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

o himself But we hardly think ha tng sa,ar
WoIh % Iii feel disposed censure the secretary oi
The Treasury for working night anu us 10 ,ar,;nn
,,.,y IN give 10 Congress the ates Po13''oie ~ 80
veW 80, rompete labonng Tor this purpose even
anu s Jr medical treatment, and when suffering from
,;ofu attack followed by consequences which iof IN @
oohs prosrraed his health and subjected ms NE a.,
mt reril. continuing 10 perform his duties uP " 'i
s daie of his report against the earnest reHon i
" bis attending physician, and in full view oil lhe
mi and perilous attack which followed 80 IT, =; bat
alter When public servant endangers ms NC IL,
lie in the service of his country he is justly anu oph
applauded and when similar hazard Is leu ualons
apublc officer serving IN clvn calao'Y a n;a In,
devoted and unremltting efforts 10 peolu J i s,ch
No cannot think that he will be censured ior such
Efforts or that il will be charged as an error a' ne ha'
endeavored to do too much n, aor 20 hiring the
II is true that the Secretary did endeavof 10 9lhs n
nonn,s 5o,rn IN The lst of December, The middle Oh
instead of the 3Oh OF September as usual oe
ing the close of the preceding quarter, uow " b nv
accounts are settled up. And we are reques'eu ny Ie
Scps,arv N saw that he upon himself the soe
and entire responsibility of requesting the accounts 10 pe
made out down to that date IN consequence OF winch
he informs us he has doubt that this error was COM
mi,ed by the chief clerk in the Registers ONCE ana es-
caped the attention of the Register in the midst oil me ar
duous labos devoved upon him The Secretary mere
fore exoneraes these officers from all censure and In
which opinion, we iully concur -,
We will see however, that if the Secretary did attempt
for the first time to bring the accounts down to the Isl OF
December, il in consequence OF an act OF congress
fying the termination OF the first year OF the new ,ari
on the LIST OF December, lS47 instead OF me Sota OF
September preceding had been requested by me Sec
Rotary Under the act OF Congress establishing Tue new
tariff il is made by law the LIST OF De-
eember 1916 and terminate the first year OF ITS operation
on The LIST of December ls47; and, consequently, the
Secretary could not give to Congress statement OF the
FIRST wears operation of the tariff on the Sth OF De-
cember last most proper tor HIM to do unless
he did bring the account down to the LIST OF December
ls47 Surely no censure will attach to the Secretary
for endeavorng by unremitting toll, night and day.
and at the risk of his life, to bring the accounts OF
he operations under this bill down to the termination
of the year to this act as prescribed by Congress
The case is still stronger, however; for 1t appears,
BY record proof that the Secretary OF the Treasury fore
saw the embarrassment growing out OF tins divls-
ion of quarter, and proposed to make the bill com
mence on the ls of October 1916, which would have
brought the first year OF IFS operation down to the 3Oh OF
September ls47 the end of quarter the usual time for
all this difficulty; but he was overuled by the superior
wisdom of Congress in this respect The Secretary OF
the Treasury called upon by the Committee OF Ways
and Means of the House of Representatives, TO com
would be most expedient, changing the present tariff,
and imposing and different duties upon imports. In
compliance with this call the Secretary of the Treasury
after several months aborous investigation, communi-
Gated to the committee the bill proposed by him. marked
c. entitled can act reducing the duty imports, and
for other purposes" which bill, as proposed by the Sec
rotary, with few notifications, adopted by Con-
gess, and is now the law of the land constituting the
present tariff of 1916. copy of that act as then pro-
posed by the Secretary, and then printed, append to
this report The first section OF that act then pro-
posed by the Secretary, is in these words
BE enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives
the United States Of america in Congress assembled That
from and after the first day of October next in lieu of the
duties heretofore imposed by law the articles hereinafter
mentioned, and such may be exempt from duty,
there shall be levied, collected, and paid the goods,
and merchandise herein enumerated and provided
for imported from foreign countries, the following of
duty that is TO say &c
1t is thus clearly proved that if the date proposed by
the Secretary had been adopted by Congress- the account
othe first years operation of the law would have closed
on the 3Oth of September last the close of quarter and
en-
ment or mistake had occurred under any preceding report
of the Secretary
We will now close this report BY few remarks II is
admitted by the committee that the books of the depart
met well and properly kept and those books and the
keep them are greatly praised by the committee
including the very clerk who made the mistake table G.
and who chiefly keeps these books 1t is admitted by the
committee that there is intentional error, nor is any
pretended to exist, affecting the balance in the
treasury any of the freetrade principles maintained in
the report of the Secretary and the whole ground for
this aborious report is clerical arhmetcal
of cpherng and addition in table G of the Register, not
affecting the balance in the treasury cent produ
cling any possible injury to the government the
try; whilst the committee themselves commit sixty four
distinct errors, amounting to upwards of thirty three
millions OF dollars.
We repeat we have no doubt that these errors on the
part Of the committee unintentional. 1t is
clear they had no jurisdiction of the subject; but
whether they had not neither we nor the Secretary
would have taken any exception on this ground No
one OF u.s. nor the Secretary nor the Acting Secretary
had any notice knowledge that this investigation was
being made by the committee until their report was i'm,
of the committee for it obvious that if this
notice had been gven the committee would have avoid
ed the numerous and important which they have
committed growing out of their pare examination OF
the subject
In conclusion, it is matter of congraulation to the
country that the books OF the Treasury well kept;
and that the Secretary himself has committed no OF
the errors imputed to him by the committee.
HENRY BED[NGER,
FRANKLIN CLARK,
EMILE LA SERE,
w. p HALL.
June 49, lsiS