Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1846-06-19
UulB PRR.SS
GOVERNMENTAL.

!!iy"s, On the charges brought by Chns. j. inger..
soil, sgainst Hon. DANIEL WEBSTER. for official
misconduct willie Secretary Of State. II will
be read with general interest:
Tho Select COMMITTEES ofths Hou.s Of Rsprescnt:-
iives appointed TO investigate certain charges maoe
bv .ihs Hun. Charles j. Ingersoll as'nst the Hun.
D. WcIsler, for oiHci.I misconduct while he held the
once of Secretary Of STATE OF the United States oeg
leave ~ report: 49,
ThN they have given to the subject referred TO
them patient and laboraus Investigation ana nave
collecteia large mass Of testimony. the result Of
II necessary to present to the Il ouse.
The committee N tho 6rst place, directed their at
tenton 10 the Arst charge agsinst Mr. Weheter maj,
States, and contrary 10 usage, b. had taken on, OF
M S11 bort6h Of ikst part Of the foreign inter.
ennrse fun. onmonly known a. The Secret Scr.
vice Fund" and Appropriated it to his own:usc. =,
ThsSemmhiss Rnd that, hy lsw, this fund 10 commit.
ID 10 the exclusive control Of the President Of tho
ua''sd S,s,se who my, Il he think proper, leep hs
or he may commit, The keeping and dis ursstnent Of
mo gu agent o. asents under his direction ~ he
my deem IL expedicnt 10 appoint. IL consequence,
Ss the COMMITTEES presume af the many and i'npM'.
ant duties which neces arly constantly occupy the
whole TINA and attention II the President Of the Uni.
ied States ~ No To render il very troublesome and
difhcn for MN IN p-rsoo to keep ami dgtSaSse this
fund. and m.ke up 10 aceo ,n's he has always, from
the discharge OF thpse dufips to o,hcr hands.
A. ihs Secre AIRY nf State Of the Uored States L.
Peculiarly the conf sniia wiser OF the President In
whatever concerns the foeiyn rrla ION. Of the
try, he would seem u be the natural and appropriate
agent for the discharge Of these duties. II he could
perform them wit 'o, de,ri,nen aoihsr public husi'
ness Of higher importance. Accordingly, the com,
Washington, tho elder. Adams and part Of hat OF Mr.
Jeffese,d, ahiIs the Office Of Secretary Of State
held in succcssl,n BY Mr. Jay Jefferson. Randolph
Pickering, Mar hall, and part OF tho time that Mr..
Madison held thai Office under Mr. J.a rsan. the
whole OF his fund WA undsr the drecpnh- and.su:
pervision Il the President Of the United States, re.
eevsd kept and dish rsed w The Secre airy Of State
In ,he early 'pafro Mr.. Jefferson's administration
the Secretary Of State, wihou, anv law requiring II.
seems 10 have been relieved from The discharge Of
this duty, and the keeping and dshnr ing OF this
tund under the Presidents direction, appears TO have
been passed over into tho hands Of sgens whose nc
counts after receiving the sanction Of the President
are seti'cdat the Treasury. But no change has been
sfade IN the law or in rhe pners or dn'ies of the
President IN respect IL this fund from the te of ZEN
erai Washington TO the present dav. This change
must have been made fni the convenience Of the Sec
rotary Of State and not from any want Of confidence
which Mr.. Jefferson had 10 Mr.. Madison.
The com nittee have examined Mr. Tyler the late
President Of the United S.tcs. He jey,ifsd that
when he came into the Presidency he found The for.
esn RELATIONS II the country in very drlcaie cond.
!on IN certain particulars which the committee do
MT deem ,edient TO specify. requiring, in his
p'nion, the employment Of confidential agents and
tor reasons assigned by him 10 the COMMITTEE he
garded his Secretary of Stas as the ftes per-on TO
sslec, and employ them Under an impression enter.
tanned both by him and Mr.. webstsr that this was
the usua and proper mode, he suggcsed that the mo
ney should he dishursed BY Mr.. Webster and for
that pnrposc placed in his hand. portion of III for.
eign intevco fund which then lying in dcpos.
tie with Mr. Srubbs the ordinary discussing agsnt.-
This had not been done before for long time. A
knowledge Of the modern usage in respect 10 the
kseping and Disturbing this fund.- 1t 10 not improbable
Id Ina all A., Ia A..l.
money had come improperly, and wi,hon, The Pres.
.ssnt's sanction. 1t Mr. webser's instance, into his
haads
But there can bs no doub, tina, the Presiden, had
ample authority 10 commit to his Secretary tho keep.
