The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-06-23

l,abes-A b, and g. &c.-apiended 10 he report Oh tne
Secretary prepared by the Register from his books, sub
serbed and certified BY him 1t will be observed that il
il by law The duty IF the Register TO keep all accounts
he yefss and enPsna r U,,sS Ssf 0 nS and
fv The same 10 the Secretary; and from the origin of the
government down The present PERIOD the Register has
certified these accounts 70 the Secretary and me secre
II will he seen that the tables in question thus furnished
and subscribed by the Register tables of those very
accounts of debts receipts, and expenditures, which
the duty OF the Register to keep and 10 furnish to the
Secretary and that the alleged of the Secretary
in these very tables Of the Register relating TO his
counts of portion of the public debt kept by him
his books, and certified by him TO the Secretary of the
! Treasury.
And here we must suppose that the committee had n
trey overlooked the provisions of the law prescribing
the relative duties of the Secretary and of the Register of
the Treasury for if the designated by them exist
ed they the tables OF the Register which he
is bound by law to furnish TO the Secretary and which
tables of the Register il is the duty of the Secretary to
communicate to Congress.
Here then, is striking and fundamental in
the whole report of the commttee of the most
grave and important character showing that il these
mistakes in these tables did exist is the Register of the
Treasury or his clerks who prepared these tables in the
performance of the duties devolved upon the Register by
the law who should have been held responsible for such
alleged errors, and not the Secretary And yet strange
and prepared these tables much praised by the
mttee whilst the Secretary censured for alleged
in the tables of these clerks.
We here, them repeat that the Secretary of the Treas
ury keeps no books OF the debts, receipts and expend
of the government and has kept any, since
the foundation of the governments and cannot and does
not know what the condition of the actual debts
receipts and expenditures of the government, than
any member of Congress private citizen except what
he derives from the statements prepared subscribed and
certified by the Register of the Treasury If any
them is found any table of the Register signed by him.
and accompany ing the report of the Secretary OF the
Treasury, the Secretary no more responsible Tor such
error than would be committee of Congress for any
that might be found table signed by the Register
of the Treasury, furnished by him to the committee and
accompanying their report The Secretary neither keeps
these books, cer6es these accounts He is not
sponsble for any in the books or statements of
these accounts by the Register and his other
complicated and mutfarious duties render it absolutely
impossible for the Secretary of the Treasury either TO
keep those books compare the tables taken from
the books, and certified by the Register from the books
themselves This is duty never performed by any
Secretary of the Treasury and imposed upon him by
the law. He could not perform It, even under ordinary
circumstances without neglectng the other duties de-
volved upon him by Congress- much less could 1t have
been performed during the period of the present admins
traon, when three entire systems have been pre-
pared and in operation by the Secretary OF the Treas
| ury, involving immense amount OF labor; and when
the augmentation of the business and accounts OF
the treasury arising from loans and treasury notes. and
great variety of duties growing out OF the expenditures
of the war; and questions connected Herewith. have de-
voved upon the present Secretary OF the Treasury,
his reports and official acts will show-an amount Of
labor far exceeding that which became the duty OF any
preceding Secretary TO perform during any former admin
istratOn.
AS some evidence of the total impossibiy of requir-
ing the present Secretary to do what none of his prede
have DONE and what not his duy-namey. to
compare the tables certified by the Register with the
books kept by that ohcerwe refer to the fact that the
on the sth of december last and accompanying it, indie
pendent of other tables, there thirty two
tables subscribed by the Register OF the Treasury taken
by him from his books, all dated the lst of the
month"; between that date and that OF the sh OF De-
cember when the Secretary sent in his report to Con-
gress These th1y.two tables Of the Register; dated
of his report by the Secretary embrace the whole opera
tons of the government TO lis debts lis receipts its
expenditures, and its commerce. &C., from 7s9 down to
the LIST of December, ls47, amounting thousands Of
millions of dollars, registered in immense library OF
separate folio volumes kept by the Registers mere refer
ence to which will show the utter mpossbility of
comparison by the Secretary OF these tables with the
books from which they taken No Secretary of the
Treasury has made such comparisons nor is it his
duty to do possible tor HIM to perform such
duty and yet for alleged in the tables certified
by the Register according to law from the hooks which
it is his duty by law to keep and certify, the alleged err
these tables charged upon the Secetary OF the
Treasury and from the report OF the committee, would
hardly be known that there such an officer the
Register OF the Treasury or nat ne had any duties to
that when he has performed the duties required OF him
by the law and furnished the certified tables, that is
the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to perform the
same labor again. and do what the Register his
clerks have already DONE and which it is exclusively his
duty that Of his clerks to donamely; TO compare the
tables with the books kept by him. We repeat them
clear and undenabe truth, that if these alleged errors
do exist in the tables of debts receipts and expenditures
certified by the Register, the Secretary OF the Treasury
accountable for them, than he would be
found in the survey of the public lands
tanned in table furnished to the Secretary by the Com
missioner Of the General Land Office. And we cannot
refrain again from expressing surprise and astonish
that the committee should have held the Secretary
OF the Treasury responsible for these alleged the
tables of the Register of the Treasury, which tables
his duty prepare and certify 10 the Secretary and
which tables are statements prepared by the Secre
tary, but by the Register and which tables the duty
of the Secretary 10 transmit to Congress These truths
are plain and self evident clear and incontrover
BILE, that will dwell longer upon them, but proceed
the these tables, A, b, and q, alleged
to exist by the committee
And here commence, by stating that nothing be
more clear than the committed by the committee
themselves in endeavorng to correct alleged mistakes
the tables of the Register. These of the committee
are numerous, important, and palpabe, although,
have doubt, uninenona on the part of the commit
tee They are errors not in the tables of others, but
the report of the committee themselves and for which
they are responsible; and which deeply regret
to see placed among the archives of the government
They in the process by which the committee
obtain their results, and in the results themselves
Their premises erroneous; their arguments
from these premises and their concusions and the very
errors many which they allege 10 exist in these
ables of the Register not at ALL but
s'aemens whilst the is IN the report and criticism
of the committee We have not time during the very
brief period allowed to point out all these of the
committee but will designate of the most direct
| and palpable
Several pages of the committees report devoted TO
the consideration OF certain conormlties IN table
OF the Register appended the report of the Secretary
with certain statements said to be recently furnished by
the clerks of the Register 10 the committee III one table
had nd bx fba