, 1859-02-09
with 1lt III ices that ruled a yea+ sinca.


Tue uau5. Cnmmiitte: Oh C11al and Cunal
Lands hays su5lsittcl Il report upon the pay
mint Of the Ltayi!t claim. Thc report is
based cntitcls upon such f.c:*: ~taying ii beat
ing on The ease rs are embodied in public re-
cord, aud np'u lhc Insight thus obtained Tie
Committee rgtd;caa: tue following reso.n.
tiops, AID rccomu1.nl thcir adoption hy the
Legislature:
I:s.olr<d, 1ha. The allowance Of the claz of
David ieavitt tor fot:y thousand dollars t5 Tie
joint 4c,ioa ot bfmsslt and u. Il, Hay, - Two Of
the canal trustces" WIS uuw;re, and made
azatnst the established fa:ts appearing upon the
public recoras.
Ksxo9efd, That it is cxpedieut for the Legis.
!ature 10 hppoInt an agent tn c"n'tr With capl.
swift in reIa:ioa 10 tAe prosecution OF the cblul
tor - 200 aXsiust David LsariE., and 10 take
such other aC.ion II the premises 0s the State
mRy reqn're.
It is understood that ihe State Trustee, who
is now at Springfield, will put in rejoindcr
to the report, IN which nc dorb. not he will
completely yiuJica:c himself from the cels-
Fure passed upon him by the Committee
nnd, perhaps. I'LL tia: it becomes us 10 to
under the circumstances is to request sus-
pension Of judgment iu tnc premises until
that officer thall lave .1een heard. Nerertte-
less VIZ cannot refrain from calling attention
to few fActs covered by Lie report:
l. TIE claim OF Mc. Ls,vitt las received
The unqualified fn6e1seul"n; ii somc Of the
ablcst aud .mos- experienced fiuauciers in The
country, including tie American bondholdcrs
AS well as Il large number OF prominent
citizens Of Illinois Of botl political parties.
Ia crnsurlag tLc Slate Ttusuc, therefore, for
allowing this claim, tue Committee pronounce
a no less unqualified cen>ure upon the parties
who hare recommended its pay mctt.
II. The committee profess 10 huye exam
ined this su'j ct only III tue light ar public
records. ali collateral testimony bearing
upon tue subject was rejected. Why it was
thought Proper 10 pursue this course it is
difficult to imagine, ii the committee was
really dcsircus Of doing iju>licr to all the
parties From the nature OF the case but
little pcr:aiaing 10 tie agency Of Mr. Lcavilt
in the negotiation for which Tue claim was
preferred, Was incorporated into the public
records. lie 1aas mt appointed l'y the Gov
ernor Of the State n',r hy thu Legislature 10
make the negotiation. Tho success Of his
m:ssion d"perd:l upon lis unofficial clarac"
Ter, his cntirc separation from State interests,
and his identity Of interest with those from
whun, hc sought IL obtain the money. These
fact-, as well Us the r2:t.0ls for it, were we'll
understood ut the time; nud it is because
tbcse were the f4cls in lh: case that the pub.
lie records are Eot r reliable source OF in-
formation touching The justice Of Mr. Leay-
furnished ty tic history oi tic times and in
the recollection Of intelligent gentlemen who
in some wa; or othtr bore part In the ef:
tort made 10 aavc tl;s great improvement aud
10 sLcurr to tie stntc lhe benefits Of its com.
rietion: is strongly atlirn,atory Of the invalu'
able service done &,e State and people ol
Illinois by Nr. Leavl:E. But all this tes:i1uo
NY vas Ignored. aud The case submitted TO the
committee rms judged solely upon record
known 10 be exceedingly imperfect, having
but vcry little lnarins upon the subject, ant
that little ay 10 ue:u= reliable.
The Committee asscrt that tue public rec.
cl]s show la: Messrs. Ryan aud Oakley ne
goliascd aeyca-cixhtsls Of lhc luau of 81 GOO,
600, lcayiug only 900 as the sum actua1l,
negotiated by Ne. Leavltt. We do not sup
pose tie Committee 1nisrcprcscnt tue rubli
records in this particular ; tue cvideucc tha
they ni.'eprescnt the facss ia the Case j. per
feetly over helming, and could moi but hav
led the committee to widely different con
clusion roo that reached by thcn, had th'.
given admi {. ou to il. For example, Fo1d'
History VI Illinois, s1y: In r.la1ioa 10 tue mi
ject:
''raer (lya'f apd 02t'ss) 5ata {aitd IN tn
negotiI{i,n ct:h tie taadA1tds1s, and neve
pretended TO erpty else where; OF il they dit
lhey wsre ooubd to t.l agaiu, and they kpe
iL''
And again. wbeu Gov. Davis and Mr. 0al
leg failed to nuke tue negotiation, they r
turned, in The language Of Gov Ford, ''tl
unlucky ministers of L dhcredited State.
And yet ag4ip, Cor. Ford writes:
"To Ar. Leavists visit to Earope, ahd b
Own hheraI subscrtpsinn, Ut ore undoubtedly )
dttttd f1r ths aacc4ssef tx loan."
Wby did the Committee reject testimony
this character, substantiated as it is hy ecol
Of letters written at the time by Gov. Dav
Ryan, 04kley, Barring DrothcrsE Co., as VI
Us by the evidence OF hundreds of living vi
ncsscs who were personally coguizant Of t
facts9 No incident in the past history OF II
nois is sustained ly i Stronger array Of e.
lence thau can be addaced to prove th
- solely 10 the Efforts Of M1. L,eavitt, TO his
allnins obligations in behalf OF tho State
more than half million of dollarr, to |
personal inlucnce with tle English boz
holders, mud to the untiring pcrscrcrnn
with Which he prosecuted hlt official missi
in behalf Of a lircrelitel State ''-were
people and government ol Illinois indebt
for the loan Of sl6oo,oo9. ~
III. As. to the Justice Of Mr. Lcuvit
claim for this negotiation tut QUO sen:imt
appears to prevail outside Of the House Co
m1ttee and the foreign bsadhold+rs-aod ,
latter concedc its .ja.tice while -pfoteti
against its becoming . charge upon tue Tn
III. Wentworth, editor o1 the Chicago DE-
erat, thinks Alr. Leavitt ought to have b