The Portland daily press., 1866-06-20
Political Opinions of Public Servants.
Mr.. rEssENDEN ON SECRETARY McuLLocl


MR.. FEssENDEN ON SECRETARY M'CULLoCH.
In the appropriation bill which came before
the Senate last week, there is an item which
gives the Secretary Of the Treasury 100000
for extra compensation to his employees, and
allows him to distribute it as he thinks best.
The section was carried after considerable dis
cussion in Committee OF the Whole, by sin
gle vote; and will fail, it is thought, when re-
ported to the Senate.
The discussion naturally brought up the re-
cent speech of the Secretary. Mr.. Fessenden,
who as chairman of the Finance Committee,
had the bill in charge, seemed to think the DO
htical attack at once more dangerous and less
defensible than anything else which had been
urged against the section, and replied as fol-
lows:
There are two things that I dislike very
much, although, perhaps, it is very bad taste
In me to dislike them. One is to seek the oc-
casion OF mere matter of business to make
political speeches, dragging politics into every
bill that affords an opportunity to make NO.
htical speech upon it. 1t interrupts the ordi-
nary course of business, creates bad feeling.
and is, allow me to say, in excessively had
taste. Ii 1t leads to any conclusion whatever.
it is that politics is the only subject unon
which gentlemen feel at home and can make
speech, and not upon matters of business
Another thing that I dislike-altbouob that
is a matter OF taste and Senators can do as
they please-is assailing absent men. who are
not here to speak for themselves and defend
themselves. The habit of Congress in abusing
different individuals, not for particular acts
when those acts are under discussion. but nm
on matters of business, whenever chance
can be got to do it, l think is in bad taste. /
think, moreover, that ii has another effect. and
that is to injure ourselves exceedingly. The
people of this country are very sensible neo-
pie, taking them as whole, and / have the
impression that they do not look upon that
KIND OF way of doing business as the most
beneficial or the most becoming in men who
are presumed to know how to do it: but. as T
said before, that is a matter of taste and of
opinion, upon which we may well differ.
NOW, Sir, as the Secretary of the Treasury
is not here to speak for himself, and the Sena-
tor from Massachusetts has seen fit to COM |
ment upon him with some severity. / wish to
say word on the other side. do not believe
that at the present day anybody will suspect |
me particularly of being in favor of the Pres |
idents policy, so called; have defined mypo-
sition on that subject quite as distinctly n,
anybody else; but ] do not want to talk about
1t on an appropriation BILL 1 think we have
had quite enough occasions during this SEES |
sion upon which we could discuss all these |
questions, and that If we are to bring them |
up on appropriation bills and other Business |
matters during the residue of the session, gen |
tlemen Will not be likely to get away BY the |
middle OF July, because we shall have it over |
and over again, upon the different subjects |
that come up. know that the Secretary of |
the treasury does not, at present, stand In |
that relation to Congress which / should like |
to have him occupy, but really believe that
much OF the fault that is found with him as
Secretary of the Treasury nothing would have
been said about, and no complaints made if It
had not been that he did not agree with the
majority OF Congress upon political subjects
1t always happens that when gentleman who
is al the head OF department or any other
public position antagonizes with any party |
majority or minority, they criticise his acts
with ieellng and in manner that they
would not If he was their political friend, and |
therefore think such discussions in Congress-
il they are not called for, exceedingly unprot-
liable. think the Secretary of the Treasury
endeavors to perform his duties as Secretary
OF the Treasury honestly and and faithfully.
did not agtee with him in the speech that
he made In response to set of gentlemen
who called upon him the other. evening to
draw him out. l think that speech was in
bad taste and an unfortunate one-a portion
OF lt-but think the nature of the speech was
rather due to the fact that he was NOT accus
toned to public speaking and did NOT know
where he was going exactly when he began.
rather than any other cause.
Mr. Grimes-It was written out and COM
mitted to memory.
Mr.. Fessenden-That is the Senator's opin-
ion, not mine.
Mr.. Grimes-It is my opinion, founded on
the tact that l was present at the time, and
heard him recall sentences, just as man always
does when he is attempting to recite a speech
that he has written out beforehand.
Mr.. Fessenden-Why, sir, recall sentences
when am speaking, although / never write
speeches; and SO does the Senator from Iowa.
and every other Senator present.
MIR. Grimes-that was altogether different
matter
Mr. Fessenden-It is only proving the kind
OF judicial eye through which, or by the help
OF which, the honorable Senator looks at ey-
erything the Secretary of the Treasury does
that is the amount of it. Now treat every
man fairly. do not agree with the Secretary
about that speech. think it was in very bad
taste, butiI do not hold him responsible for
any design to insult Congress. Why, sir. if
he nsulted anybody he insulted me. If we
were all thinkers" have been placed in a po-
sltlon where was considerable OF tinker.
Several Senators-The chief
MI. Fessenden-The chief tinker, if you
please. did not think of taking any personal
offense. do not believe that the Secretary
Of the Treasury meant to offend me or any
body else, and am not going to abuse him
for That reason, because ii did, should be
guilty oil very bad taste myself Now. sir.
with regard to the other charge that the hon,
orable Senator made, that the Secretary an
pointed men to. office who could not take the
oath. know how it was brought about. He
Deheved, ana honestly believed, and others be-
lieved with him, and do to this day. that he was
right. l am very much Of the same onnion
myself, although should not have taken the
course he did. But do not think a man is In
be visited with much indignation for an error
of judgment OF that description. MANY 9TH
ers would have acted as he did, and although
might not have done the same thing. never
felt like imputing faults to the Secretary about
it. Now that Congress has considered the
subject and settled it, the matter is at an end.
How it will eventuate with regard to the COL
lection of the revenues in that matter. re-
mains to be seen. do not know. That the
Secretary supports the President in his policy
is true. Therein he and differ, and therein
differ with the President himself. But we
cannot remove the Secretary, and why should
we be continually bringing up that fact in a
matter OF this description. We are here to
provide for the administration of the Depart
ment. The question is how it can be best ad-
and gentlemen in discussing the
question, how it can best be administered. talk
about the Secretary. Why, sir, that has moth
ing to do with the question,if the Secretary
is man who tries honestly to manage tbe af.
fairs OF his Department successfully. and yrau l.
and fairly-and that really believe the n m9n'
emit Secretary does. That he made MISTAKE.
would be true of any other man. I know
made some when l was there, but nobody
found it out and talked about it except the
Democrats, and they said was mistaken from
to end. did not care a sixpence
what they said, and do not to this day, but I