Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1860-06-11
To Hon. Geo. Asbman, President, &c.
a Democrat on the COrruptioHs OF
the General Administration.

We present below extracts from the re-
| marks of Mr.. PRYOR, of Va, in the House
of Representatives, on the 3lst May, on the
corruptions which have crept into the ad-
miniziration of the Government
Mr.. PRYOR. premise by declaring tn at I
have made no attack upon the President what
ever. l was exhibiting tue effect OF an abuse
which clamored for redress, pertinentlE TO
nv argument in favor of the substitute offer
ed by the gentleman from Ohio, Mr.. Gurley
But my friend from Kentucky declares,
| with some appearance of Indignation, that |
am running a muck against the President
| If chose, l would attack the President of
the United States as soon as | would the
humblest citizen in he country. / ask no
odds of him. | am an independent Repre-
sentative of one hundred thousand freemen
the peer OF Presidents and Cabinet counsel
lors; and any menace or Establishment from
an Administration | spurn with equal con-
tempt and Indignation. In this, if in moth
ing else, like Alexander the Great, who
would only contend at the. Olympian games
if kings were his competitors, would rather
leap to an encounter with the President Of
the United States, if | felt that | was con-
tending for the interests of the people, against
one who was fOrteiting the trust and response
bility of his office.
Sir. did say that, by the testimony given
under oath, it had been charged and proved
that the Executive was privy to the appro-
priation of money from the Treasury for the
sustenation of prostituted partisan press;
and that, too. not upon The testimony of
Wendell, against whom gentlemen have
launched the thunders Of their inv ective.
made the allegation on the testimony OF
one whom understand to he connected by
ties of family relationship with the President;
of one who certainly enjoys the confidence OF
the President; Of him W no is now collector of
the port of Philadc]phia. L mean a person
by the name OF Baker. He testilied-not be-
fore the COvode COmmittee-a committee
for which have nothing but contempt and
LEGISLATION; a committee which, / am bold
to say now, instead of being animated by a
desire impartially to perform public duty,
is smelling round the country for the faint
of private scandal, raking among the ashes
of extinct defamation, and stimulating the
passions oil discharged and malcontent Of
fcials, for no other purpose than to annoy
the Executive and damage the DemocI attic
party-I say, / have no confidence in that
committee; and | have disdaiued to intro
duce anything Of their inquisitions to SUBJ
stantiate any OF my statements. / quote
from the testimony of Mr.. Baker, Civ
Ell before a Democratic committee of a Dem
ocratic Senate. What is that testimony?
"Ouestion. Did Mr.. Wendell tell you at
that time by whom this was appropriated
otherwise than 20 the publisher of the Penn
sgLrdniGn?
''Ansarer. He said he had directions from
the Administration, or from high official
sources; do not recollect his exac, words.
''Question. What did you understand by
the Administration?
"Ans,cer understood the President.
'.Qusstion. You spoke of conyersing with
.the President about this; what was that con-
versation?
"Anssrer. 1 understood ia the fall of 1858
/ do not know from whom or how that the
Daily Argus WAS to receive ten and three
fourths per centum from and alter the lst OF
August, 1853, and inquired of the President
whether he had given any directions for a
portion of Rice's money, or what was due to
Rice, as printer of post-office blanks to be
paid to the Daily Argus? He said he had
given no directions; bat report said the net
profits from the printing of these blanks
amounted 10 about twenty thousand dollars
per annum, and, if such was the case, he sup
posed that Mr. Rice could afford to pay the
1ronS out of his own profits, OF out of this
sum. When Mr.. Rice was first appointed
printer. was thought the net proceeds would
not amount TO over ten or twelve thousand
dollars: and when it was ascertained that it
amounted 10 twenty thousand dollars. as the
Argus was hard up, as it always is, it was
given without any directions from him. 1t
was supposed under MIR. Wendell's UNDER
standing of it, that there had been subdi-
vision of it. 1t then became necessary to
learn how much was received for the blanks
from July 1, 1855, to July 81 of the same
year, and from August to December TO- |
learned this 1T the Post Office Department.
The amount that Mr.. Wendell received on
account of the blanks during the first period
mentioned was 0,50l, "a, and for the latter
period, Sl4,766.e2.
.QaeSsoa. Did you procure that informa.
ton from the Postmaster General? 3.
''Ansrer. This document I received from
the Auditor, Mr.. Ofut; he is the proper officer
OF the department. alssa1gz a.as1
Now, recollect that did not charge that
tbs President of the United States had di-
rected this money to be distributed as a lar
CESS among the editors of Philadelphia
Nothing OF that sort. did not even affirm,
that he k1le'c it had been given to these par
ncuiar editors. This is what said: that the
President of the United States, as the chief
custodian OF the Treasury, did know that
Congress had appropriated out of the Treas
ury three times much as was reouisite far
q specific service, aud that he did not invite
Congress to curtail the expenditure. That
IS my ailegation-an allegation extorted
from me by the persistent remarks of the
gentleman from Kentucky.