Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1848-06-24

section law which prescribed the duty Of the Register Of he
Treasury and said that with that duty the Secretary could
not interfere. Here, then, shown only that the
Secretary not required 70 make these tables but that they
were made and furnished him by officers whose duty was
prescribed by law, and by law they made evidence
courts Of justice u then, courts Of justice bound TO
receive them in evidence, why should the Secretary Of the
Treasury be held responsible for any error any, which they
might contain Why should he be expected to examine the
acts and compare the books to Try and their accuracy
Il possible for him do it, Why were gentlemen
Of the number of the tables TO this House II
not he would inform them that there here thirty-wo
tables all Of which dated about the time the Seceays
own report bore dateranging from the ls 9Th Of De-
cembeand covered the action of the Government regard
its finances from the year 769 to the end the fiscal year
How, them In the muitudnous abors Of the Secretary of
the Treasury, could he be expected find time 10
anime these tables The Secretary of the Treasury
shrank from any duty responsibility inseparable from
his office, and his duties he has performed with an ability
which has astonshed every body Thus them the gentlemen
opposite had attacked the report OF the Secretary
tain tables which it the duty of other officers prepare
and furnish The gentleman from Pennsylvania had accused
the Secretary Of seeking shift the responsibility upon others
but IN this the gentleman in The Secretary de-
sired no such thing.
But let them look little further and how successful the
gentleman has been his attack the Register for
an attack the Register in reality, and the Secretary.
The gentlemen the Treasury Department examine
these matters and did they the Secretary Of the Treasury
or to the acting Secretary No They took copies furnished
by clerks, that unceed and manifested and, the
mere asseronof clerks without the attesng signature
OF single human beng they sought their grave
accusations Now, what had they that those clerks
had even copied accurately the tables that presented
And how did they know that these things taken properly
from the books
Mr. STROHM interposed to explain and he UNDER
stood say though very indstncy heard that the committee
had had the books for part these
Mr. BEDINGER perfectly willing to let it rest there
but yesterday the gentleman from Pennsylvania did not sy
So and statement after statement had been forth the
world without the aestation single human being they
did have access to the books the Secretary did know Of it,
nor did ne (Mr b. know who those clerks whom
the gentleman from Pennsylvania had relied II in
that Way ne would the gentleman that they could de-
mosh such monument of genius the Secretary has raised
TOR himself The gentleman might well attack Gibraltar
with pocket pistol
but ne would proceed the discoveries which the gentle
man had made; and the only which they had pointed
OUT and which they assumed to have dscoveredthe only
genuine which made athey did discover
at all It was discovered months before and communicated
The Senate The to which be alluded Of
4O 500; the letter stating which, dated the 18th Of Feb
rua lS1S he had before him. And here he could not but
mark the difference between the conduct of committee of
the Senate and the Committee the Expenditures Of the
Treasury Department of this House. The committee Of the
Senate when the discovered the Secretary
and pointed out and satisfactory explanation given
long before the committee of this House made its report the
authority Of unknown clerks But there inaccuracies
In the report Of the gentleman from Pennsylvania 1t APP
peared TO him tina! when gentlemen attempted to investigate
report like this and gravey the Secretary OF the ea
suy 81 such important errors they should be extremely
full not to themselves And yet the gentleman from Penn
syvana frankly admitted that in his report he had committed
some and he expressed his establishment that there
not more That there in that report he (M b.
concuned with the gentleman from Pennsylvania and be
thought sixty -four in report Of thitynine pages
pretty considerable number for the Committee Pub
lie Expenditures.
He then proceeded TO notice The first error which the COM
mil had
told them that he not that certain
IN their possession, 1.-THE description Of which distinct
y heard when there the law which compe the Secre-
ary the Treasury place before the House and vet the
gentleman from Pennsylvania told them be knew nothing of
it. Then again the gentleman from New York (Mr. Cox
GEn stated that the Secretary Of the Treasury had
printers and obtained proofs of his report before furnish
ed TO this House, and that but for that would have been
Their tables sooner The gentleman mistaken. He (Mr
asserted broadly the authority Of the Secretary of
Treasury that he the printers and never set his
eyes on in printed form until printed for the Of
this House
Mr.. CONGER begged permission to say word by way Of /
explanation He desired say that in the remark which he
made yesterday there in relation index
that work In making his explanation yesterday be msook
the documents and TO set himself and the House right that
subject in should be necessary he should hereafter
have occasion make explanations he this morning called on
the public printer to make further inquiries and he found be
was in error on the subject Of that index being the hands Of
the Secretary OF the Treasury for the period he yesterday
ed There inder 10 this document But he stated
the authority Of the priners-and he knew nothing
about hat proofs of that document had been in the hands
Of the Secretary that they remained there weeks and weeks
and that that the Of the delay in furnishing them
TO the House This explanation be made justice to the
printers and if there question Of veracty between
hem that must rest with the printers and the Secretary Of the
Treasury.
Mr.. BEDINGER again asserted, on the responsibility Of
the Secretary Of the Treasury that the Secretary did
send for proofs Of that document.
Mr. CONGER did that he sent for the report
but on the authority Of the printers he stated that proofs
furnished.
Mr. BEDINGER cared not what the printers might say |
The printers testimony this somewhat like the
atested authority Of clerk with which the Committee
Public Expenditures sought ax blame the Secretary Of
the Treasury Yesterday the gentleman from New York
spoke his authority and be furnished the author
ity Of the printer but he (Mr b. the authority Of the
Secretary Of the Treasury, gave it broad denial
lie then returned TO the admission Of the gentleman from
Pennsylvania that he ignorant Of information which
literally piled up in document which he had before him. and
from which be read several extracts and then asked with
such facts before them what confidence could be placed
the statements which the report Of the gentleman from Penn
sylvania contained
He next understood, proceeded 10 an
admitted made by the gentleman from Pennsylvania TO
the amount Of half million Of dollars He also spoke Of
small Of seventywo dollars and Of mistake in sub
tracing He said he had been told that he much better
at figures Of rhetoric than figures Of arithmetic but he
theress should not take eight from thirteen and leave four
There another small In table Of the report Of
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