The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-01-20

partment, the pending question belng oI
the motion OF Edmunds to strike out
special committee and insert sthe Com
mittee on Finance" SO the investigation
shall be made by the Finance Committed
instead OF a special committee.
Mr.. Sherman said: A Senator speaking
in this body about matter which affect
cd the public credit should be exceeding
ly careful as to what he says. Any state
ment derogatory TO our public accounts
affected the public good more keenly thar
anything else. He denied that there wa
q discrepancy in the public debt to thu
extent Of one hundred millions in 1870
us charged by the Senator from West Vir
ginia, and said there was no ground fol
such statement. He (Sherman) would be
glad to have the Senator from West
Virginia Davis go TO the Treasury
and examine the books there fot
himself. He argued that II the Senator
had read the finance reports and com.
pared the different statements he would
not have pointed out any such discrep.
apcy, as the whole thing was explained
in those reports. He read from the
finance report OF 1870 to show that The
sinking fund bonds were not included in
one statement, but were in another. The
total debt on the 1st OF July, 1870, after
deductiug the coin and currency, sinking
fand bonds, &c., was S2.3S6,35S, 500, OF
nearly 100000, 900 less than the amount
given BY the honorable Senator from
| West Virginia (Dayis). Before the ad'
ministration Of President Grant the pub
lie debt statements were very meagte, but
when his administration commenced and
Mr.. Boutwell, entered. the Treasury the
statements were enlarged for the inform
alton OF the public. He desired to say
that II the investigation should be left to
the Committee on Finance, that commit
tee would do the best it could, but he
would very much prefer to have a
special committee appointed and let the
Senator from West Virginia look for
himself. The business Of the Treasury
Department was extensive and compli.
Gated. He had very often heard 1t said
that the manner Of keeping accounts in
the Treasury should be changed, but he
thought it would be serious matter to
improve on the plan Of Alexander Ham.
ilton, Gallatin, and other noted tnan'
ciers.
Mr.. Eaton said he did not want to say
anything 10 injure the credit Of the Gov,
ernment, but the condition Of the accounts
Of the Treasury should be probed and ex.
amined. He was engaged himself about
ak months ago with one OF the shrewd-
est bankers in the United States in the
examination OF the finance reports from
179l to 1874. The time occupied in the
examination was about three weeks, and
he did not hesitate to assert that there
was not an accountant in the United
States who could take the finance reports
and the debt statement and come within
fifty million dollars Of the amount OF the
public debt.
In his opinion there should be three
departments in theTreasury; one Of public
accounts, another Of commerce and a
third OF public labor. There was some
thing wrong in making up the accounts
OF the government and there should be a
change.
Mr.. Herman favored the investigation
being made by the Special Committee.
Mr.. Dawes said that il the Senator
from West Virginia Davis would state
that he had reason to believe that any one
had attempted to make the books OF the
Treasury Department falsely state the
condition Of the public debt he Dawes
would vote for the special committee, but
IL the whole purpose OF this resolution
was to ascertain il the books OF the
Treasury Department could not be kept
in more simple manner, itwas evident
to him that the Finance Committee could
make such inquiry. The Senator from
West Virginia should be more explicit
in his statements as to whether he
charged fraud or whether his purpose
was 10 ascertain II the manner Of book
keeping could be simplifed. ~. r
MIR. Davis said that not only the Sena-
tor from Massachusetts,, but other Sena-
tors, had attempted to put the. words in
his mouth. He Davis has not said
there was fraud or that any one had
altered the books, but he did say the
statement sent 10 Congress from year to
year had been changed, and further that
the new table Of 1870 did not agree with
the Registers report, but since then the
Registers report had been made to agree
with that table. ~
Mr.. Dawes said II the Senator from
West Virginia charged that there was
fraud, he Dawes) would go with him in
pressing an investigation, SO that no
guilty man should escape.
Mr.. Frelinghuysen hoped the amend
ment OF the Senator from Vermont Ed
munds) would be adopted. He said next
to the liberty Of this country was its credit
and tho people were exceedingly sensitive
In regard to it. Itwas right of the people
without regard to party 10 know il they
had been laundering in the Treasury. II
it was true that there had been such blum.
dering twas fraud.
Pending the discussion Mr.. Sherman
moved that the resolution Of Mr.. Davis
be laid aside in order that the Senator
from Indiana (Morton) might call up his
resolution in regard to the Mississippi
election, and submit remarks which he
was prepared to do. Agreed to.
The Senate then took up the resolution
of Mr.. Morton in regard to the Misaissip'
pi elections. Mr.. Morton said:
MoRroN's SPEECH ON TIE MISSISSIPPI
ELECTION.
Mr.. President-If the information ]
have received from very many sources ID
substantially true, the late pretended
election in Mississippi was an armed rev,
olution characterized by fraud, murder
and violence in almost every form. II
was carried on in some respects under the
forms OF law, but its real nature was that
Of a farce, the violation Of law and the
trampling under foot Of the dearest rights
Of great masses Of men. A little less
sudden than those revolutions which
have distinguished the States of MeSicc
and the countries Of Sonth America, II
did not differ from them in character and
4 was equal in atrocity. It ia matter ol
the gravest import to the American peo.
Pile to know whether large majority oi
the people Of the State have been over.
thrown and subjected by a.minority, and
also to understand upon hatpretefse Or
principle such a revolt was brought
about The only thing like principle that
could be assumed in justification ofsuch
a result would be that political and civil