The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1850-02-20
KY The following letter from Mr.

with our people, amongst whom he IN
tends to live and die: ......
FAlRFIELp, ILL.,, Nov. SO, lS49
.Nessrs. Editors On my arrival at
this place my attention was called to u
letter signed " Ashland, dated at Wash
ineton city, November the Isl, 1910, and
published liz the Louisville Weekly Cour-
ier, dated the llth inst, from which the
following is an extract:
"Another case of Iocofoco gouging
has lately come to my knowledge. 1t is
connected with the late Receiver of pub
lie moneys at Saltwater, Minnesota ter
ritory-Mr. Samuel Leech. 1t appears
from the records in the first comptroller's
Office that this Mr. Lcech charged S4S ,O7
as receiver at Quincy, Illinois, for the
identical time and period he charged the
same sum for as receiver of public mon
cys at Saltwater, Minnesota territory -
Thus making the government pay him
twice upon The pre'eri that he was rccciv-
er at two different points in different
states at the same time, and the Offices at
a distance of eight hundred miles apart
This small game of gouging however
does not end here. At the end of the
second quarter Of IS49, the balance re-
ported by him on hand was a fraction
over five hundred dollars In order to
make the most oft. seeing the hand wri-
ting upon the walls as to his official fate,
he neglcctS to pay the registers salary
as by law he was bound to DO, and de-
posts at St. Louis but five hundred, at
an expense to the government Of SI2S,
retaining the fra ction IN hands. He now
presents his final account for settlement,
showing that he subsequently deposited
the enormous sum at St. Louis of thirteen
dollars and some cents t--for which inval-
uablc service he charges Uncle Sam the
round sum of one hnadred and t,eenty dol
iarsH His rctaining the balance and
no! paying the registers salary in the
first instance, was palpable violation
of instructions Of his government, and
the charging the hundred and twenty
dollars for depositing thirteen dollars an
outrage that none other but an unprinci-
pied, spoils-grabbing locofoco would have
the hardihood to attempt"
As this fictitious scribbler ("Ashland")
processes to obtain the information upon
which he bases his charge of ''gouging, u
against me, from the records in the first
comptroller's office, it is presumable that
he is acting "by authority" otherwise
would think it unnecessary to notice his
vile ISLANDERS.
In Justice to myself, and for the infor-
nation of the public, beg leave to make
statement of facts in the cases to which
he refers. On the 9th of April, lS4S
, while receiver of the public moneys al
, Quincy, Illinois, | was appointed recei-
, yer of public money at the Falls Of ST
. Croix. Wisconsin, and on the same day
c.. S. Whitney, Esq, was appointed reg.
lister Of the same office. On the first day
of June following, l resigned the office
, of receiver at Quincy, and was qualified
and gave bond as receiver under the new
appointment, and Mr.. Whitney was quail
&. fled on the 9th day Of the same month
/ paid Mr.. Whitney his salary from th'
r date of his commission, and charged ny
. own from the same time.
F | made these allowances believin!
4 them to be correct from the fac
$ that | knew of many cases for ten year
: past, where receivers had paid land off
+, GERS from the dates oftheir commissions
" and the charges were sanctioned and al
\ lowed at the treasury department; an
: that such allowances were made an
v sanctioned under a decision of the su
l. preme court of the United States in tn
case of Marbury vs.. Madison, ard re
i ported in Condensed Reports Of the su
y preme court of the Unite d States, vel.
= page pa. as follows, viz: CA commits
d sion bears date, and the salary of the Of
e fcer commences from his appointment
II not from the transmission or acceptanc
ir of his commission. 1t is therefore dec
s dedly the opinion Of the court that whe
10 a commission has been signed by tn
b. president the appointment is made"
N When informed by the first comptrol
m er of the treasury that | had erred
D. paying the salaries Of register and re
ceiver in the cases mentioned, | addres:
- ed him letter dated the ID June, lS4!
l. in which referred him to the above ds
N cisicn, and several precedents where a
e. lowances had been made to land Officer
nt from 1887 to I547, and sanctioned at tn
treasury department upon the princiP
established in said decision; and then r.
a. marked that ''if Ihave erred, plead II
,e high authority cited in the abo:e: 9aVft
20 cases in cxtenuation." And aSain,.:
l. however, am mistaken, you will pleas
N cite me to the authority, SO / may col
e. vince the register (Mr. Whitney that
On have overpaid him, which is necessal
w. for me to do before he will be willing
A. refund the money to me. | also wish
oo be convinced Of the error myself, if al
exists, when will cheerfulIy correct it
n To which the comptroller replied und
al date Of the 25th August, lS49:
IA "in reply to your letter ofthe 2dJun
al IS49. i'm reference to the deduction
n salary, l beg leave to say.--l admit tn
IL allowances have been made upon I
l principles contended for by you, vi
a s. From the date of the commission" Il