Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1848-05-13

HOUSE OF REpREsENrATlvEs-M4r ii. ls4s.

HOUSE OF Observation-Disclosures IL, 1913.
On motion Of Mr. yNTON the House resolved iiselfnto
Committee of the Whole on the state Of the Union (Mr.
CosB, Of Georgia, in the Chair
Nh. ROCKWELL. Of CspSecicut, addressed the COM
mttee, More shan Svosmonhs since (said hey called the
attention Of the Hduseto soqe very serious in the
port Of the Secretary IL They Of char
scter require either acknowledgment Of their correctness
an explanation Of tn apparent Discrepancies Such
PLANTATION promse BY the exchairman Of the Committee
Of Ways and Means BIZ Aes'not been given. month
since the official organ q ~ administration promised the
next day to give an caal in relation to the charges
which had made but nS sdch fsatemen has been given.
Some the confidence Of Of
he officers Of The have, in that paper and others.
made general 5enS 81 any SERIOUS mistakes. charged me
with dsngenuousness and unaness in my charges against
the Secretary but attempted explanation of the errors
pointed out.
Al last, sir after SO long time, and after much labor at
the Department in furnishing materials the chairman Of the
Committee Finance in the Senate has undertaken labor
ed exposition Of the affairs Of the Treasury, speech de-
vered the 22d March, and first published about TWO weeks
thereafter As there has been no explanation furnished by
any member Of this House, and as this was clearly designed
substantially only authorized but official vindica
ton ofhe Secretary Treasury propose TO examine its
main positions.
The design Of the speech plainly explain the whole
subject Of the loans and Treasury notes issued under the acts
Of ed July 1896 and 2Sh January, lS47 and to show that
the Secretary had not committed the charged
shall endeavor show that the figures Of the honorable
chairmsnof the Register Of the Treasury in his statement
which those OF the chairman basedand In the general
statement Of the Secretary of the Treasury, in the beginning
Of his report the finances in relation to the Treasury noes
and loans under these acts grossly erroneou not in
instances but in almost every nstancenot that
there their statements but that in scarcely an IN
they correct Nor they errors running through
entire statement arising Of two errors which
might thus affect the subsequent result but the mistakes are
various and independent they not Of small sums but Of
very large amounts
On former occasion pointed out number Of very gross
mistakes in the report of the Secretary Of the Treasury and
endeavored show from that document and the accompany
tables the and extent of these now ac
that one Of these mistakes OF large amount
was committed. Noaitempt made explain correct my
statements in relation to the others II il now officially or
semi-ocialy admitted that the Secretary committed blum
der in bis annual official report to Congress of at least
40, 900 When this first pointed out by me- it was
denied that there was any such mistake.
am aware that the honorable Senator has labored very
much show that the not in statement OF his
MEANS but in understateinent Of expenditures It's
very material which, long the acknowledged
TO be serious onein the statement OF the actual receipts
and expenditures of the Government requiring larger loan
than called for by about million and half Of dollars may
well leave the Senator settle the matter with the officers
the Treasury do not however, agree with him and, I'M
less all the printed tables in the Seretays report bearing
this point wrong, the Senator is himself wrong need
add, Irhnk to what said former occasion TO show
this. If hereafter it should be deemed important to show
into it, As il stands from all the official statements ac
companied by this authorized explanation, it is, Think ap
parent the Secretary did possess the which he
publicly stated the Department possess that he had
the Treasury on hand that he said be had by about
million and half Of dollars AT the time when these charges
made advertisement had been issued for proposals for
900 of Treasury notes, which said to be in the
hands Of the Secretary of the Treasury which he author
zed under the law TO reissue When the bids had been
for the stock amount which he could deliver
found TO be about million and half less than he had adver
sed Various apologies given in the papers and else
where for this deficiency. The Secretary had forgotten that
he had sold tc State individual million Of dollars of
the notes, and to else bali million, &c. The
doubtless, and the which should have been hon
esy avowed that the Secretary hadpoposed to sell
by least 40l 900 than he could by law sell and
having at last discovered the he withdrew the notes from
market It'll very obvious If this gross mistake had not been
pointed out and he bad followed his calculations
contained in his report that there would have been illegal
and excessive issue Of Treasury the acknowledged
extent of at least 81, 40l, 900.
In the speech Of the chairman Of Finance Of the Senate
which have referred, he says
eff the honorable Senator will have patience believe that
before get through shall be able show that there be
no mistake in the financial statements Of the Secretary with
the exception OF which will hereafter explain, and which
was discovered 10 the Committee Finance"
And subsequently
"But SIR have before nmated there is an error in
the financial statements Of the Secreys report IL but
justice TO that first discovered in the Committee
Finance, and il due my friend from Virginia mr. HrS-
TKR remark that from him first came the as TO
4
the nature OF the mistake Il communicated the De-
partmen rst verbally and afterwards the 25h OF Febru
ary) by letter to the Register Of the Treasury
to be considered Of great Importance by the honora
bic chairman who it that first discovered" this
do not consider evidence Of very wonderful asuteness
discover mistakes In the reports Of the Secretary othe Treasu
ry the wonder Is that he should have made them r. how
ever, patent Is to be issued for this discovery, shall claim
the letters patent myself Long before the time referred to
pointed out these 10 the officers Of the Treasury and the
Register Of the Treasury furnished me- under his hand
the statement the subject which printed length in the
published copy OF my former speech which he furnished
showing that the had mol been committed and not TO
show hoc il had been made.
II may well be asked whether this Is all Whether the
error is still greater Whether the Secretary has with
bald enough from market Whether there not now an over
issue Of Treasury notes II this So who is responsible
Can the Secretary relieve himself by talking Of registers and
clerks II 80, is time that Congress make their own
amnations.
But cir, although am exceedingly unwilling to trespass
again upon the time Of the House on this subject the course
which has been taken leaves no choice cannot permit
the matter here This acknowledgment Of mistake
tardy and reluctantly given, ITSELF think short Of the
TRUTH and given the other errors and dscrepa
cies which pointed out.
There appended the speech the honorable chairman
official statement from the Register the Treasury expanato
the loans and Treasury notes authorized by acts Of and
ls47 Upon this statement all the facts and figures Of the
chairman Of finance in the Senate the subject Of Treasury
based Every statement made bv him is but
bnaon, in form other, Of the figures contained and
derived from this statement This Is also the same statement
which furnished by the Register OF the Treasury and
which il printed al length in former speech