The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-07-11
Defence OF General Cas-
REMARKS OF MR. McCLELLAND,

4 OF MICHIGAN,
In the House of Representatives July l. 1s4sOn the CT
Il vii and diplomatic appropriation bill.
! Mr. McCLELLAND said
4 Mr. CHAIRMAN: During five years OF service in this
House, have never yet made strictly party speech up
any question and would not respass now upon the
rule prescribed for myself, had not the character OF
distinguished citizen of my State been most violent
y attacked and traduced The gentleman from Pennsy
| vana, Mr. SrEwART,l few days ago, made many
charges OF grave character against General Cass anu
although they very loose, and some OF them exceed
ngly fng, yet propose to occupy short time IN aus
GUESSING them and similar ones made elsewhere ~ my
other remarks made by him and other gentlemen on this
floor U
The most prominent charge against General Cass IS,
that whilst governor of the Territory OF Michigan he
drew, besides his salary governor, enormous amounts
of extra compensatonsome making it, in the aggregate,
$S9,56s "a but the gentleman from Pennsylvania, with
every disposition to increase it, has been obliged by
some regard for TRUTH to reduce 1t to $6O42 propose
to examine this CHARGE and believe it is susceptible OF
the most satisfactory explanation One great error COM
mtted by those who have endeavored to dsto this mat
ter is, in assuming that each of the three documents mo
g. 9th Congress- Sd session and Nos liz and 244 25th
Congress- Sd SESSION. usually referred to, and which con-
tain all the necessary information the subject relates
to and embraces different and distinct classes OF allow
ances; and they figured out and adrolty woven to-
gether so as to make up the arrived at; while the
slightest g ance and most cursory examination VIII show
clearly and unequvocay that the documents are reports
from the Secretary of War; in answer to three separate
calls of Congress for nearly the same information, and
that they embrace with slight variations, precisely the
allowances except that of the amount contained IN
document No $2,7l2 is left out OF the other two doc
uments Thus the whole of the allowances in document
No 244, and all in document No. except the sum OF
$l2, 49, set forth and contained in document No -
General Cass governor OF the Territory OF Mich.
gan and er ocio superintendent OF Indian affairs in and
for this Territory AS ocio superintendent OF Indian
affairs, he discharged his duties within the limits estab
lishea by the Territorial organization which embraced
and included only the Indians and agencies within the
peninsula of Michigan and the agency at Green Bay on
the western shore Of Lake Michigan. In document No
hot artnfop 10
of Indian affairs Governor Cass was paid no salary by
the Treasury Department; but an allowance OF fifteen
hundred dollars per annun was made to nm by the Sec
rotary of War, and paid by the Treasury Department
during his SUPPLEMENTARY to couer has expenses OF ONCE
rent, ierk-hre fuel stationery &C.; and, besides TINS
ten raons per day. equal to $3.50 per year, were allowed
to him from the date of his appointment, IN lsl3 till the
end of 1921" They then go on to show the crcum-
stances under which these allowances were made quo
from g ~ Mr. Calhoun, the Secretary Of War, and by
whom they were made, in which the facts and cir
cumslances are fully set forth appears from this let
ter that General Cass not only performed his appropriate
duties of superintendent but in addition, actually exc
cued those of agent for several tribes which were with
out agents, both within and without his superintendent
In reference to the allowance, Mr. CALHOUN states, doc
No 49, page 81 that shortly after General Cass received
his appointment, she made application fora SPECIFIC sum
TO the various personal expenses to which ne was
liable in the performance of his duty as superintendent
Without Directing to the amount which he thought ne
cessary for the purpose, he was informed that specific
amount could not be allowed but at the same time It was
stated that on presenting his account, what
bic would be allowed The claim from its nature, could
only be adjusted on equitable principles, it being i'm
possible to state the items OF expense to which, situated
as he was, he exposed from his intercourse with
the Indians" The duties which Governor Cass per-
formed superintendent being similar to those OF Gov
ernor Clark, governor and superintendent of Indian
affairs for the Missouri Territory but more extensive
and in their performance attended with greater expense
the adjustment of his accounts, reference was had to
the allowance which had been made to the LATTER ma
king such additional allowance as the difference in the
two and regard to equity required Among the
reasons given by Mr. Calhoun for the allowance was
the Indians point to which there is so great resort
of Indians Detroit, and where, from the neghborhood
OF the adjoining OF Ganaaa rs Say 10
other place" The had previously been submitted
to the PRESIDENT (Mr Madison who expressed the opin
additional expenses" Notwithstanding all this the gen.
teman from Pennsylvania ntimates that these claims
were allowed by Mr. Calhoun six years after he was
less it be charge Mr. Calhoun with gross deelichon
of duty But the assertion devoid of all reasonable
ness and pausiby, without taking into consideration
the purity of that distinguished mans character that 1t
must be ascrbed to the gentlemans dstempered magma
ton, in his proper senses would make so I'M
warrantable and dislngenuous an lmpuaton
[Mr. BURT said: By the permission of my friend from
Michigan, wish to add word to the explanation he
has already made speak as to the item OF extra allow
ance made by the Secretary OF War during Mr. Monroes
saw that this item allowed during that adminstra
ton, and thus the gentleman from Pennsylvania Mr..
STEWART utterly mistaken III surprising mat II was
allose red subsequently, The allowance was to remune
rate General Cass as superintendent of Indian affairs,
for subsistence actually furnished Indians from dis
tance who visited him on official business These de-
mands upon him became very heavy and very frequent
1t expense which he under no duty 10 bear,
and his salary inadequate to sustain it. From the
very nature of the expenditure specific vouchers could
not be adduced or obtained This sum allowed, be-
cause it was supposed more than was sufficient to
cover the actual expenditures, which Mr.. Calhoun was
satisfied had been made by General Cass the course OF
his official and important duties Sir, undertake to say,
it charge just the part of General Cass, as its
allowance honorable and proper on the part OF Mr.
Calhoun His reasons are assigned on the account and
fully vindicate the propriety Of the allowance
But sir to the narration. The accounting officer states
that Governor Clark was allowed by law salary, as
superintendent, of 81 500 per annum And on reference
to his accounts appears that the paid to him, to
cover his expenses for Different clerk hire, fuel sta
tionery &c. about So 900 per annum; which greatly
exceeds the allowance to Gen. Cass for those Objects
ceptng for the first eight years of his supern
tendency" Thus the allowance Of ~, from October
9th, 1913, to May Goth, 1922 when it reduced to
81 $780, and of that amount from the latter date to July
81, 1881, made by Mr. Calhoun and sanctioned by Pres
dent Madison, for expenses and expenditures to which
Gen Cass was actually subjected in the performance OF
amounting in all 33325, is by some of his unscrupu
ous assaiants and deamers, not only run out for the
whole period at 1920 per annlm as an "extra allow
ance for incident to the office OF governor but
by their peculiar facility at figures is taken up from an
loher document and made to amount to much larger
must be surprised, and admire their fertility of invention,
when he finds it surpasses his I
The next item OF allowance, as shown by the docu-
mens, Is 81 800 per from 1922 TO July 81 1891,
inclusive, amounting to $l4,375 This is the item in
gard to which the most infamous and groundess charge