The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-08-15

copy of one of these drafts is given in the wing
press OF New York, as follows:
WAR WARRANT No -
/ ''0' TEEA'oEr OF rHE USuED STATES,
Warrington ma June 1916
AT 'ioHT pay to 7 }. Leslie Psymaster or order ONE
/ HUNDRED DOLLARS
W. sllprs.
Treasurer Of United States
N" hrs"'ered nth June 1910 500
Canal and Banking Company,
i New Orleans
! Il. H. GiLLEr
Register Of the Treasury
Now, what Is this draf2 BY the law as it stood
when this dram issued, the public moneys were
deposited, by express direction Of law with the Ca
nal Bank at New Orleans to the credit of the Treas
urer Of the United States, by whom payments re
expressly authorized by law to be made by his
drahs recorded and countersigned by the register)
upon any depository Of the public money, upon
, warrants from the War and other Departments,
drawn upon the treasurer for payment OF the APP
preparations made by law.
This draft, then, is in precise conformity with the
law, and also with the usage of the Treasury De-
partment from its first organization down to the
present PERIOD and other description of drafts
has been authorized or permitted by Mr.. Walker :;
and yet the National IntelIigencer, through its cor
respondent Of this morning, and kindred wing
presses, with view 10 embarrass the government
of their country, and injure its credit in time of war
would endeSyor to destroy the validity Of these
drahs. Such was the course Of the British whis
organs opposed to the war Of 1879, and such is the
course Of the Mexican organs at this period. The
object in both cases is the same-:o injus the credit
oftheir country in time Of roar
/ The War Department to pay an appropriation
made by law, issues a.warrant, appears by the
above FORM on the treasurer in favor Of payma s.
ter Of the United States and the treasurer in per.
feet conformity to the law and uniform usage issues
his DRAFT for the money on public depository; and
the bank and hlgh-tarIf press-the great bank
manufacturers-hsve the audacity to assail the Ie-
gality of these drafts, and would arrest if they
could, the indispensable operations OF the Treasury
Department in payment Of the public creditors
and Of the army of the Union Henceforth let the
authors Of these falsehoods stand forth in their
proper attitude, impaled before the public view as
convicted calumniators and enemies of their country
But is said these drafts, although issued before the
passage Of the constitutional treasury law, are
forbidden by that law. The very reverse is the
fact. They in perfect conformity to that law,
and directly authorized by it many sections, but
especially in the Goth and 2ls sections, as quoted
below:
"SEc. 90 -and be il further enacted, That no ex-
change of funds shall be made by any disbursing
officers agents of the government of any grade or
denomination whatsoever connected with any
branch of the public service, other than on exchange
for gold and silver; and every such disbursing officer
when the means for his disbursements are furnished
to him in gold and silver shall make his payments
in the money furnished; when those means
are furnished 10 him in drafts shall cause those
drafts to be presented at their place of payment and
properly paid according to the law; and shall make
his payments in the money so received for the
drafts furnished, unless, in either case, he
change the in his hands for gold and silver at
par. And it shall be- and is hereby, made the duty
of the head Of the proper department Immediately
suspend from duty any disbursing officer who shall
violate the provisions of this section, and forthwith
to report the Of the officer or agent to the
President, with the fact of The violation and all the
circumstances accompanying the and within
the knowledge of the said secretary the end that
such officer or agent may be promptly removed from
office, restored TO his trust and the performance
of his duties to the President may seem lust and
proper Provided, however, That those di, bursting
officers having, at present, credits in the banks,
shall, until the first day of January next, be allowed
to check on the same, allowing the public creditors
to receive their pay from the banks either in specie
or bank notes.
"SEc. 81 find be it further enacted That it shall be
the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury issue
and publish regulations TO enforce the speedy pre-
sentaon Of all government drafts for payment at
the place where payable, and TO prescribe the time,
according to the different distances Of the deposia-
ries from the seat of government, within which all
drafts upon them respectively, shall be presented for
payment; and in default of such presentation, to d.
rect any other mode and place Of payment which he
may deem proper; but, in all these regulations and
directions, it shall be the duty of the Secretary of
the Treasury to guard, as far may be, against
those drafts being used thrown into circulation as
a paper currency, medium of exchange And no
officer of the United States shall, either directly or
indirectly, sell or dispose to any person PERSONS
or corporations, whatsoever, for a premium, any
treasury note, draft, warrant, other public secur
ty, not his private property sell dispose of the
avails or proceeds of such note, draft, warrant or
security in his hands for disbursement, without
making return of such premium, and accounting
credit Of the United S,ates; and any officer violating
this section shall be forthwith dismissed from Of
| fee"
In obedience to these provisions, and immediate
ly after the publication of the law, the attention of
the proper departments was called by the Secretary
of the Treasury these sections ord er that ODE
tons to their paymasters and other disbursing
agents; andi compliance with the law will be
strictly exacted. The Secretary of the Treasury,
who is now putting in operation the new ware
housing bill, by proper Instructions, will also him
self very speedily issue the most stringent regua.
tons, under the Goth and 2lst sections, as above
quoted to enforce the speedy presentation of all
| treasury drafts, and prevent their becoming a pa
per circuation; and the next complaint we expect
to hear from the bankwhig press is, that these in
structions are too rigid. Mr.. Walker believes that
one of the great and bene6cent designs of the con-
stitutionsl treasury law is to diminish paper crcu-
aton of srsry description, and increase the crcua.
ton of gold and silver. To that end, in recon-
mendng the adoption Of the constitutional treasury,
in his last annual report, Mr.. Walker said;
"The Secretary Of the Treasury, on coming into
i Office, found the revenue deposited with banks.