The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-04-03

10
Ms genius who first, covers that special army Of the
ireeuars OF which you brother officers, with the
glory Of the phrase suspended vouchers 90
Mr.. Secretary Spencer may be entirely In the
gh, for augAt we know. in having reversed for Gen
Parker the moment theGenera got into high place,
the opinions in which others 80 many years con.
tinued inh-xible while he out of Bat if,
Mr.. Legare says, the most important items" were
rs judicata, ALREADY seted'i nGen. Pdrkers favor
by the proper authority. and requiring no further
consideration" how hapl ems it that Mr.. Bell, who
the General also says had "eraminsd the claim ,chen
in Congress.-and who had also taken it up when
he became Secretary Of War;" did not SO view it;
for Mr.. Bell is lawyer, and capable of compre-
bending such matter, although far inferior to Mr..
Legare. Or wherefore was 1t that Mr. Attorney
General Crittenden, TO whom etiquette required It's
reference by Mr.. Bell and whose keenness and
quickness are proverbal, did not at once discover
that inquiry was needful, but retire from oihce
without finding time TO report on it,! Or was II
that Mr.. Bell, having made up his mind on the SUBJ
ject when in Congress, did no, change 1t with the
change of times, upon which the General says he
relied, in conjunction with the change of men ? BY
the way, explaining the Generals remark on this
subject by the Roman proverb, "fempora mutantur
ttnos mutamur in Ills" and coupling it with the
English adage that ga prophecy sometimes works
its own fulfment," what creditabe figure he
makes the accounting officers cut, who pronounce
against his when he is out of power, and in its
favor the moment he is in Is it owing to the supe-
ror generalshp of the chief clerk that his faith
in the limes rather than in the truth, is thus prompt
y and gorousy verified p!
But upon the justice Of the claim it is foreign TO
present aim to argue. Whether just, or unjust,
all we have to complain Of is, that General Parker,
contrary to all propriey, and we believe all prece-
dent, was permitted to take high place, and one
emine nty calculated to give him influence over
decision upon a disputed claim, before that claim
was allowed, and, moreover, when he himself was
under judgment as public defaultsr and that pre-
seny after he got the place, he got the claim, al
though for years and years before it had been re-
jected; while of the default we cease to hear.
Instead of answering any one of these points,
General Parker gives letters and reports upea ex-
parte evidence, merely proving that the claim In
question had actually, as we asserted, been Tor
years under consideration and had also, whenever
brought to the test, Notwithstanding the most favor
able light in which friendly committees and furc-
tionaries could place it, invariably failed BY US,
however, not the merits, but the manner OF the a.
lowance called in question, and that 1t WIS al
lowed exactly in the manner we mentioned, is
amply confirmed by the letter Of the General him
self. OF the charge that h. was public defaulter
at the time he took his place, the Generals letter
says nothing.
General Parker, for aught we know, may have
very good right to what he has obtane since the
accession Of those other men and other times"
to whom and to which he postponed his hope of
Justice" But if Mr.. Spencer was really unac-
quainted with facts regarding the Generals position
with the department previously to his instalment
there which were SO well and so widely known to
every body else, it was gross in the extreme in Gen.
Parker not TO have been the first to apprise the Sc
cretary Of the situation Of these personal affairs
of his and yet more so, in not having declined
cepting office, until in his personal affairs" he
stood clear with government, and all his vouchers
had ceased to be suspended" We cannot believe,
however, that Mr.. Spencer could pc :siby have per-
mtted himself to receive any person a. his highest
and most confidential officer. without some inquiry
about him which must have elected enough Of
tho truth, to have'prompted investigations, which,
not to have followed up, would only render the case
ten times worse for him. Such being the state Of
things, we repeat, that to have admitted General
Parker into the Department, ,chen he did, was emf
nently reprehensble in Mr.. Secretary Spencer, to
have entered it, as he did, emineny ndelicate in
General Parker;-that it was, as example full OF
danger;-and, if unrebuked and not strictly guard
ed against hereafter in public offices, species Of
indiscretion on both sides, which might lead to |
capable of overthrowing our republic.
Under these circumstances, although General Par.
ker has taken French leave of Congress, without
asking leave to withdraw his papers, we should not
wonder if that body might even yet be disposed to
inquire into the tactics of the General and his illus
trious friends. |
On the principle Of this journal, that both sides |
shall be heard, General Parker has now had his |
say, and we have had ours, and we repeat, if we |
are wrong, and the General will show that we are |
80, he will never be denied chance. Although |
his first argument has been a sad failure, we will |
cheerfely and good humouredly correspond with |
him upon these personal affairs,' these sus-
pended vouchers" of his, leng he likes; and if
he will continue to improve language by choice
new names for old errors, in the letter to which
We have now the honor Of replying, we promise not
only ourselves but the universal reading world, no
small edfcation from his elegant epstles.
House of Repre- sentatives.
The business of the House today was of an un- |
obruslve but not the less valuable nature. Private
bills which nave been lying on the table for some |
time, were read third time and passed several |
Senate bills passed through their preliminary sta |
ges; an hour was then devoted to the reception OF
reports from committees; afterwards the private ca
lendar was taken up in committee of the whole |
and acted upon during the residue of the sitting
Tomorrow is likewise private bill day. but in the
course OF The ensuing week it may be expected that
some Of the great questions, emphaticay the great
questions of the session, may be taken up for con-
sideration. The House has now tariff measure,
reported from the committee on manufactures, in
addition to the other measures which have so long
awaited the pleasure Of the House, and the present
accumulation Of business, unless some reform be
adopted in the mode of disposing of the public
business, will find work for Congress for at least six
months longer