Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-06-28
TUESDAY, JUNE %, 1859.
A Family Jar-a Further ILLUMINATION
of Democratic Honesty and Har-
r,1onV.


A Family Jar-a Further ILLUSTRATION
of Democratic Honesty and Har-
mony.
Our readers have been informed that the
Post Master at Philadelphia. Mr.. GIDEON G
WEsTUoTT, has been removed from ONCE.
The p. NJ. General, Mr.. Holt, made ''re-
port which was published, of the grounds
upon which bis action was based, which were
that Mr.. W. had acted dis onestly in his of
fee. This has induced Mr.. W. TO give the
public vindication. From the report and
the vindication we gather the following facts:
On the 3lst January, 1859 the Department
notified Mr.. WEsTCoTT that it was "aileged
that receipts were taken from certain clerks
in his Office for the quarter ending 3Oth June.
1887. for larger amounts than they received
On which Mr.. W. demanded "the particular
receipts and items of account complained OF,
so that he could answer to the specihc
charges, and know who was his accuser."
The Department replied that "a long stand
ing regulation of the Department forblds the
furnishing copies OF papers upon It's hles ana
that by personal application, Mr.. w. could
made a statement to the effect that for the
quarter nam, d. his actual receipts in money
f.om the clerks in his Office were sl52O %
less than was charged against him on the
transcript of mails received and sent. There
WAS evidently, therefore, some stealing In
nropress among the clerks. Not knowing
who the guilty ones were, Mr.. WEsTCoTT was
harmless Inv lev v
ing a pro rata contribution on all the clerks,
sufficient to make up the deficit, deducted
the amount from their salaries, and required
receipts from them to the full amount to
which they were entitled. He. also took such
precautions thereafter in the affairs of the
Office as etfectually prevented discrepancies
n the subsequent accounts. This statement
was dated February 81; and nothing further
appears 80 have been done until after The
d 9th of Gov. BnowN and ,he appointment OF
Mr.. Holt.
Upon looking into the facts Mr.. HoLr
thought that the course of MIR. w. had been
altogether wrong. There was dishonest
clerk or clerks in the Office, and in levying
an indscriminate tax on all the clerks he had
violated the plainest rule Of justice. He made
the innocent suffer for the guilty. He failed
to institute an investigation TO ascertain who
was the thief, but retained them all in Office,
knowing that some one or more of them were
scoundrels. These considerations determined
the Z. NJ. General that WEsTCorT himself was
Enthusiastically, and 80 dismissed him from
the Office. Mr.. Holt was quite severe in his
animadversions and no doubt justly 80, on the
conduct of the Post Master.
In his vindication, however, Mr.. WEsTCorr
takes on entirely different view of the matter.
lie thinks Mr.. Holt was impelled by
''malice" and ''vepom," and actad on "false |
pretences" and misrepresentation" He |
says:
~ have abundant evidence which will. in |
good time, be presented to the public, that |
my displacement was contemplated n long |
time before any charge whatever, in relation |
to the afflirs'of the post Office, was preferred |
against me. Long since / was apprzcd by
my friend Gov. Brown, the late Postmaster |
General, (snd by others,) of suspicious hnv-
ing been engenderrd at Washington City by |
sinister INTERPRETATIONS 'set reilly" made |
by certain persons, 10 nay political fidelity 10 |
the Administration delicate subject which |
Gov. Brown fully aud particularly stated, |
but which my pride restraind me from noticing |
then. except priUdte letter 10 hun, have |
no desire to extend this controversy outside !
OF a just defence of my personal character. but
II it be necessary shall not hesitate To do
So" ....-.-
And thus the country is left To judge as to |
who Is right and who wrong. If both state
ments be true both the administration and its
philadelphia Post Master are in rather un-
enviable attitudes. We are inclined to be-
lieve both. WEsrcorr was probably sympa-
thising with the "scullion' FoRNEY, and Mr..
BUCHANAN did not have the moral curage TO
turn him out without question comment.
He therefore. went back nearly two years for
a cause, and found and used it. WEsroorr
was permitted to harbor and sustain dishonest
clerks in public office, so long as he was
faithful, but when his iniidelity was manifest
ed, IL was made the pretense for his punish
ment. The people will be quite rs ready TO
throw the administration overheard AZ Il was
to do the like charitable act for WEsTCorT.
We desire TO preseLt one other passage
from Mr.. wEsToorr's vindieation. which re-
quires explanation, and is as follows:
s'The absurdity of the views and statements
OF Mr.. Holt, with reference to the receipts
being Tor ''more money than was actually
paid, /" will be obvious when il is known that,
in each aud every quarter have been in Of
fee. have, by the requirements of the regu-
lations OF the ID, partment, received, accept
I'd, and transmitted" (the same as the clerks
salary receipts) nearly fifty other receipts TO
be allowed In the settlement Of my accounts,
large portion of which ibid aof pay the parties,
and on cafdin that t.erecapts are fer MIR mo,s-
81 than The sgneys ooiteoed and reoegssd; slld hat
] sy with reference 10 myself aud this Office
i also believe is equally true with reference
TO other large Offices in the contry where the
carrier system is In operalion.p -ssts
This may admit Of easy explanation. and II
80, we should be pleased to have some friend
OF the administration to give II. What dlspo-
sition is made OF the money, for with wEsr-
corr Is allowed credit on his settlements. and
for which he has receipts, but which be did
mot pay TO the parfaes Vho game GAe recaptsy IL
this part of the general corruption fund of
the democratic administration This sys,em
is also In vogue in other large Offices where
the carrier system prevails. Itappears 20 US
that one OF two things must be true; either
the government must be swindled out OF
money which Ia justly due IL; or some OF the
employees are deprived Of money justly due
ITEM. LIT MS have the answer.