ING and dishutsne Of This money and thst 10 alone
hal right 10 Judge Of ,s expedisncy. The commit.
tee hnd from The 'es,mony that all The money put in
TO his hands was pla'ed there with the knowledge
and sanciinn AMI bv the order ID The President. and
% much Of II rs 'cessarv was disbursr in accord
snce with his views A balance. no, needed for the
purposes contemplated, was afterwards returned by
Mr.. Webster 10 Mr Siuhh., the disbnrsng agent
with whom the testimony shows there is usually on
dep site larRer amount Of money than is required
10 meet pre- en-, dem,nl>. With the Remarks 'hs
com ntlee dismiss this and proceed 10 notice the
second charge.
In that charge Mr.. Ingersoll accuses Mr. Webster
with using The public money TO corrupt the party
presses. Among the agrn employed by Mr.. Wei.
ster, und the authority Of the Pre>iden. a. above
explained, was Mr. Francis O. J. Smith, ofthe state
of Maine. There s in the Department Of State among
the papers relating 10 the secret service fund. letter
from that gentleman to Mr. Webster which contains
an expression that. unexplained, might justly lead 10
the imnressnn ihat he (Mr. Snlrh) had used the
ney ofthe g wernment in that way. The committee
have fully investigated this charge. They do no,
deem il necessary or exponent 10 go into >rccics
ton ut the acts OF this agent who was employed in
secret service or to inquire into the proprriy ofen
plovnR agents for secret service within the limits Of
the United States and paying them out Ct the con'in.
cent fund for foreign intercourse hut will content
tks4rn alv ne
they have taken full explains whatever 10 Of obscure
doubtful meaning in the letter, and removes ever,
foundation for a belief or even suspicion that ihf
public money was used or attempted TO | e used T.
ice to the third and last charge that when Mr.. Web
s,sr wen, out Of off 70 hs was public defaulisr.
From IN examination Of his accounts, il appear
that when he ie'i'ed from ONCE. there was Of TN
moneys tbs, had hsen entrusted to him an appnren
balance ri e. 800 in his hands stated by Mr. Inger
soil. The expenditure Of this sum remained he &C
counted for bv him. There seems TO have been dc
isv in procuring vouchers from the ageris whom Nj
Webster had employed tor the moneys advanced b
him 10 them. For the payment Of thou and dollar
which he claimed TO have made M, of Inc fund in hi
hands, he alleged tha vouchers had hesn
o. not procured. and il has YET been found or oh
tsincd, though effrls were made nv him IN And
procure il. Those causes occasi med q delay in III
sstle,nent Of hi. accounts for sumo eighteen or twer
" months.
In the aiunn Of 1874 the period having arrive
when It's wa necessary FIR Mr.. Stu his 10 close h
accounts A. the Treasury, and VIZ. Webster not hn'
ing Then procured the necessary vouchers, he pr
posed 10 pay the apparent balance against him, vii
the dersanding thar the Government should v
fund TO him ifhe subsequently procured the eviden'
ofhis pavmenis. This propo'nion, which rroceed'
fnm Mr Webster was srrrded 10 bv the Preside
OF the United S,ars. In the month OF Novem 81
that wear Mr Webster procured a voucher for pa
ment Of $500, and paid in cash $4,000 The residue
the apparent balan = in his hands. This money W
RENTED by him in part fon Boston and in part fra
phiedeiphla In the following winter he visit
Washington. and, on The frat Of Frhrr,y, ie45. ~
sen'ed vouehers for payments made BY him while
ohhes mt before credited to him, In the amour,
u $50. which tho President Of the Unred States
secied 10 be ref lnded. and that the amount IN
repaid 10 him. Mr. Webster was urged bv VT Stub
to collect and transmit his accounts and vauche
that Mr. Sinhhs might close his accounts with
TleAsury. bur tho committee find no evidence 81
threat OF exposure having been made bv the Pre-
dent which induced the payment Of the appsFsai b
snce against him.
II n be assumed that Mr. Webster was corr.c,
his IMPRESSION that he had rsd he above mention
Thousand dollars out of The fund in his hands ans
10 this amount he added The vouchers for $3.50 D
cured bv him after his retirement from once, msk
soprthtr 92250, and this last amour, he dpdnc,ed n
$3.50, the spparent balance agains him il will On
that tbs real balance in his hands when h. wen,
sfoi1cs was $40 On reviewing his sccounis.
keeping ri which was far the mot part entrusted
him 10 Mr. Snhbs. the dslnr ing asen, The conn
tee have heen led 70 doubt whether on the Anal ~,
,reni an item Of $500 was mot nv mistake carried
his credit which had been before allowed him. I
error w. pointed out 10 the commftre nv the dish
ing agent. hy whom the account was drawn I'd
the settlement made.
He rvsves that il was At his own suggestion,
moi Al thu, Of Mr. Webster. that this item was
ped 10 his credn in the final settlement. II 10 moi