Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1846-04-23

citizen or subjects Of any foreign power.
The discussion was further continued. Mr.. HrILIARD,
of Alabama, and Mr. WISTHRoP, Of Massachusetts,
speaking with much eIOquence in behalf of Mr.. WEE.
srER.
After some remarks by Messrs. l. E HOLMES, and sED-
DON, Mt. ADAMS obtained the floor, and spoke as follows
Mr.. speaker-I wish this House would divest itself Of
every sentiment or feeling connected with circumstances
extraneous TO this resolution, and would consider II as a
measure Of very great importance, carrying out or violating
the provisions Of the constitution OF the United States
Having made this observation, and having endeavored to
separate the resolution from personal considerations of
every kind, | say that | cannot vote for 1t In the form In
which it is now presented.
There are parts Of it asking for information, which |
believe it is the right Of this House to call for, and 10
which ( have no objection whatsoever. I believe. on
hearing the resolution read, as | just now did, for the first
time. having been in attendance on the committee when
the resolution was first introduced, 1 believe, I say, that
TO those parts which do not bring into question any provi-
sions of the constitution. or the necessary secresy to be
observed on the part of the Executive, in respect to mat
tiers which concern the foreign relations Of the country,
shall have no objection.
But the first, and, as I think the most material part of
that resolution, requires an exhibition TO this House Of
the manner in which a fund has been expended, which,
under the constitution and laws of the United States, has
been hitherto buried in profound secrecy and in respect
to which it was the intention, as | have always understood,
that perpetual secrecy should be maintained. The provi-
sion is, that a certain sum of money shall be placed at the
disposal of the actual President Of the United States, for
which no other account shall be given, than by the certi-
feate under the hand of the President himself, that il has
been expended for the public benefit, and that document,
when carried to the treasury, passes the account Ii has
been said, OF at least intimated by gentlemen on this floor,
that the object of this secret fund is necessary to corrup-
ton. This is not so. During the time l had the honor
of occupying that station, | gave a certificate for the ex-
pendiiure of one years appropriation of this fund, and it
turned out to be altogether inadequate to the end to be a-
complished; aud there was no more corruption IN the
whole Of the transaction for which that money was applied,
than there is in the debate of the House today. / do not
say what it was for. 1 have never stated to anybody, ex-
cept TO nv successor in that Office, what the money was
for. But, Immediately after he came into office,
l made known to him the object Of the expenditure and
he accomplished the purpose for which that money was
designed and Of which. | will now only say, that it was
a treaty of commerce with the Sublime Porte. Now, if
the House will only recollect for a moment, what advan-
tage and benefit have resulted TO this country from that
provision Of the law giving to the President Of the United
States the power to apply a certain sum, for secret service
money. in cur relations with foreign countries; If they
will reflect what the state of things was at that time, aHd
how necessary such a fund was 10 the accomplishment Of
the end which that negotiation with the Sultan of Turkey
had in view, although probably there is not a member Of
the House who knew of any such money having'been ex-
pended if. | say the. House will consider these things,
bear in mind with what effect that fund was used,
they will be disposed. | think, TO reconsider the opinion
that il is a corruption fund, and will believe that it may be
applied for purposes as fair and honorable as any country
can require.
To the objections thus stated to the adoption Of this re-
solution, L must auu anOlneI-hat lneIe u any inquiry
whatever in regard to the secret service to which this fund
applied with reference to the negotiation in the Ash
burton treaty. This must be altogether struck out, before
| can vote for the resolution.
Mr.. G.. ]. INGERsoLL. There is not a word about the
Ashburton treaty in the resolution.
Ma. ADAMS. Mr.. Speaker, one of the objections l have
to this resolution is, that it has not the very object which
the mover Of it says it has. 1t calls upon the President
TO give an account Of moneys expended through the De-
partment Of State, and charges hem against the Secretary
IS Ssato Nouv for the exnendifnra of that monev the
Secretary Of State. present or past, is no more responsible
than you or /. The law itself requires that ii shall be ex-
pended by order OF the President himself. 1t does not go
through The Secretary Of St1te. The order which | issu-
ed to that effect for the whole sum Of money was not
known to the Secretary of State at the time | made it,
any more than it was to you an hour ago. The Secretary
of State was not at the seat of government at the time l
directed the negotiation. He was not here for months
do not know that he knows to this day for
what the money was expended. The law itself gives to
the President alone the power Of e~xpending it; and it is
no more necessary that it should pass through the hands
of the Secretary of State, than that it should pass through
this House. That is one of my reasons for Directing to
the adoption of the resolution. 1t cannot bring the infor-
nation it calls for and if it is to produce any effect at
all, il must be addressed to Mr.. John Tyler, and not to the
Secretary of State, or to the President; for probably the
present President knows no more than you or ], for what
purpose the moBey was expended. 1t does not, l repeat,
go through the Secretary Of State. | do not know but
what the President may authorize the Secretary of State
to expend the money. That NAV have been the fact in
the present case. But for it, the President himself is re-
sponsibe and if the gentleman intends to imPeach any
body for the expenditure of that money, il must be John
Tyler, and not Daniel Webster.
Mr.. C.. ]. ISsERsOLL. l am anxious to say, that in all
this business, so far as | know, Nh. TyleI's conduct has
been iueproachabe, and that my object is to get at a gull.
ty Secretary who has abused that power.
Mr.. ADAMS. Whether the Secretary abused that power
or not, | will not undertake at present to say but | do
say, that if he had the power to abuse it. it was by the
order of his superior, the President of the United States,
who alone had the authority to expend the money. The
Secretary of State had no more power to spend a dollar OF
it than you or |, Mr.. Speaker, have, to day. Whatever
expenditure was made by the Secretary Of State, or
through that department, must have been made, and could
be made in no other way, than by an order from the Presi-
dent. He is the reponsible person, and if there has been any
corruption in the expenditure of the money, which l do
not in the slightest degree suspect, Mr.. Tyler is the re-
sponsible person, and he it is who is to be called upon to
account for il. / say, therefore. that if you send the reso-
luton to the President Of the United States, il is extreme
ly probable, that he may answer that he knows no more
about il than you do. ItdOes not follow, that because | COM
muEicated to my immediate successor for what purpose l
had ordered an expenditure of This money-not through the
department of State, but through other channels-that
other Presidents may have done so. Under the law
which has been read by the chairman of the committee of
Ways and Means, (Mr. MeKay,) this money is to be ac-
counted for by a personal certificate from the President,
having no more reference to the Department of State than
to the Department Of the Treasury, and perhaps not so
much. He is authorized and required 10 certify to the
accounting of1cers for certain sums OF money expended,
with his epprobation, for certain purposes, and that certi.
fcate is to answer for all the more minute details required
in all other amounts settled at the Treasury Department
That certificate he must give, and be is responsible for it,
as have always held myself responsible to the country
for all time, so long as l live, for the expenditure Of that
money.
And here l take occasion to say, that I differ with the
gentleman from Virginia, (Mr. Bayley,) and, l believe,
other gentlemen, who have stated that the day Of impeach.
ment has passed, by the constitution, from the moment
a II. r. -. IL n
hold myself, so long as l have the breath of life in my boz
dy. amenable to impeachment by this House for every