Delaware tribune, and the Delaware state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1877-18??, 1877-10-18
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The twelfth volume of the memoirs OF Q
ohm Quincy Adauas," rscantly issued BY
I. B. Lipphsstt 3 o., completes that q
cry extsnsive and valuable work-one OF \
he mos important contributions ever
made TO the printed history. OF the l
republic. This volume opens with extracts
from the Diary Of April, 1s4s, when the
yenersble statesman was sitting Is mem.
Der Of the Twenty eighth Congress, ana
closes with his death, February Esd, lS4S.
Nearly half the pages are devoted TO a
copious and carefully prepared index, by
means Of which the vhole work il rem
dered easy of consultation.
When Mr.. Adams died he had more
than half completed his Slst year, span
~ life not exceeding, it il true, the average
of the earlier statesmen in our history, but
greater than the ages of those more |
Tecently departed. His father died at 81,
Jefferson at IS, Madison ut s5, Monroe at
"a. Jackson at 70. But none of these had
served in public station a. John Quincy
Adams did, to the moment Of seizure by
The hand Of death, and scarcely any OF
| them had filed so wide range OF places.
He had accompanied his father to France,
wien the latter went 70 that country as
| Minister, in l778, and almost from that
time forward was constantly in the public
service. Private secretary, in his 18th
wear. to Francis Dana, our first Accredited
but not received Minister to Russia,
ba was appointed By Washington, in l794,
Minister to Holland, and In 1897, by his
father. Minister to Prussia. In 1902, he
was elected to the Massachusetts, Lesisla-
ture, and tho next year to the United
states Senate. In 1868, Madison sent him
az envoy to Russia, and Gar Alexander
now received him. Then he acted on
, behalf OF the United States, with Henry
CLAY. Albert Gsllatiu, James A. Bayard,
; and Jonsahan Russell, a. nego!iator of the
Client treaty, by which the war OF 1872
, was closed, end following that he became
Minister to Great Britain. From 1917 to
!. 1925 he was Secretary of State in The
I Cabinet of Monroe, and from 1895 to 1925
y President of the United States. Then,
instead Of subsiding into the quietude Of
obscurity, he was elected to Congress, ane
again and again, without interval, re
elected, until he was seized in his seat, ana
G died In the very chambers Of the Capito
"A fit close to his eminent career.
> The entries In the diary in this volum'
l. are of interest scarcely inferior to tnos'
t. which have preceded, and they includ
d many very vigorous remarks and crit
= cisms. Il was during the period whicl
~ they cover that tho annexation Ct Texas
d. that scheme to counterbalanee in behal
/, Of slavery, the rapid growth of the fire
10 States, was contaminated, and aSains
:, this, at every step, Mr.. Adams commended
% When, in June, 1914, it temporarily taile
~ in the Senate, he recorded it rs "a deliver
Sc ance, I trust, by tho special interpositio
I'd Of Almighty God, of my country, and
. human liberty, from conspiracy compa
40 eble to that Of Iucius Sersius Catilina'
"a. The annexation of Texas, be declared
IT, would be the first step to the conquest {
AZ all Mexico--a possibility that VIC may no
~ especially consider.
rs During this period also, the dispu
It, with Great Britain over the Gregg
i'd boundary, received discussion in Co
nm gress, beginning with the extreme demai
for the line of ''Gfty-four, forty" Of
Ia ending with the compromise on the fort
Ike ninth parallel. Mr.. Adams, upon Il
question, sustained vigorously the right
the United States to the disputed territor
to and earnestly spcc...e in hahalf OF 1t. Al.
ted o speech upon the subject, january
it'll iSl6, there Is this entry in the diary
a.. SIN coming down stairs from I
.ne House, Mr.. John W. Houston, WI
day member of tho State of Delaware, had
ook troduced himself to me, and told ne Il
hit. he concurred entirely with the sentimel
-. which has just delivered"
lior OF the administration of the pull
ior. service in those days, We get some liz
tors by careful reading of the diary. No
nm ing is said, it is true, of tho disgrace
-. bribery of Senators and Representati'
o9'- by Texas scrip, (bought ut next to no
me- ing before annexation, and raised to
vii. when, by that measure, the United Sta
became responsible for its full paymei
but there are ether interesting q
curious revelations. Here, for instance
leo the claim OF the estate of William o
which for two years had been urged VI
10 the Treasury Department. but with
lain success, the auditing and accounting {
for GERS refusing to allow it. Mr. Ada
ho believed it Just, but though he had m
" than once visited the Treasury to pres
nlpt this view, Ind accomplished nothing.
y of finally representative of the estate
iout employed o eenatoY Mr.. kierrick,
,,,, Mary land, and this gentleman had gont
'A'' the President fTyler,) in the last ho
OF of his administration, and had procu
Their from him, after two personal visits in
for day, written order to the Treasury {
ILL., GERS 10 allow the claim, upon which,
'''Ao same day, it had been rushed thro,
oil tine Offices, and made ready for 7
the ment. For this the Senator asked
the received u fee of $500, md there being
49, odd Slio. IL In the claim, he - e1presst
''.o lively desire" for it, also Such was
well Senatorial fashion Of that time, it appe
4 of In ..ha House, too sad scandals cam
: =. The surface. S.I-h j. McNulty,
a., Clerk, in January, 1916, was founa &c !.
o'ei drawn large SIMS from the Treasury,
all used them in outside operations.
,unl- account of his contingent fund
$75, 600 short, of which a part, it
presumed could be recovered.
neither of these cases, perhaps, was
ana scandalous as the frauds and speculat
Ii of concealed in the appropriations for In
ect purposes, including the shameful Semi
,ro. War in Florida. 1t was notorious
- the appropriation bill passed in Febru
e.ch 1916, contained large items for the ow
ding of fugitive slaves, who had run ava
,pted the everglades the items Deing n
. IT nally for important services rend
rein This was not the worst OF The case il
many Mr.. Adams records
I'd to - aggravated by fraudu
town charges tor .he pte.eu ii'i h''1 u
ough thousands of dollars deducted from 4
due to the Indians, to pay for fictit
runaway slaves and their pretended
crease"
ncial In November, lSli, ''Lords Day
ndon vention" YVES held at Baltimore.
A., Adams attended, and was made the
:, 'A' dent. There were seven Vice Preside
Il en- the first named being Willard Hal
), the Delaware. After two days sessions,
r;t;sb Adams returned to Washington,