Daily American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1852, 1852-08-05

entered the department. He found Mr.. Kennedy
to have received, for discharging the one duty,
salary at the rate of 3, 900 per annum, until the
disbursing agent assumed the responsibility of
curtailing it, while Mr.. Kennedy was protesting.
Without hesitation, after an examination of the
subject, and finding Mr. Kennedy dischargng the
| two duties, he very properly ordered him to be
paid the highest salary. This was paid for a
time, and then the order disobeyed-an order
| upon which Mr. Kennedy might have insisted,
and might now; but the disbursing agent had
formally applied to the board for extra compen-
sation above his regular salary, and, this being
referred to Mr.. Kennedy, he had denied the right
OF Mr.. Williamson, under the law, to receive it.
And here appears an inconsistency in Mr.. Will
hamsons conduct, inasmuch as he solicited of
the board extra compensation while, in letter
to the Comptroller, he argues that the board did
not e1ist at the time.
Under all these circumstances, the Secretary of
the Interior applies to Congress to make the
matter plain. According to his written desire,
this was done by changing the phraseology of the
clause before alluded to, and making it prospec-
tive, conditionally This was done with full
knowledge Of its practical effect in the committee
of the Senate, and adopted by that body. The
bill was sent to the House, referred to the Ju-
dietary Committee, and adopted, with the under
standing that it would give to Mr.. Kennedy the
SIS, 600 for his past services; and thus it became
a law. On Thursday last Mr.. Kennedy sent to
the members of the Senate temporarily written
review of report of the Committee on the
Census, of which Mr.. Davis was member The
same day that honorable Senator introduced a
"joint resolution" explanatory of the former bill,
entirely altering its construction and neutralizing
its present notwithstanding that Mr.. Kennedy
| under that law had demanded cas- l am in
formed two salaries. Thus was this resolution
introduced under false statement, or misrepre-
sentation was to be put into requisition to carry
it. Without much thought, and in the presence
OF few Senators, the resolution was ordered
forthwith without any notice to the party inter-
ested and maligned, to be engrossed
The next morning Judge Mangum moved re-
consideration, which carried and he prepared
himself with all the facts necessary to expose the
whole transaction. Yesterday, unfortunately,
Mr.. Mangum was confined by indisposition to his
room; and while the Senate was almost deserted,
and there was scarce single Senator present who
had looked into the subject and against all re-
| monstrance, and that courtesy we believe never
before refused, the Senator from Massachusetts
pressed the original resolution to its final pas
sage!
There are other facts connected with this mat
ter, to which we may rccur at future day.
W. To-. - Al -
Representatives to believe that that body will
permit a resolution of this nature to be hurried
through, and we feel sure that that popular
branch of Congress viii not suffer the individual
rights of officer and citizen to be contravened
by feelings of personal malice and unsatisfed re-
sentiment.