The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-07-11


and consequence of the ntrigues of the agents of
the British government and the Hudson Bay Company
who made them large presents annually, and taught
them to look TO their government and citizens friends
and protectos and to ours as enemies and foes from
whom they had nothing to expect but injustice and
wrong It was only by the most energetic measures and
firm and determined personal conduct that frequent
occasions they prevented from breaking out into
open hostiltes and delugng extensive frontier with
the blood OF scattered and defenceless citizens Tn
one occasion the Indians abruptly withdrew from the
council with threatening words and gestures, and had
drawn up m battle array and hosted the British flag In
defiance when Gen Cass, at the imminent peril of his
life accompanied only by interpreter, went directly
among them tore down the flag, and tramped under his
feet, and told them that no such emblem of foreign
power should wave over territory OF the United States
his presence. This chIvarc act asounded the In
dams, and excited their admiration for his daring and
courage as to change completely the whole OF their
feelings and they soon submitted, and entered into
friendly council and satisfactorily arranged their difficult
ties This is only one OF the many instances in which
General Cass subjected himself to similar risk and danger
with the same promptness and determination, and with
like suspicious results He subjected great and
various Inconvenience, and his difficulties and embar
easements greatly increased by his being compelled
to take with HIM large amounts OF money, which,
of the bad state of the currency, he had collect
and transport to Detroit with much danger and risk Any
one who will take the trouble to consult the documents
referred to, will acknowledge the almost insurmounabe
difficulties he had to encounter, and wonder how he
succeeded well in the discharge of his duties 1t
customary at the time to allow two and half per
all moneys disbursed under similar circumstances and
though 100000 passed through his hands, (most
of which he had at his own cost and expense to trans
port from the interior of Ohio through unsettled
try of about two hundred mes,) he never was allowed
cent for it, except in what the gentleman from Penn
sylvana calls extra allowances.
Under these circumstances, he considered that some
reasonable allowance should be made him for the
labor and heavy expenses which, in various ways he
subjected and for discussing this large amount of
money, none of which duties egtmately belonged to
him. Accordingly, in the year 1928 he submitted &C
for these extra and extraordinary services for the
years ending with 1926 amounting to $14 1873 SIS,
being at the rate as had been allowed to his prede
cessor Governor HulD for similar services WITHOUT
questioning the justice of the claim the Secretary of War
Gen. p b. Porter submitted it to the Attorney General
the upright and eminent Mr.. Wir-or his opinion; and
Mr.. Writ deciding it favorably, said:
understand the facts stated in Governor Casss letter of
the 18th November TO be admitted and lean perceive
no ground on which his a pp p be resisted ed; His
services for which he claims do not belong his duty
poyed by government 70 perform these services has
fair claim for them on the principles OF qrant"m '"er
Thereupon, the Secretary of War allowed Gen. Cass
$1O,5O0, being at the Of 81 500 per for the
period embraced in the account and that sum was
of War, and Mr. Calhoun never had the claim under
consideration, $50 far can ascertan,) and therefore
could not have rejected it.
When General Cass entered on his duties as Secretary
of War, there was due to him the allowance for
the balance of his term superintendent namely: from
1929 to July 3st, 1891, inclusive amounting to $3s75
This allowance being based the principles the
decided by Mr. Writ. there would have been i'm
proprety in the accounting officers acting the account,
|
scrupuous deicacy and the incest of poprety he
endorsed upon the account the following:
"In the peculiar position in which stand in rea.
ton the department. although the charge only
ponabe in ITSELF but supported by previous deci-
sion of the War Department; yet am willing should
priety be decided"
1t accordingly remained suspended until November,
when it taken up and allowed matter of course
Another item of the tissue of Misrepresentation is, that
in addition to the other allowances noticed Gen Cass was
Gr)70
tatng treaties with various tribes OF Indians Sc This
item taken from document No 8, and $l4,375 of the
amount is repetition of the contained in doc
ument No 12being the allowance, before noticed for
labor and expenses in experimenting Indians and making
disbursements not within his superntendency, granted
under the opinion of Mr. Writ Thus, instead Of being
the amount falsely stated it only l2712; and
of this the document shows that considerable por
ton for expenses The items have been critically
anayz and the expenses calculated by gentleman of
long experience in and perfectly with such
matters, who with General Cass many of the
easlons or wn,cn she were maae anu VINO
have been less than SO 442 leaving for compensation
only $6,27Oa small compensation for prolonged alb
sences from his family through period of seventeen
years great exposure risk and danger and travel of
over ten thousand miles, in bch-bar canoes, along the
lakes and rivers, on horseback and on football in.
volving great toll and discomfort ~
OF all the posts of governors of Territories, that OF
General Cass was perhaps, the most important and re-
sponsible His salary as governor was 200 per an
num- whilst that allowed to the governor OF the Terri
tory of Orleans, who had SUPPLEMENTARY of Indian
affairs was So 900 per annum and the strong probability
is, that the duties OF the governor
duous than those of the other
| To recapulate the allowances, shown by correct
analysis OF the documents which have been frequently
referred to, were as follows:
l. The allowances made by Mr., Calhoun, November 2,
1921 and sanctioned by President Madison, and contn
ued to him by subsequent Secretaries Of War, Zone for
rations from October g. 1918, May o. lS2a0 ratons
per day. 20 each-for supporting the Indians,
stationery, &c, from October g. 1873 July 81 1881,
24Lp.2) $685. 90
e. The allowances made under the opinion of
| Mr. Writ by the Secretary War, during Mr..
| Adams's administration, and subsequently, t.
| Zone for services in experimenting the agen-
cies OF Piqua in Ohio, Fort Wayne, in Indiana,
G fo1 ,ss ye a nSs a. ss gs' s snps
$l0,5O and another, for similar services,
| same agencies, for 1879 1880, and the first
seven months of 1884, at 81 800 per annum, .C|
allowed for previous years--being amounts re-
| ceyed Tor actual services and expenses, as
[ superintendent, in travelling, attending coun-
| ellis, and discussing some 100000, Tor which
others were allowed u per cent-See Doc No ga
| s, p ID, and Doc. No III, p 9) 1850 w
g. The other allowances,
| For aper diem OF $Sper day. for ifty-five days II
extra services, commissioner at the treaty oil
Greenvle in ISL and at ST. Mary m lsis
| dots in 1917 and 1875 2S44O; , travelling expen-
ses incident to same business, (X1oV y attend 60.
ance and travelling allowance at Fort Meigs, in
| 1877 (S2OO y travelling and other expenses Incl
| dent to the treaty Of St, Mays in September
and October 1915 (S6o0;) Travelling and other
,rpensss incident 10 the treaty of Sagamap,
! ISi9 ($2aOi travelling and other expenses Incl
dent the treaty Of Sanlt de Ste Marie, in 1870,
| (S336 , and for fifty days extra services pre-
| vious and subsequent to the aforesaid treaties,
| in preparing for and carrying into effect the
several stiPnlatons thereof, (S40o)