The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1846-06-25
The Secret Service Fund @ ofthe
Hon Daniel WsAstel

me Select InmmIilee ri I House
Of Representatives appointed aresli.
gate eeftaia charges made by L Hon.
Charles j. Ingersoll against Hon.
Daniel Wehslcr. Cor Official 4 nnducs
while he held ne Office OF Sdsary Of
Stale Of The United States. Be- are %
report:
Thatlhey have given 70 lhe beet re.
ferred 10 them = patient and latsuus In
vesligasion. and have eDlleciela large
mass VI testimony. The resul, (which.
only. without going into lis dels. they
deem 10 necessary 10 pressed 10 The
House.
The COMMITTEES. in the FIRST bee. d.
recled their attention 10 the III charge
against Mr.. Webster; that. wiOul The
knowledge Of the President ofhe Uni
ted States. and contrary IN nssg he had
taken out OF The hands Of Ordbry dis.
bursting agen, and into his own = prlion of
that part Of the foreign in,erco,Ee fund.
commonly known as 1.-THE SsreI Ser-
vice Fund.-" and Appropriated B 10 his
own use. The committee findIhai. BY
law. this fund is committed 10 le exelu-
sire control Of The President ofhe Uni-
ted States. who may, il he Thin proper,
keep the money himself, and dsbarse il
from his own hands. or he ma enmmit
the keeping and disbursement of il TO
such agent or agents under hisblneclion
as he may deem il expedient "a appoint.
In consequence, IS the committee pre-
sumo. of the many and imporilll duties
which necessarily constantly ofupy the
whole time and attention VI the President
Of the u. States, so a. 10 rendS very
troublesome and difficult for hid. IN per.
son. To keep aud dlsburse this fund and
make up its accounts. he has slUfys, from
the first establishment Of the Goieramenl,
entrusted the discharge Of these dl,ies 10
other hands.
As the Secretary Of State OF the Uni
the United States is peculiarly tie con
6denlial adviser Of the President ID what
ever concerns the foreign relation, Of ih;
country. he would seem to be the na,ura
and appropriate sgen, FOR the discharge
Of these duties. il he could perfoEm then
.s~iai.oni dsirisaeni IN other nlfhiic 6usinssI
of higher importance. Accordingly, IiI-
committee find that, in the Administration
Of General Washington. the elder Ad
ans. and par, Of tina. Of Mr.. Jefferson
while the office Of Secretary Of State wa,
held m succession BY Mr.. Jay. Jefferson
Randolph, Pickering, Marshall, and par
OF the time tina. Mr.. Madison held ,ha
office under Mr.. Jefferson, the whole o
this fund was under the direction and 81
pervision Of the President Of the United
States. received. kept, aud discussed By
the Secretary Of Safe.
In the early part Of Mr.. Jeferson's al
ministration The Secretary of Safe, with
ont any law requiring il. seems 10 has'
been relieved from the discharge Of ,hi
duty. and the keeping and disoursing o
this fund. under the Presidents direction
appears TO have been passed over into th'
hands Of agents, whose accounts, after re
ceiving the sanction of The President, ar
settled at the Treasury. But no change ha
been made in the law or in The powers o
duties Of the Presiden, in respect TO thi
fund from the time Of General Washing
ton to The present day. This change mus
have been made for the convenience o
tue Secretary Of Stale, and no, from an!
want Of confidence which Mr.. jefferson
had in Mr.. Madison.
The committee have examined MI
Tyler, the late President Of The Unite
States. lie testified that when he cam
to the Presidency he found the loreigl
relations OF the country in very deIica:
condition in certain particulars, which tn
committee do not deem il expedIent I
specify. requiring. in his opinion, the EN-
ployment Of confidential agents; and, "a
reasons assigned by him TO The commute.
he regarded his Secretary Of State as til
fittesl person to selec, aud employ them
Under an impression entertained both b
him and Mr.. Webster that this was III
usual and proper mode, he suggested Thu
the money should be discussed by Nj
ebs,er; and for that purpose placed !
his hands a portion of the foreign intel
course fund which was then lying in dt
posi.e with Mr.. Stubs, the ordinary di:
burging agent. This had not been don
before for a long time. A knowledge 4
the modern usage in respect 10 the keeI
ing and disbursing this fund, it is mol in
probable, led Mr.. lngersoll into the errc