Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-04-24
THE ENQUIRER.
THE sECREr SERVICE FUND.

Tyouse al, account Of all payments made on Pre-
siRntss certificates from The innd appropriated
bylaw, through The agency Of The S'a'e Depart
men, for the contingent expenses OF iorei5n IN e.
<onfse from the 4ih "f March, 1871, until the re-
4 ,rement Of Dani.l Webster from the Department
Of State, with Copies OF all entries, receipts le-
tiers. vouchers, memora ndums, or other evidence
of such payments 10 whom paid. tor what, ana
particularly all concerning the Northeastern
boundary dispute with Great Britain"
With an anxious desire to furnish TO the House
apy information requested by that body whicn
maykcin The Executive Departments. have 'en
bouacihy sense Of public duty 10 inquire nov
far. Ycould with proprie.y, or cohss'eh"y w.
LIE existing laws respond u iheu cai'; -, .on-
The usuaI annual appr"p. iann TOT ue w w,
,;rasn, ernenses OF intercourse between me Y.
S,a,es and foreign paticn>" has been n'soufsed
since The dale oil the aci OF May Isl, iT'o. W p"'
suance OF its provisions. by tue tuilu see'oa -
,bat act il is provided
uTha, ,;hen any sum or sums ot money sha III be
= drawn from The Treasury, under any law making
aoprupria,iun for The CONTINGENT expensesnl inlef-
c,nrse b. tween The u. Safes and foreign NATIONS,
,ar President shall Be and he IS hereby authorized
10 cause The same 10 be daily settled annually WIN
The accounting officers OF he Treasury, 10 Toe
manner following: The is TO say by causing he
same 10 be accounted or specially in all instances
wherein The expenditure thereof may, in hisJudg-
men, be made public, and by making cerif-
cafe of The amount of such exp MIXTURES as he
NAV think i. advisable not 10 specii.; ana every
such certificate shall pe deemed sufficient vonch-
or for The sum or sums therein expressed 10 nave
beei expended"
Two dlslIact classes OF expenditure are au'
lhorizsd by this law: the one oil pubic, ana 'he
olher Of a private and confidential character :
The President in office al The time OF The expendl
,ure is made ~ The law the sole Judge whether u
snail be public or private. Such sums are 10 be
ACCOUNTED for specially in all instances wherein
the expenditure thereof may, in his judgment be
made puplc.' All expenditures accounted for
specially" are settled al the Treasury upo,
vouchers, and mol on presidents certificates,
and like all other public accounts are subject 10
Be called for by Congress, and are open to Puolic
examination. Had information as respects Tins
class Of expenditures been called 10, by the feso-
luton o! The House. il would have been prompt
/, communicated.
Congress, ioresseing that It might become ne.
cessary and proper 10 apply portions oil this tund
for objects The original accounts and vouchers Tor
which could not BIZ 'mae public" without inJu-
~ TO the pablic interest, authorized the Presl.
dent, instead oil such accounts ana vouchers, 10
make a certificate Of the amount "oi such expen.
di,ures as he may ,hink Il advisable not 10 spcci-
~" and have provide hat every such certificate
shall be deemed a sufficient voucher for The sum
~ Sums therein expressed 10 have been e1pend
ed
he law making these provisions is in full
,rce Il is binding upon all The Departments OF
The Government, and especially upon The Ekecr
live whose duiy il is TO lake care that the laws
be faithfully executed In the exercise of The
discretion lodged b. it IN The Executive, several
ri nv predecessors have made Certificates ..
The amour, .ot such expenditures as they have
thought il advisable not 10 specify" and upon
these certificates as the only vouchers, settle
mpn.s have been made al The Treasury.
II Appeals that, within the period specified in
The resolution of The House, certificates were gil
ven by my immediate predecessor, upon which
settlements have been made al he Treasury
amounting 10 five thousand four hundred and
sixty dollars. lie has soiennly determined thai
The objects and items Of these expenditures should
no, be m sde public, and has given his certiical.
