate
affairs in the New York custom house.
After various changes in their number, the
addition of one, the resignation of another, and
the appointment Of third, the Commissioners
reported in separate reports at different periods
and behind AL the rest, Mr.. Poindexter, having
consumed nearly nine months in very diligent
and aborious investigation, not only into the
business proper of the custom house, but into
great many other matters more to his taste, and
more or less connected with the main subject,
on the 18th day of April, 1912, presented to the
President his report, of three hundred and odd
folio, manuscript pages together with great
mass of documentary evidence. Immediately
afterwards, on the pretence, we say again, Of
correcting it, whether a false pretence or not,
is the question, withdrew it, retained it several
days, and on the goth again handed it In to the
President.
On the 9th, committee of the House of Re-
representatives., Mr.. Stanly, chairman presented
report to the House-this report was Mr..
Poindexters report. or copy of it, introduced
by this committee as their report, adopted by
them as expressive of their opinions, and given
tothe country under the authority of their names.
The report was with the President just six days
before this copy was gwen by the committee to
the House as their own.
Immediately after the discovery was made,
of what it was that the committee had present
ed, and some question was entertained as 70
the propriety of their conduct, the whole Clay
clique, at the word, break out on the President;
accuse him of design to suppress the report
altogether, to give garbled copy of it, declare
that they have taken this course as the only
one by which Mr. Poindexters able and
luminous document could be brought before
the world and blame the Executive very harsh
ly for not having in six days read 394 pages OF
manuscript and an unknown mass of documen-
tary evidence.
This, we believe, is tolerably correct
statement of the circumstances attending the
presentation to Congress of this report.
The whole thing is the den0uenp emit OF a
plot. 1t is plot, not the first, to trick, snare,
trap the President into some seeming neglect or
omission, and then pour out upon him walls of
wrath. The plot marks its author-it is OF pre-
cisely the same character as that of former
date, by which it was hoped to induce the Pre-
sident to receive and keep letter which did not
belong to HIM. We have yet to learn that the
second is more successful than the first.
Does any one suppose that the People are to
be made to blame the Executive, because he
had not IN six days, in the midst of other most
pressing concerns, read and compared and ex-
amined three hundred and ninety four pages Of
manuscript, on most important and interesting
subject and filled with the most extraordinary
and startling statements? Especially, will the
People do it, on the recommendation OF COM
mttee, who, as honest and honorable MIR.
Sprigg let out, haze neper read the document
themselves?
IL
that all sense and perception have left them.
How could they else have thought that they
would effect their purpose of annoyance by such
means? They hare been made cats-paaos Of
They have been, themselves, tricked and duped
into fathering document, without examlna-
ton, and introducing it into Congress, without
reading, as their oapn, which we venture to say,
when published, they will hardly like to ac-
knowledge as their offspring.
We call the attention Of every body to this
fact. The report is not now MIR. Poindexter's
it is Mr. Stany's. The report expresses his
views. He is answerable for every word Of it.
He endorses Mr. Poindexer and his opinions
We invite the attention of Pennsylvania and
New York, and Massachusetts and Kentucky
to this report of the friends OF Mr.. Clay.
In their hurry to throw stones at the Pres
dent, Mr. Stanly and other friends of Mr.. Clay
have picked up a substance, which we opint
they will find not very agreeable, but they mus
hold on to tit is theirs, and theirs only.
We congratulate them on their acquisition.
We will saw no more to-day, but when the re
port of Mr.. Stanly shall be published, and wher
the debate to which this occurrence has given
rise shall be over, it is our purpose to invite the
attention of the country to more particular
narration of the circumstances, as we look upor
the whole proceeding, not only as irregular ant
Unprecedented, but also as a wanton and violen
abuse of the forms both of law and legislation
for the sole purpose Of villitying the Chief Ma
gistrate of the country.
MONEY AND WAR