The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1855-01-09
QUEER STORY OF PIERCE AND GrrHs,s.
WAsHlscros, d c. %, 1854.

!
WAsHlsGros, d c. %. 1854.
Disclosure Of an Effort on he part of Fon.y,
Cushing and the Pre-. jdent to Rob the United
SAFES Treasury Of 100000.
i can send you some rich facts in relation
to an effurt made by Fornc, Gushing and
the President to force Secretary Guthrie TO
surrender, illegally, $4,000 of the United
States money into the hands of the propre-
tors Of the Uhion., At the close Of the last
session of Congress.-,hc House passed a
resolution Increasing The pay OF the employees
oil the House twenty per cent. Under this
resolution Judge Nicholson and Forney put
IN nearly $40 ,0Oo extra pay as public printers,
But Secretary Guthrie refused to allow II,
it did not come within the intention of the
resolution OF tie House.
Upon this Forney went TO the President,
who immediately wrote a note 10 Guthrie,
asking him 10 open the case until he could
obtain the opinion oil the Attorney General.
This request was complied with, and Cush
ing wrote out a long argument, fort fed by a
corroboratiDg opinion from distinguished
politician OF Alabama. Will, these decisions
Forney again called on the Secretary, and
demanded the $40 900; but the old Kentuck-
ian still refused, even without slipping TO
read Cushing's long rigmarole. Said he'll
am as good lawyer as Dir. Cushing; but
this is not question of law al all; It is simply
! question of fact, and Of the intentions ut
the House in the resolution" AT this Furney
took fire, and his language was So far insult
ing, that Guthrie brought his sledge-hammer
fist down upon the table, as he exclaimed,
"Well, I'll be id il will pay it,"
| Forney went again to the President and
told m that "Old Guthrie says he will be
Id il he will pay That money" when the
President Jew into rage, emitting the table
with his fist, and exclaimed, "l'li be ID il
he shant pay it," He instantly despatched
note to Guthrie, asking rim to call at The
White House on the matter OF the "money
due the Union" The Secretary Immediately
obeyed the summons, and, alter some little
Talk, said, "Mr. President, am your officer,
but still am responsible, to some extent,
for the conduct of my department, and TO y
this money would not only greatly damage
my character, but it is opposed to my sense
of right. 1t will give me great pleasure to
resign, either voluntarily or on receiving a.
letter requesting my withdrawa! from you.
This bold stand taekn by the Secretary
put Forney, Cushing, and the President TO
their trumps. Congress was to meet in
twenty days, and to allow Guthrie to resign
at that time, under such circumstances would
be opening breach which it would be
impossible to close. The matter was. there.
fore put off until the end the present Con.
gress. These are facts without embe iIish-
ment or exaggerati,n.
The N. Y. Herald, adds the following:
According to the statement of our infor-
mant, after the President had sworn that the
bill should be paid, and after he had tried
the legal knowledge upon the subject OF
Caleb Gushing to no purpose, Secretary
Guthrie was sent for to come over to the
/ White House, and over he went. The
President asked him if, fortified as he was BY
he written opinion Ct the Attorney General
he could not pay over the money! Guthrie
promptly replied-"No,. sir, not q cent Of il
lit was not au horned by Congress, in my
Judgement; but Dir. President, your object
may be attain in another way. You may
remove me, or tcanresign, and come other
person may be substituted " no is open To con-
viciion. You may remove me, or will resign,
whichever 10 you may be deemed most ad-
Ivisabie; bot cannot, BY God, as Secretary
OF the Treasury, allow the money to be paid ~
l"Oh: no, no" replied General Pierce,
Isoothingy; "no resignation-n ,thing OF the
kind meant, nothing OF the kind. You
are, perhaps, right. We will let the matter
rest tor the present "And so Guthrie stalked
out OF the White House the victor, aud "to
the victor belongs the spois.'