The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-06-11
MAJORITY REPORT.


Ingersoll against the Hon. Daniel Webster, for
official misconduct while he held the Office OF
Secretary Of State Of the United States, made the
following report
That they have given to the subject referred 10
them patient and lsborious investigation and have
collected a large mass Of testimony the result OF
which only, without going into It's details they deem
It necessary TO present 10 the House. The commit.
tee in the FIRST place. directed their attention 10 the
first charge against MIR. Webster; that without the
knowledge Of the President Of the United States and
contrary 10 usage, he had taken out Of the hands OF
the ordinary disbursing agent, and into his own, a
portion Of that part Of the foreign intercourse fund
commonly known as the "secret service fund, =" and
appropriated II TO his own use. The committee hnd
that, by law, this fund 10 committed 10 the exclusive
control Of the President Of the United States who
may, If he think proper, keep the money himself,
and disburse u from his own hands, OF he may
commit the keeping and disbursement Of it TO such
agent agents. under his direction, he may deem
It expedient To appoint In consequence, as the
committee presume, of the many and important
duties which necessarily constantly occupy the whole
time and attention Of the President OF the Uniled
States 30 as 10 render very troublesome and difficult
for hIm IN person keep and dsburse this fund and
make up It's accounts, he has always from the frs
establishment of the government entrusted
the discharge of these duties 10 other hands
As the Secretary Of State Of the United
States Is peculiarly the confidential adviser Of the
Presdent IN whatever concerns the foreign relations
Of the country, he would seem 10 be the natural anu
appropriate agent for the discharge Of these duties
II he could perform than wiIhout detnment to other
public business Of higher importance. Accordingly
the committee find that in the administrations Of
General Warrington, the elder Adams, and part of
that OF Mr. Jedsnon, while the Office OF Secretary al
State Was held IN succession by Msssn. Jay, Jeifsr-
son, Randolph, Pickering, Marshall, and psrt Of toe
time thai Mr.. Madison held that Office under Mr..
Jefferson, The whole Of this fund vas under tho di-
rection and OF the President OF the United
States received kept, and disburssd by the Secretary
of Stale. In the early part Of Mr. Jefsrsons adj
minstraiion the Secretary ofState, without any Law
requiring IT, seems To have been relieved from the
discharge Of this duty, and the keeping and dis
bursng Of this fund under the Pre&idents direction
appears to have been passed into tho banda OF
agents, whose accounts, after receiving the sanction
of the President settled al the treasury. But no
change has been made in the law, or in the powers
OF duties OF the President in respect TO this fund
from the time of General Washington 10 the pressn
day. This change must have been made for the
convenience Of the Secretary OF Stale, and not from
any want of confidence which Mr.. Jeffersoa had In
Mr. Madison. .f ... ..r .a j. t. ...
The committee have examined Mr.. Tyler, the
Rte President Of the United States. He tesAi6ed
that when he came into the presidency, he found
the foreign relations Of the country in very deli
cate condition, in certain particulars, which the com
mittee do not deem II expedIent 10 specify rsqair-
ing, in his opinion, the employment of CONFIDENTIAL
agents; and, and for assigned by him to the
committee ne regarded his Secretary Of State as the
httest person TO select and employ them. Under
an impression entertained both by him and Mr.
Webster, that this the usual and proper mode
he suggested that the money should be dsburssd by
Mr.. Webster, and for that purpose placed in his
hands portion of the foreign intercourse fund,
which was then lying in deposit with MIR. S,ubbs,
the ordinary disbursing agent This had not been
done before for long time A knowledge Of the
modern usage in respect to the keeping and disburs
ing this fund 1t Is not Improbable, led Mr. lngersol
into the erroneous belief that this money had come
improperly, and without the President's sanction,
at Mr.. Webster's instance, into his hands. But
there can be no doubt that the President had am
pie authority TO commit 10 his secretary the
keeping and Disturbing Of this money, and that he
alone had right to Judge of its expediency. The
committee find from the testimony, that all the mon
ey Pu, into his hands was placed there with the
knowledge and sanction and by the order of the
President; and so much Of II as was necessary was
oIsbursed in accordance with his views. A bal.
ance not needed for the purposes contemplated was
afterwards returned by Mr.. Webster to Mr.. Stubbs,
the Disturbing agent, with whom the testimony
shows there is usually on deposit a, larger amount
of money than is required TO meet present demands
With these remarks, the commi.iee dismiss this
and proceed to notice the second charge.
In that charge Mr. Ingersoll accuses Mr.. Web
ster with using the public money TO corrupt the
party presses. Among the agents employed by Mr..
Webster, under the authority of the President, as
above explained, was Mr. Francis O. J. Smith. OF
the State of Maine. There is in the Department of
State among the papers relating to the secret ser.
vice fund.- a letter from that gentleman to Mr. Web
ster, which contains expression, that une plain
ed, might justly lead to the impression that he Mr.
Smith) had used the money Of the government in
that way. The committee have fully investigated
oh Tha,, d. H.. =
pedent, to go into specification of the acts of this
agent, who was employed in a secret service or to
inquire into the proprety Of employing agents for
secret service within the limits of the United States
and paying them out Of the contingent fund for for
eign intercourse; but will content themselves with
simply remarking that the testimony they have
taken fully explains whatever is Of obscure or
doubtful meaning in this letter, and removes every
foundation fora belief, or ever SUSPICION that the
public money was used or attempted to be used, to
corrupt the party presses This brings the commit
to the third and last charge; that when Mr.. Webster
went out OF office he was public defaulter.
From an examination of his accounts il apnears
that when he retired from office, there was of the
moneys that had been intrusted to him, an apparent
balance of 50, $50 in his hands rs stated by MIR In
gersoll. The expenditure of this sum remained to
be accounted for by him. There seems to have
been delay IN procuring vouchers from the agents
whom Mr. Webster had employed, for the moneys
thousand dollars which he claimed TO have made
out the fund IN his hunds, he alleged the voucher
had been lost, mislaid or not procured and il has
not yet been found or obtained though efforts we're
made by him to find or procure it. These causes
occasioned delay in the settlement Of his accounts
for some eighteen or twenty months.
In the autumn Of 1874, the period havi q arrived
when it was necessary for Mr.. Stubbs to close his
accounts at the treasury, and Mr.. Webster not hav.
ing then procured the necessary vouchers, he pro-
prosed pay the apparent balance against him. with
the understanding that the government should re
fund to him, if he subsequently, procured the ev
dence of his payments. This proposition, which
proceeded from Mr.. Webster was acceded TO by
the President of the United States. In the montl
Of November Of that year, Mr., Webster procurec
voucher for payment of 5000, and paid in cash
$4,000, the residue of the apparent balance in hi
hands This money was RENTED by him in par
from Boston, and in part from Philadelphia. In III
following winter, he visited Washington, and o.
the LIST OF February, lS45, presented vouchers 70
payments made by him, while in Office, and net be
fore credited to hun, TO the amount Of 81 050 whic
the President Of the United States directed to be re
funded. and that amount WAS than renaid IN him