Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-03-25

The Post Office Warrant"

iuggr,l.,r..
The Post Office Warrant 0. .Cs-.,e,..
In my communication to the u,.,...
yesterday, attempted To show r.a, ....
nature Of our government aui Il, .,-
know or believe, i'll all well ordered ,...
ments, there could not exist n con>.i,p,.
or legal power in any one OF rho lr..,..
except the legislative, much !c>, ...
department Of any of the branches. r6.
eral authority 10 issue Certificate. Of h. ...
Am assured that | was right. rI...
since in letter from Washington. da,ar.
2nd inst, that certificate, of IuI...
ness are not 10 be issued. which ...,...
is ii little remarkable. If as it wa, yr,,...
Messrs. Hunter and Phelps. thcv ire .......
tutional and legal. But care not wo,.
pedIent the Postmaster General may r.
! to, 10 raise means 10 pay the expense, az.
establishment, in effect it will be Ju, o.,
ing the ID round the stump" Their
have nomiially been changed andorIv,
inally, think, and now to c,rarr H..
evitable conviction of irregularltv an.
charge Of lawlcsSncss or violated Jaw.
obligations To contractors are only {,
Mr.. Holt language as quoted Ly fl ,,-..
friendly to him, debt, Of record. ..
which, says this writer, interest >b,uIi ~.
and that lin Mr. EIolt'> laugua 20 a..,in
the contractors desire to borrow lu.r.,.,..
them, the lender could have 10 ha;r...
curity."
1t has further been said in yiuli,a,,r
this course, that there never has been 81. ,....
when Il contractor could not get crrrlhra,.
what was due him which h. could a>>..,r
Now. first Of all. if all these th.ng. h. I'm.
why, | repeat, do We find 50 much ,a.d aba.
a call of an Extra Session? Why doe. ..
Cabinet stultify itself before the courrr,
il be but the exercise of an uuaur>rioung..
and an ordinary power by the departure.
Why is it said Of I'll" President Of the t..
ted States, that had he supposed thar VITA.
of the popular branch Of Congress r..
could be convened in season t. act effrrn,.
to protect the government credit. ,roud
so, he might have declined the r,sUoasal.
Of getting on with a class ot gp,rmmr,.
creditors, &c, &c? What would have be-,
such responsibility if it were regular aud .-
gal? And if regular and legal how is g..
mere labor Of department to become ID.
executive responsibility
The question comes back again 10 the ilu.
teal grounds that it occupied under ny h...
communication. except that the Language
changed fran Certificates Of lndcJr"iur,,
to the stronger language of Debts OF Record
Of which some eriienceS are to BE- given. ,a,.
pose, by the department to the contartor,
to be called som'thinH | presume. whi
something, by the necessities Of III" ui.r.
tive, are to be placed upon the market a..
sold for what they are worth. and ~ Whry.
il is intsnded to create Il hcyu' d,monI on o..
government. Now, by what mtbo,,ty-ani
this is the question-has this deparmcr'
the power to create for the government
"de6t Of recO?d' without authority ,yJu,,
given by the Legislative department; ant d
not expressly given by law, can such ran.
Of power be found under the CONSTITUTE
If such may be done her" without the "a
preston of law. why may not every drlar
ment War. Navy. and all alike. create tie.
unauthorized debts of record agam>i %
government and Your Legislature may
future be- altogether relieved IL the nrrn..
ty of this onerous and disputable legista'.
function.
But it has been said. rs quoted nj
that there never has been time when
contractor could not get Il "ccrttica'e #
what was due him, &c. Now. ! proG"-,
to know but little Of the practical maua-.
ment of this or any other Of the departing
of the federal government, but if this TIN &
has been known, it is strange the publ,
mind has been so long quiesccnt, aud tha,
now it should be receiving scrutiniAng a,
tention in the Cabinet and elsewhere
The plain version Of this branch ni the sub
ject is simply. presume, thi, ;l.at hrrrr-
fore and always. in cxccutIngby the hrpar'
ment, the LryiSiatirc orders Of the g.na.
ment appropriated for, it has been 'h" prl.
tice, and necessarily too, for the Departing.
~ certify claims to the Treasurer OF the IT.
ted States to be paid; this is all aud no NOR.
With this will relieve You of anything 'ur
ther. Ihope, however, that this subject ma.
be kept before the people Of our country, + r
if such abuses are INDUCED our government
is unbound and undone. T. b. K
Alex, March p, 1859.