10 TIA. effect, which are placed upon the records
OF the country. Under the direct authority OF an
existing law he has exercised the power Of pla-
cling these expenditures under The seal o! conf
tence and The Whale mater was terminated be-
fore came into ore. An important Question
arises, whslher sub>eQC=n; presiden', either
voluntarily or al the request Of one branch Q.
Congress can without violation .! the spirit CT
The law, revise ,he acts Of his predecessc-, andex
pose 10 pub!ic yicw tho; winch NJ had determined
shouit, rot be made 'pubic." If not a MISTER q
slrict duty il would certainly be sale genera!
rule ina, this should not he done. Indeed, II ma.
we'll happen, and probably wJuid happen, Iha,
The President Tor he lime being would mol De in
possession OF the information uoun which his pre-
dece<sor acted and conld mol therefore have The
mesns OF Judgment whether he had exercised his
discretion wisely OF not. The aw REQUIRES no
other voucher but The Presidents certificate, am
there is nothing in lis provisions which requires
any entries, receipts, letters vouchers. memoran.
Guns or other evidence o. such payments IA he
preserved in The Executive Department. The
President who makes The 'cerihcate," nav, il he
chooses, keep all The information and cvid, ne
upon which he acts in his Own possession. Il, Tor
The Information OF his SUCCESSORS, he shall leave
the evidence IN which he acts, and The items 0!
expenditure which make up The SUN for which lie
has given his "cc;iicate on The confidential
files Of one the Executive Departments, they do
NOT. in any proper sense, become thereby public
records. They are never seen or examined by The
accounting officers OF the Treasury when they set
iIs an account on the "Presidenls cerlihcae."-
The frs, Congress OF the Uuited States, the Isl
ofJuly, 1890 passed an act providing the means
of intercourse between the United States and To-
reign nations" by which similar provision 10
tina, winch now exists was made Tor the settlement
81 such expenditures, as IL he judgment OF the
President ought mol 10 be made pubic. This acl
was limited in its duration. IL was continued
for limited term in 1893; and between thai time
ard the date of the act ot May |, 1910, which is
now in force, the same provision was revived md
continued. Expenditures were made and settled
under Presidential certificates in pursuance Of
these laws.
|! The President may answer The present call.
he must answer similar calls Tor every such ex-
penditure OF a confidential character made under
every Administration. in war and in peace, from
the organization oil the Govern neni 10 the pre-
sen, period To break The seal Of confidence
imposed by law, and heretofore uniformly pre-
served, woald be su versve Of tae very purpose
1,r which the law was ena-'ed, and m,.ht b. pro
duc,ive of tie most disastrous consequences
Tae Expenditures oil this confidential, character,
i, is believed were never before sough. 10 te made
public; ana should greatly apprehrnd the con-
sequences OF establishing precedent, whl.h
would rende! such disclosures hereafter ineva-
bic.
am fully aware of the strong and correct pub
lie feeling which exists Throughout! the country
asains, secrecy OF any kind in .he administration
OF the Government, and especially III reference
10 public expenditures; yet our foreign negotla-
lions are wisely and properly confaed 10 The
knowledge Of the Executive during their pendsn-
CIV Our laws require The accounts Of every par
ticula. expenditure 10 b. rendered and publicly
settled al The Treasury Department. The single
exception which exists is, not that the amount
embraced under Presidents certificates shall be
Withheld ifoM tac PUBIC, out inttsy 'hdt the
items OF which these are composed shall rot be
divulged. To this extent, and no farther, is Sc
crecy observed.
The laudable vigilance o! the people in regard
10 all the expenditures Of the Government. as we'll
as sense OF duty on the part ot The President, and
a desire 10 retain the good opinion OF his fellow
c,zens, will prevent any sum expended ilom being
accounted for by The Presidents certificate, unless
in cases oil urgent necessity Such certificates have
therefore been IesoIted 10 but seldom lhroughou:
our past history.
For my own part, have not caused any ac-
count whatever TO be settled on Presidential GER
iifcdte. have mad no occasion rendering j! ne
ce,sary, in my judgment, TO make such csrtih-
eale; and il would be an extreme case which
would ever induce me 10 exercise this authority;
vet If such case should arise, it would be my
duiyto assume the responsibility devolved or
me hv law