The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-02-24

account should first be disposed of as prelimi-
fpary to the payment of any balance due to him
E8fter such settlement. The disbuYseY Of the
department del,urred to this COURSE, on the
ground that it would complicate the accounts
and prevent him making his ordinary requisii-
tons from the amount Of money appearing id
his hands; and it was only at the-earnest soli-
citation Of the disburser that Mr.. KENNE-
Dr. received his salary. The amount paid
to him in advance to cover expenses was
$l,750; his whole account Of expenditures,
for which he charged, was 81 1859; and he
admitted himself responsible for a balance
Of S28l. The transaction in regard to the
passage, therefore, resolves itself into this:
Mr.. KENNEDY conceived that he was per-
sonally entitled to the benefit accruing from
the kindness of the steamship company, and
knowing that for such an opinion the transac-
tons Of the Government furnish innumerable
presidents, included the amount of passage
money in his account. He possesses therefor
good and sufficient vouchers, for we have seen
a letter from Mr.. COLLINS, dated New York,
May "A, 1851, to his agents, Messrs BRowN,
SHIPLEY & Co, Liverpool, which declares
that the passage Of MIR. KENNEDY had been
settled in New York. That he did not use this
as a voucher,is prinsa .facie evidence that he
had no disposition to take advantage of paper
which would have been sufficient to get him
credit for his passage money; he chose to leave
the matter to be governed entirely BY prece-
dent, and to be determined irrespective of any
sustaining evidence which conveyed greater
proof than the facts might seem to justify.
He never stated that he had paid this sum
for this specific purpose; it was well known
that he had not, for the New York papers of
that period mentioned the fact as an instance
of the liberality Of COLLINS s Co. to Mr.. KEN
NEEDY. He went abroad in an official capacity,
and declares that he expended 81 400; and, in
place Of judging the propriety of this amount
by what private person might travel for, it
would have been much more proper to compare
he,account of some public officer under similar
circumstances. It was a matter simply for the
accounting officers, if they possessed any ju-
risdiction after the order of the head of the De-
partment; was given to pay this account, to
strike out the amount charged, and give credit
for the balance. The mere fact that charges
made and certified to by officers of the Govern
ment are afterwards disallowed, surely affords
no basis for an accusation of fraud. If it does,
we apprehend that Mr.. KENNEDY will not be
the only sufferer M
The charge holds good against Mr. KENNE-
pY for the advance of 81 $50, and when his ac-
count is settled he is responsible for any ba-
lance found against him. Accounts are pre-
sented every day to the accounting officers for
more than is allowed, and it would be most I'M
just to attribute fraud in every such case; more
especially in cases in which the accusation
rests upon grounds that are in reality not en-
titled to credence.
Another question connected with the affair
is that of vouchers" General HoUsroN
spoke as follows on this subject:
ssMr HousroN But how comes'1t that, when he
changed those pounds and francs into the curren.
cy OF the United States, the amount
81, 46976 That is the amount exhibited at the
Comptroller's Office, and it corresponds with the
exhibit made here in the Secretary of the
Interiors reply. That is the footing up of the
items on the abstract of the vouchers furnished
the Comptroller. 1t must be that the sum of
S. ,469 rs is the amount charged here, thrown in
to currency, and it corresponds with tie
amount in the report to which have alluded, and
which have before me Now, how Mr.. Kenne
dy when he took the round sum as charged, made
up of these items, could have arranged it and sub
divided it, and apportioned it according to the in
debtedness of each party and the interest of each
in the expenses, and then go and exhibit the whole
at the treasury, cannot see, unless he was to re
ceive the amount that went for the expenses of the
whole"
II the facts were, as stated by the Senator,
that the result of the summing up Of the
vouchers amounted to the exact sum of Mr..
KENNEDY's account, it would prove too much,
for no such summing up was made by Mr..
KENNEDY, who simply sent in such bills as he
had on hand, and they were reduced to federal
currency, and added up by some one else. 1t.
is, to say the least, extremely improbable that
any two men could take bills to the amount of
ST. 400 in English, French, Belgian, Prussian,
and Austrian currency, and, after reducing them
to federal nsnoney, make the aggregates harmo-
HiLc. II pdlt HUN tiiiS, uOWOVGI, tH6 uOtiOIdDtO
Senator from Texas has been strangely misin
formed. What heterms 'svouchers' are merely
some tavern and miscellaneous bills, respecting
which the Comptroller, writing to the Secre-
tary of the Interior on the 10Th August last in
answer to resolution of the Senate, says that
Mr.. KENNEDY stated that his account of for
egn expenses was not based on the vouchers
presented, and to which Mr.. HoUsroN in de-
bate referred. An examination of these vouch-
ers exhibits the fact that they do not altogether
exceed $35 for travelling expenses; and ye. we
are gravely told that they include the entire
expenditure of large party for several months
in Europe! We say again, then, that the i'm
puted harmony in the account of Mr.. KENNEDY
and the footingu of these tavern bills, is all i'm
aginary. The footing up was not done by him,
and no such coincidence as is alluded to exists
The tavern bills orryouchers. as certified to-
by the Comptroller, amount to $l,309, while
the expense account amounts to 81 1863. Mr..
KENNEDY never presented them as vouchers;
he on the contrary disclaimed their use as such;
and by him they were only intended as evi-