Rutland herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1823-1847, 1846-04-30

I'm potAb iuQulEtb W w lS'N ~ NHH'"'''"
et the committee on finance. In eon'c'
qoesce Of the many inquiries daily pot TO
HIM, he dtnfcd to know Of the chairman.
when II was contemplated to trp'r the Sub
Treasury when It would he called up 'ot
consideration, and whether 1t would be
amended or not
Mr. Lewis said he could not answer when
!, was TO be reported, bot 1t would not be
acted upon before tho Narchousinr l|.ll
would be passed and two bills ol the cs
nblithncu, Of branch Mlrts at New York
and Charleston The WAtchouslng bit
as was known. bal been made !ho special
order Of the day for the Dist oil May
la view OF the heavy amour, OF public
money now m dcposlte with the BANS ani
the expanded stale Of the currency, ,hc
COMMITTEE on Finance wouli recommend
that the specie clause OF the Sub Treasury
should no, 60 into operation unul January
OF the next year
Mr. Lewis, from the Committee on FL
nance, then reported the promised bills, for
The establishment OF Blanch Minis OF
Charleston and New York
tt' REl tIkNI NNNth
Mr. Jarnegin called up his Resolutions
intended MS counterpart TO the House OF
Representatives, and called for the items
Istshe secret service fund The Resolution
having been read
Mn Webster rose and said. he had
few and bu, very few remarks 10 make
on the Presidents Message in answer to the
D,rg1,,t,nn 81 ,k, Ilo,ua e ~ nv tai -.
calling for an account Of the disbursements
during the period IN which he had honor
to be Secretary Of State out Of the fund for
The contingent expenses Of foreign inter
course.
IN the frs, place, he was happy to say
he entirely approved the course Of proceed.
ing which the President had adopted. In
his Judgment, the President could not have
acted otherwise than he had done without,
the violation OF law and his duty
As he knew that not n single dollar
was distributed from the fund without
the sanction ofthc President, and as he
was conscious that every disbursement
was made for proper and necessary
public purposes, II might be thought
that he should desire the publication of
the papers, that everybody might see
what they we've; and what they show.
BIT this was a matter of so little con
cernmcnt to him, (and he promised il
was of little to the late Prcsidcnt.) that
he certainly would not wish to see an
important principle and an important
law violated and broken for any per
sonal convenience IN that respect. He
was not at all apprchenslvc that the
country would suspect either President
Tyler or himself, acting under his au-
thorlty, of any thing improper IN the
authority, of any thing improper in the
disbursement of n few hundred or n
few thousand dollars, in case in
which the law reposes confidence in
the President, and gives him a dcscre-
ton us to making the expenditure pub
lie.
Sir said Mr. W., a President of the
u. States as head Of the Department,
acting by his authority, must think but
poorly OF his own reputation, and stand
ing with the country if he is afraid of
being suspected of having violated his
duty and his oath in matter Of 50 lit
| tie moment. lie wouIdadd that Il per
son who entertained such a suspicion
without reason of anypublIcman, may
himself be well suspected of having
held n no very compli mentary dln
Ioguc with himself.
Veal know that the Head Of De
| partncnt cannot touch dollar of this
fund, except with the Presidents sane
! tlon-thc whole power and the whole
responsibility are with the President
The Presidents message states this
so clearly that we need not dwell upon
/ It, He would say IN the first place
that no expenditure improper to itself
or improper IN It's amount. was made
to his knowledge, Judgment or belief
and he would sayn thcncXt place thai
the late President of the United States
IN all things respecting the eNpenditur,
OF the public monies was remarkably
cautious exact and particular.
And he would here say that all dec
laratOns, avcrmonts. statements or in
situations made any where, or by any
body, which imputed pcrvcrSon. ms
application or waste otthc public funds
as committed or made by him while
Secretary OF State, were utterly ground
less and false. And he would conclud,
with one remark, the bearing ofwhlcl
he would leave to the Senate and the
country. Whoever charged him Of ha
wing either miSapplied or mlsled the
public funds while in the State Depart
ment had either seen the papers or had
in some other way obtained knowedg,
upon the subject, or he had not If he
had seen no papers, or had no know
edge, then his lmpulallons were purely
wanton and slanderous II he had seer
the papers, or had any knowledge then