The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1846-05-08

ions made IN ms speech on Tie yin oil feO- /
ruary, he comes into this House ION the
l,h insiant and prefers other and grayer
charges against the late Secretary OF State,
changing the original issue. The
first item in his statement respecting spe-
cal mission 10 England, has. by the jour
nal which he introduced, with an attempt
at very imposing formalty, to give conse-
quence 10 a matter which IN itself had no
manner Of importance, and could not in the
remoies, degree affect the reputation OF
Mr.. Webster or any body else, been sufli
cienily reluted BY his own witness and by
the statement of the venerable member
from Massachusetts,, Who al the lime was
chairman Of Tho Committee on Foreign
Affairs. The next, and | may say the on
", charge Of importance which The gen.
,lemnn from Pennsy lvania has brought a.
gainst Mr.. Webster, is equally susceptible
Of disproof from the highest authority.
That charge is as follows, as reported IN
his remarks OH the 9th instant
The resolution for information. from the De
partnent of State, will bring forth proofs OF Mr..
Secretary Webster's msdeueanors IN office hs
fraudulent misapplIcalion and persona! ase Of the
public funds, anu corrupt.ng party presses with
The money appropriated by law for the centln'
gent expenses of foreign intercourse. When dis.
charged, as he was from The Department to
which he was SO great disgrace, lie de-
linquent-a public dcfaulter. lie did not account
for the public money be fraudulently absuacied
from the Department lIli more than year alter
he was expelled from IT, and did not account for
most Of II then by paying back the money he ab-
stracted, but BY vouchers from VIGOROUSLY base
agents Of his choice, who reccptcd tor II 10 DC
expended in managing party presses"
This charge, although very grave one,
is perfectly absurd on It's face aud not on.
ly so, but il is shown by the message,
which has Just been read, to he utterly
groundless. The Preslden, states the ahule
amount expended out Of the contingent, fund
for foreign intercourse during the time Mr..
Webster was in the State Department, 10
be five thousand four hundred aud sixty
dollars, and that il was settled at the
Treasury on the certificates Of the Presi-
dent. Ii Is perfectly well known that the
Secretary Of State cannot draw one dollar
from the Treasury on his own authority.
This expenditure was made by the Presl.
dent Mr.. Webster could neither make II
nor controll ii. The Presiden, must, there
fore, be regarded as responsible, and mol
/ The Secretary Of State. The law express.
/ ~ directs that the President shall have the
control and disposal of this fund. Ii Can
neither be drawn, expended nor accounted
g. al J.
But understood the gentleman in his re.
marks to-day to abandon the most lmpor.
tant part oElhis charge. When ca He'd up
on TO repeat his charges, he thus states
them
The charges Of Nj websters having taken
into his possession the contingent service fund
which never done either before or since Sc
condly, his having applied portion Of that fund
to corrupt the party press aud thirdly, of hi:
having left office indebted 10 that fund and Of hi.
not being able 10 settle that debt until nearly twc
yeats after he went out and just before the pre-
sen! Administration came into power"
By contrasting this sta,emen, with that
made on the 9th instant, it will appear that
the gentleman obQadoas the grossest part
OF his former accusation, that Of Mr.. Web.
s'er applying the public funds TO bis " per.
SoHdl use" The member IS, therefore, a
witness against himself Oh the most serious
point.
What ia said about Mr.. Webstor's &C.
counts is all false. When Mr.. W. left the
Department Of State, some small amounts
werc unndJusied for want Of papers. AZ.
forwards, in order to enable the Depart.
ment TO settle its account wth the Treas
ury, and II not being convenient for him
to come to Washington, he advanced and
paid what appeared 10 De unaccounred for.
This was, in fact, wholly unnecessary, bu
was done for the sake Of accuracy aud
punctualIy. When Mr.. Webster came
next TO Washington, the President direct
ed the repayment 10 him Of The amount Deer
paid, and thus was the account finally set.
] lied.
Mr.. Webster did not AXE The contingent
service fund into bis possession II was
impossible he could have done so, for the
act Of Congress specially and distinctly
vested lis appropriation with lhe Presideat
alone. No subordinate officer could touch
il.
The venerable gentleman from Massa.
chuseIts Informed US tho other dav, if | am
not mistaken, that, when President Of The
U. States, he had given one certificate lol
the whole amount Of thls fund, $50 900.
Mr.. ADAMS explained. He had au
,horzed the expenditure Of the whole bu,
that only $4,000 had been actually used
! Mr.. KING resumed. This, sir, Is near
Iy twice the amour; stated to have been OK
pended by Mr.. Tyler while Mr.. Web.,e
was Secretary Of State.
| am authorized 10 state that no, on,
cent was dlsbursed out Of that fund with
out The Written sanction or authority Of The
President
That not one dollar was paid to any con
ne1lons or personal or political freud 0
the Secretary OF State.
II appears that the sum Of 1900 wa
expended while Mr.. Webster was Secfeta
ry OF State, out Of the fund for foreign in
tefcourse, in the years lsil and l542.
! Very proper objects Of this expend,ur,
H.