The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-04-22

| lng resolution, submitted several days since by MI
| JAREAeM
qnestsd TO cause to be furnished TO the Senate account o.
all payments made Presidents certificates from the fund
intercourse since the 4h OF March s25 to this with
copies Of all entries vouchers other esi
GLIDING the sum Of thirty thousand dollars contingent
expenses Of all the missions abroad" proposed be
act 70 supply DEFICIENCIES in the appropriations for certain
objects made for the service Of the fiscal year ending the
quesed by this resolution to be furnished which in the
opinion OF the President would Improperly involve the e
| zen or subject Of any foreign power.
! Mr.. WEBSTER rose and said: | have a few,
and but a few remarks TO make on the Presidents
message in answer to the resolution OF the House
Of Representatives calling for an account Of the dis
bursements during the period IN which had the
honor TO be Secretary OF State, out OF the fund Tor
the contingent expenses OF foreign intercourse. In
the first place. sir, am happy to say that entirely
approve the course OF proceeding which the Presl-
dent has adopted. In my judgment, he could not
have acted otherwise Than he has done without the
violation Of law, and Of his own duty. Sir, as
know that not dollar was dlsbursed from that fund
without the sanction Of the President and as am
conscious that every disbursement was made for a
proper and necessary public purpose, II might be
thought that should desire The publication Of the
papers, in order that everybody might what they
are, or what they show. But this is matter Of 30
little eoneernment to me, (and presume it is Of as
little Is the late Presidency that certainly would not
1 wish 10 see.an important principle, and important
! law, violated and brokeh for any personal conye.
nence in that respect. am not at all apprehensive
that the country will suspect either President Tyler
or me, acting under his authority, of anything inn
proper in the disbursement Of a few hundred or
few thousand dollars, in case in which the law
poses confidence in the President and gives him
discretion as IN making the expenditure public. Sir
a President Of the United States, or the head Of
department acting by his authority, must think but
J poorly Of his reputation and standing with the
country if he is afraid Of being suspected Of having
violated his duty and his oath in matter OF so little
: moment | will add that person who entertains
such u suspicion, without reason, Of any public man.
may himself be well suspected OF having held no
Il very complimentary dialogue with himself Sir,
4 we all know that the head Of a department cannot
touch dollar Of this fund, except with the PIesi-
D dents sanction. The whole power and the whole
, responsibility, is with the President The Presidents
message states this so fully and clearly that need
not dwell upon it, will say in the first place, that
no expenditure, improper in ITSELF improper IN its
E amount, made, to my knowledge, Judgment,
e or belief And ! will say, in the next place,
nj that the late President of the United States in all
things respecting the expenditure Of the public mo-
neys, was remarkably cautious, exact, and partcu-
lar. And here say sir, that all declarations aver
ments, statements, or insInuations, made anywhere,
or by anybody, which impute perverson, misappli-
cation, waste Of the public funds, committed or
D made by me, while Secretary Of State, are utterly
r groundess and untrue. And | will conclude with
one remark the bearing Of which shall leave to the
n Senate, and to the country. Whoever charges me
i with having either mlsapped or wasted the public
funds while in the Department Of State, has either
seen the papers has, some other way, obtained
nj knowledge the subject, he has not. IL he has
: seen no papers, and has no knowledge then his i'm.
: putatons purely wanton and slanderous IL he
has seen the papers, has any knowledge, then he
e would be to state what he knows, if he knows
anything TO sustain him 10 his charge. Silence un-
der such circumstances is conclusive that he knows
nothing because he is under obligation OF secre
l. cy and in the absence Of all other proof he would
n Of course, tell all he knew, If he knew any thing
d which could in the slightest degree, bear him out
d The charge therefore, either made in utter ig
norance OF any facts to support it, else with the
e knowledge that the facts which do exist, would, i
made known entirely dsprove it. As to the source
e Of this miserable vtuperation have nothing TO say
am afraid shall be thought TO have paid too much
attention to it, already. Sir, leave the author Of
these ISLANDERS where he is leave him in the very
e worst company know of in the world leave him
= | with himself.
=. Mr.. JARNAGIN then asked leave to withdraw
~ his resolution
Mr.. WESTCoTT. | object to the Withdrawal
# of this resolution because desire the vote of thu
\, Senate upon il by ayes and noes a precedent.
n regard the principle involved in it highly impor
4. tant 1 am opposed TO Its adoption, and hope tn,
= Senate will reject it by a decisive vote.
What is the case' Congress, in making the an
nual appropriations for the contingent expenses o
our foreign intercourse, allows fund of five thou
: sand dollars, commonly designated "tho secre
u service fund = to be yearly expended by the execu
L tive officers; and by the general act of Nav, 1910
the only voucher for the disbursement Of this fund
+ where the President, in his Judgment is Of opinion
u that the particulars Of the expenditure should not
AZ be made public is (as is provided by the act) the
&c certificate Of the President Of such disbursement
without stating for what specific purpose it is made
| or TO whom made.
e, Mr.. W. said he believed all our Presidents have
caused be used more less of the service
I'd fund.- and Mr.. w. said he would not suffer him
self to doubt or suspect that every one of then
t had not done SO properly, judiciously, and es
N pecial'y with the most patriotic motives. MIR
IS w. said he should feel ashamed of him
self it he could be induced to imagine that any
Of American president had been guilty of the sightes
D. improperly in the disbursement of this fund. HI
ell trusted he should have degraded a rule by
he which to judge his countymen, especially ele
waited to the rresidency-the first station in the
world He hoped the rule by which he Judged
even those most opposed to him in political opinion
r would always be more elevated. Everybody knows
t. that President Madison paid the notorious Johr
ID Henry fifty thousand dollars just before the las
,g war with Great Britain for secret information re
speeding the attempts of the British government Ia
s, corrupt portions of New England to British in
ne teres,s Mr. Madison, it is true paid rather ex
n orbitan price for the budget of trash he got from
r. Henry, but he did right in buying it, and the coun
try approved Of his conduct in that respect. Mr.
w. said for his part he of opinion that if this
of secret service fund was increased to double the
l. amount now allowed, and if every cent of it was
annually spent by the President, it would be money
N well laid out for the country. To couneract thu
" intrgues of foreign courts, to procure knowledge
Of those intrgues, which might affect interests ant
regulate the action of our government the Presden
should employ secret agents, either citizens for
he egners circumstances should dictate to be mos
r. advisable; add the only rue regulate such EN-
ployment should be his opinion that might probably
r. be beneficial to our country.
Id Doubtless, very often such agents will render bu
IS little service, and some times none but this is M
answer to the arguments in favor Of employing then
whenever the President has reason to believe they
E. may be beneficial Our ambassadors abroad are IN,
last persons who can acquire such information, un
ID less they have secret agents. Mr. President (sad
i'll Mr.. w. said in the remarks | made last week on
ID the Oregon question, that If our government had