New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1846-04-23
Presidents Message
In Response to @. IngeFsoIFs Resoiuil0n'

in Response 10 |, ). luEtfSons hNSViuiiVu'
To he Hsrss Of RtzreseEta:ip>s:
have considered the resolution OF the House OF
Rer-eseoa;ves Of TIE 9th r5t By which an requested
70 cause TO be furnished that House an account Of
all osyrnen;s made Presidents certificates from the
fund appropriated bJ law through the agency OF me
stare D. parrsnt for the contingent Of foreign
intercourse from the i,h OF March -tl. Until the
tirenent Of Daniel Webster from the Department Of
state with copies OF al entries recept letters. vcUch
ere uenoranouus other evidence OF such payments
10 whom psi for what and particularly all concerning
the North Eastern Boundary dispute with Great Britain
With al anxious desire TO furnish "a the House any
information requested By hat body which may be in the
Executive Department. Rave felt bound by sense OF
public dairy 10 inquire how far could with proPuey or
confidently with the existing laws respond to their call
TIE usual annual appropriation for the contingent
expenses of Intercourse between the United states and
foreign nston has dsbursed since TIE date OF the
act Of May lst 1910 in pursuance of its provisions
By the third section II that act IL IS provided
THAT when gay BUN. OF money shall b. drawn
fr The Treasury, under any law Masking spprc2r atom
United zn foreign nstiors The President shall BE-
sn@ h - hereby Authorized tee same 10 Ne dry
~ tn DIloiug-ihs "a ssy oy c4u'iaZ the
be accounted To- peciay in all instances Wherein
the expenditure thereof may. in his judgment ne mace
public ard by nhsing Certificate o. ne arnoch Q, Gch
expenditures he may Ibnk II advisable no. 10 spec
and every such certificate shs be- deemed Sufficient voueh
er for The sum OF sums therein expressed 10 have 5eeu S
pended
Two dstnc; classes Of expenditure authorized By
this law the Of public ana the Otsr OF private
and confidential character The President IN once at
time Of expenditure il made by the lag the sole
Judge whether IL shal be public private. Such sums
be- accounted for specially in all instances where
in The thereof may in his judgment be made
public AL expenditures accounted for specially
settled al the Treasury upon vouchers and no. on
Presidents certificates, ami Ike al other p0olc &C.
coun,s subject be called for BIZ Congress and
open to public examination Had Information "a res
poets this class ofcXpenditures been called for by the H.
solution 81 the House. II would have been promptly COM
rnunicsted.
Congress foresceing that it might become necessary
and proper apply portions OF this fund tor objects the
original accounts and vouchers for which could not be
made public without injury the pubic interest
;horized the President instead OF such accounts and
vouchers, TO nuke certificate of the amount OF such
expenditures he may think it advisable not 10 specify
and have provided that every such certificate snail be
deemed sufficient voucher for the sum or sums therein
expressed 10 have been expended.
Thela making these provisions ia in fall force. tis
binding upon all the Departments Of the Government aud
especially upon the Executive whose duiy u 10 take
that The laws he faithfully executed" In The eSer
else Of the discretion lodged hy in the Executive sevc
raj Of my predecessors have made certificates ot the
amount Of such expenditures they have thought II
advisable specify and upon these certificates as
the only vouchers settlements have been made at toe
Treasury.
1t APPEARS that within the period specified in the
luton OF the House certificates given by my i'm
mediate predecessor, upon which! settlements nave been
made The Treasury amounting 10 I'VE thousand four
hundred and sixty dollars He has soemnly determined
objects and items of these expenditures should
be made public and has given his certificates to that
which placed upon Tue recCruS OF
Under the direct authority OF an existing law he has eN
ercsed power of placing these expenditures IN der
the seal OF confidence. and The whole matter was term
mated before came into Office An important question
arises whether subsequent President either voun'sT-
IL or al the request of branch OF Congress eau,
without violation OF Inc spirit Of the law. revise the
OF his predecessor ana expose 10 public vie" mat
which he had determined should not be made public
II not matter Of strict duty il would certainly be safe
general rule that that this should not be done. Indeed
it may well happeu, and probably would happen that
the President for the time being would not be in posses
Of the information upon which his predecessor act
cd and could therefore have the means oil judging
whether he had exercised his discretion wisely not
The Law requires other voucher but the ffesldents
certificate and there is nothing in is provisions which
requires any entries, receipts letters vouchers. mem
orundums. other evidence of such payments to be
preserved in the Executive department
The President who makes the certificate may, If be
chooses keep all The information and evidence upon
which he in his possession. H. for the nfOrma
ton Of his SUCCESSORS he shall leave the evidence
which he acts and the Items OF the expenditures which
make up the for which he has given his certificate
the confidential files Of one OF the Executive Depart
they do not in any proper sense become thereby
public records Thcy are never seen or examined by
The accounting officers of the Treasury when they settle
au account on the Presidents certificate. The nrst
Congress OF the United States the Let of July 1871
passed an act providing the means OF intercourse be-
tween the United States and foreign nations by which
a similar provision that which nov exists was made
for settlement of such expenditures as IN the udg
men, of the President ought not to be made public
This limited in its Duration 1t was continued
for limited term in 1893; and between that time and
the date OF the o: May $50 whichis now IN force
the same provision was revived and continued. EXpen
diturcs were made and settled under Presidential certh
Gates, in pursuance of these laws.
Ifthe Presidcn, may the present call he must
answer similar calls for every such expenditure OF
confidential character made under every administration
in war and in peace from the organization OF the Gov
20 the present period. To break the seal oil
confidence imposed 10y the law and heretofore uniform
" preserved, would be subversive OF the very pur-
pose for which the law enacted and might be pro-
ducve OF the most dsGstrouS consequences. The eN-
penditures OF this confidential character, II is believed
were never before suugh, 10 be made public and
should greatly apprehend the consequences of establish
ing precedent which would render such disclosures
hereafter inevitable.
am fulv aware o. the strong and correct public feel
ng which exist, throughout the country against secrecy
any kind In the administration The Government and
especially in reference 10 public expenditures yet our
foreign negotiations wisely and properly conhoed TO
the knowledge of the Executive during their penGeucy
Oar la~s require The accounts OF every particular ez
pendiiure be rendered and publicly settled az the
Treasury Department The single exception which eX
sis is NOT tina, the amount embraced under Presidents
certificates shs De withheld from the public hu; merely
that the itcns Of which thee composed shall not be
divrsei To this extent and farther is secrecy OBJ
served
The sudabe vigilance OF the people in regard all the
expenditures of tue u lverpmept well sense OF
duly the part Of the President aud desire 10 retain
the good opinion OF his ielowcizens, viii prevent any
expended IRON being accounted for by the Presl-
dents certificate, unless in case, OF urgent necessity
Such certificates have therefore been resoTted To but sell
dom throughout or psst history
For my own part have caused any account what
ever 10 De settled presidential certificate have
had occasion rendering II necessary in my Judgment
10 make such certificate and II would be an extreme
which would ever induce me TO exercise this az
thority yet il such should arise II would be my
duty assume the responsibility oevolved on me by
law
During nv administration s expenditures Tor conin.
gent expenses II foreign Intercourse IN nich the
counts have been closed have oeeu settled Hqoa regular