The daily union., 1852-10-10
The Great Depreciation on the Treasury

The report OF the committee OF Congressshowing the
treasury Of the United States, in whig hands. and by
whig insrumentay. to have been lately defrauded oi
near half million OF doarshas taken care to state that
there was no evidence before them proving, tending
pove that the Secretary OF the Treasury knew the
claim of Gardiner 10 be forgery or fraud" In this
momentous matter, while we deem il our duty TO hold
all the parties to this depreciation upon the treasury
their just responsibility, it is yet part of purpose
to make unjust war upon Mr. Corwin We give him,
therefore, very readily the benefit OF the above statement
of the committee, far it goes 10 excupate him. We
point as conclusive evidence OF the fairness Of spirit
in which the committee, composed OF Of both par
ties, conducted its investigations; and this assump.
ton we proceed again TO consider The predicament in
which this candid exposure Of the facts OF the by
congressional committee has placed the Secretary OF the
Treasury the board of commissioners and the whg ad-
mnisra,ion by which they selected, and under
whose authority their action took place
The people, investigating the fact OF this wholesale
plumber of their treasury WILL in the first place. consider
that the Secretary Of the Treasury, while senator in
Congress, became associate counsel for claim which
turns out upon congressional investigation to be "a
naked raud; that short time after, and while the
board of the claim open ograve
in it that in view Of taking the proeed Office OF Sec
reay of the Treasury he sells out his interest this and
other claims for nearly eight times the which he
appears to have paid and that this large amount OF pur-
chase money is yet in his hands.
In this state of facts, the people will ask wheth-
er MIR. Corwin would probably have been en-
gagged associate counsel in this claim if he had
not been a senator of the United States. and man
of high partisan influence and distinction. They
will inquire further, whether If he had not been man
OF great political influence with wbig commission he
would have bought large interest in claim already
suspected by that commission TO be fraud They will
then inquire whether if he had been abou, TO enter
the administration, and take the special custody OF the
treasury, he could probably have found purchaser
willing TO pay large advance for interest in
claim already and from the first suspected 10 be fraudu
lent.
These natural inquiries of the people will receive
fearful point and emphasis in OF the fac, reported
by the committee, that under these circumstances the
claim not only allowed by the commission when
letter TO consul at Vera Cruz Tampico would have
exploded it, but that il allowed, with large addition
of 500 900, awarded upon certain additional "expla
nations" and evidences and that this swollen condition
il passed promptly through the treasury, without
word OF inquiry day Of delay for such purpose.
the official warrant OF the very whose connexIon
with il had been close, and say the least OF it,
equivocal, so unfortunate, and so suspicious.
Nor should il be forgotten that all this occurred while
the country was yet ringing with the great parallel
Gaphin scandal which bad done much TO break down
the administration OF General Taylor Blind and reck
less and unscrupuous indeed, would seem to be the
commission, the administration, the dynasty. and the
party which such preceden-so condemned and so
odiouscould not put thoroughly their guard against
the recurrence OF such an official enormity
But upon the men whose official action we are consid.
ering even this signal warning was lost Through the
commission and through the treasury the gigantic fraud
with all its suspicious upon its back. and without delay
because OF them, stalked steadily and boldly on And
now the people, warned by the voice OF their repre-.
sentatvos in Congress- awake TO the fact that this rob
berry OF their treasury has been pepeaed through the
official agency of the very actively engaged in
the lead the movement 10 bring President Of the
same party and the same policy into power
The warning cannot be lost upon the popular inteli.
gence. In what previous four years OF our political his
tory have two such facts followed swiftly upon each
other as the case OF Gsphn and the OF Gardiner
And what further proof intelligent people demand
that IN order to save their treasury from page they must
rescue il from whig con,rol2