Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-05-15

Son. son, % another fact Mr. King rSs;.s = ~ 4, --
Mr. Rrsv1 repsrt on 6fssion Of the Senator from
California without disposition t9 dsssna me
Administrations when proper = ~ ~
h Una. sns Senator ~ ssS dat this Adminisra-
tom was canssso Of offence, vnen the proper occasion
should hsse not said Gas the Senator now says
~. a. linrepard to make that defence. But desire
~ Xxi thers nothing In the remark which made
Ss aer day mat authorized the Senator from California
!, Speal 10 me in the manner in which he has done.
AZ Gws. am very sorry that misunderstood the
senator certainly understood him to make general
to the Senate that he very much surprised
at the ofremark pursued by the Senator from V
ginia. ffi IN eA s' kEs 9 Ans fGa
Mr.. Gwfs. i understood him to say further that he
was then prepared to 60 into defence Of the Admin
israon, but that it was capable of defence and drew
the inference that it his intention hereafter 10 make
that defence 1.-THE Senator's attention had been turned
to what said in the opening of my remarks he would
have discovered hst stated would give items to be de-
Tended additional to those which the Senator from Virgil
MIA had presented to the Senate for thought the Adj
mnistration needed defence on these subjects was
merely calling the attention Of the Eenstor from Georgia
these acts because he had conceived the part
Of the Administration, thrown down the gauntlet and
was prepared to take 1t up fsaasfno9 Wen
will proceed very briefly to call the attention Of the
Senate and Of the country to fact Mr. King after
his return TO the United States and during the recess Of
the Senate appointed TO the important Office of col
hector Of customs for the district OF San Francscohe
second appointment conferred upon him during the time
for which he had been elected member of the Thirty
first Congress He proceeded to San Francisco and in.
stead ofremsing there to discharge the duties Of his
Office he repaired with dispatch to the seat Of govern
men and became candidate for the Senate Of the United
States He spent weeks at the seat Of government keep.
ing open house eeconeering for the Office Of Senator
while the duties Of the Office Of collector left to be
A~v
competent The incumbent ef this high once Of the
Government enters the political with all the power
itconferredpower that he used that occasion if
msinrmed to promote his election to the Senate
for one Of the most important considerations with some
who sustained him was that they expected to get his
place in the event Of his election to the United States
Senate He carried that contest during hundred
and forytwo ballots for Senator with spirit and energy
rarely ever before known in this country The Legis
lature adjourned without making election Mr. King,
holding this high Executive Office went before the peo-
pie Of California candidate for the Senate 1t was
chargedand have not seen it contradicted by autho
ritythat large number of individuals were employed
in the custo-house who travelled through the State Of
California and endeavored in every way they could to
carry the election in favor Of the present Administration
and especially to secure Wing majority In the Legsla
ture in favor Of the election Of Mr. King to the Senate
We have seen, in the newspapers credit given to
the Treasury Department because it had recently greatly
retrenched the expenses Of the at San Fran
CISCO wish to bring the notice Of the Senate and
WISH Mr. President the inquiry answered at the proper
time whether these expenses had not been ncreas
ed to extraordinary extent to accomplish political OBJ
jects and when there necessity for these addi
tiona forces for these Objects the election being and
the Wings defeated then the ferenchment took place
and divert public attention from the fact credit
given to the Administration for this evidence Of reform
Under the unlimited power that have given to the
Treasury Department exclude California from the ope-
ration Of the general law which makes it necessary to
report for appropriation the expenditures in collecting the
customs lowing to the great distance of that country from
}1a Of II hovo ~nco ha xncx
the expenses Of collecting the there have increased
treble what they under the de aco Government
when the price of every thing in that country higher
There is another fact which, in order wish to bring
to the notice Of the Senate and the country That the
nomination Of Mr.. King which it known to the Ad-
minstraton would be contested constitutional grounds
was withheld from the Senate that could not act
upon it. until after the 4th day Of March, when the time
for which he had been elected member of the Thirty
Congress expired-thus giving coordinate branch of
this Government in making appointments to Office no
opportunity Of passing upon the constitutionay of the
appointment &3s
The Senator from Virginia referred the other day to
the extraordinary expense that incurred in sending
Mr. Collier the first collector TO California He stated
that from al s IN his s he knew that
nished by the quartermasters department What became
Of the property Was it, any portion Of it,
turned? Certainly not Here was expenditure Of
near 1856 900 Of public money in sending collector to
California when he could have gone there by Panama in
Eve six months less time for $780, and should have
paid his own expenses He had as long tail in his es-
cort comet. A number Of them, when they got to
California at the expense Of the Government went their
way--some to the gold diggngs-not connecting them
selves with the Government all do not wish to do an
injury to any person. but 1t is my duty to state these
facts when believe the malpractice of the officers Of
the Government in California is likely to do great injury
to that State in the appropriations which she asks
and SO much needs 1t Is painful duty to arragn any
individual but must state that this collector VIGOROUSLY
violated the law in seizng the cargoes of French
that he conscated those goods and in further violation
Of law pedded them through the county sold them here
and there and made any return Of the proceeds of
the sales Of these goods, that Ineligible
When his acts dsavowed by the Secretary Of the
Treasury and he ordered TO these goods they
order to do justice TO the citizens Of France pass law
pay them from the Treasury Of the United States.
Claims thus arising from the illegal acts Of this collector
to the amount Of million of dollars, told by the
French consul at San Francisco have been presented
this Government, and have and being paid at
greatly reduced estimates by the Secretary Of the Trea
sury Was not this great abuse Of power, which has
resulted in great loss to the Government? In addition
to this 1t charged against this officer by members Of
his party that he had in violation of the Subtrea
sury law used the public funds that into his hands
for speculative purposes, which should have subjected
him to criminal prosecution. Notwithstanding these vio
atons Of law, the knowledge Of which in possession
the individual, with these heavy and grave charges
hanging him. again nominated the Senate for
the very important Office which he had before held But
such the effect produced in the Senate by the re-
hearsa Of these facts that he almost unanimously
ected The official records Of the country prove that this
gentleman, on whom wish to inAict injury, stands
charged the books Of the Treasury being in default
to the Government for hundreds Of thousands Of dollars
Mr.. Dawson. Will the Senator from California give
the name Of the officer to whom he alludesf