The Cecil Whig., 1881-01-29

toil "elc piiSlcu NE. pistISn. ~ hSpHc"
of Senator Truman Smith was made ono
Of the United States judges in Mime
sofa, and a nephew Of Secretary Clayton
was made made purser at the Washing.
ton navy yard. The pledge of the presi
dent that he had mo friends to reward :
was apparently forgotten, and he was
hedged i'll by a little circle of executive
counselors. who urged him to listen to III
other than their suggestions.
While the Administration was profit
gate in it's abuse of patronage, the con-
duct of several of the secretaries was such
as to give the President great uneaSiness
as he became acquainted with what was
Ewing of the Interior Department, had
overturned the decisions Of his predeces-
Sors, long acquiesced in, and that he had
reopened and allowed obsolete claims,
paying large sums as principal and inter
est without any specific authority of law.
| The Barron pension claim. the Chicka-
saw claim. the De la Francia claim, and
others were but part of the long cata-
logue of these raids upon the public
treasury.
The Galphin claim was. however, the
most bare-iaced robbery of the nation S
| funds ever made under the auspices of a
| Cabinet. In 1913, on the last night of
the session, a bill had been smuggled
through Congress, providing for the pay
inent Of a claim brought by the heirs of
George Galphin, an Indian trader. for
the destruction of his property in 11i3.
edged the claim, but on the contrary had
repudiatcd it in every form: nor could
any good reason be given why the United
States should be liable for it, Congress-
however. ordered the payment of an un-
named sum, and Secretary Walker paid
the principal claimed-s43 1S.-leaving
the demand for the interest as 4 legacy
to the Taylor Administration, the claim
ants attorney, received one-half; and
| after he became Secretary of War the
interest was allowed. amounting to S191.-
}52. of which he also received one-half,
making his whole receipts for principal
and interest about S115,O00. The law
yers in Congress declared that the Secre-
tary acted professionally, but others cen
sured him severely. Mr.. James Brooks,
the editor of the New York Express, then
Wing member of the House, denounced
Secretary Crawford's action as unwar-
rantable. lie contended that the princi-
pal was never due from the United States,
and he cited the authority of Attorneys
General Writ. Legare. and Crittenden to
show that the interest was Illegally paid
Judge Cartier, then Representative
from Ohio. was severe in his comments
on the monstrous corruption of the al
lowance of interest, the payment of which
he said that he disliked, "both as an
exaction on the part of the capitalist.
and on account of its origin with the
Jews. who killed the Saviour
y commission for the payment of
claims arising from the war with Mexico
was another source of corruption. Fraud
ulent claims were trumped up ard forced
through the commission by leading
Wings, some Of them occupants Of seats
in Congress. This indecent practice of
pressing unfoundcd and rejected claims
before commissions Or the executive de-
partments by lawyers who are Senators
or Representatives did not originate with
the Taylor administration. but it received
an impulse under it that was serious
iniiiction on the country, and alarmingly
detrimental to the public interest. When
those elected to make laws are employed.
for high fees, to supplicate secretaries,
auditors. and commissioners for worth
less claims, and when those officials re-
quire these lawyers, in their legislative
capacity, to grant them improper favors.
the door for collusion is flung widely
open between them. No species of brib-
cry can be more corrupting than that by
which the public treasury is made thus
indirectly to pay Legislators for bad laws
and official delinquency.
President Taylor offered the place of
Secretary to the Mexican Claims Com
mission to Dir. Charles Davis. who had
practiced his profession in Mexico for
fourteen years before the war, and had
joined the generals staff as interpreter.
rendering important services. The Cab
met, however, decided to concliate Sen
ator Benton by giving the place to one of
his sons-in-law. who was notoriously un-
fit for it. and the President had to apollo
size to DR.. Davis for having broken his
promise. The doctor. incensed by this
treatment, revenged himself by showing
that the commission was beguiled into
the allowance of a fraudulent claim to a
, dentist named Gardner, for damages to
the works of silver mine which existed
only in his Imagination. 4 commits
sioner sent to Mexico exposed the fraud.
and Gardner was tried and convicted,
but escaped punishment by committing
suicide. The trial revealed the fact that
leading Washington bankers and promi-
nent Wing politicians had secured a large
share of the proceeds of this ingenious
swindle.
The cabinet officers originally were
confined to their legitimate duties. and
as advisers were consulted only on meas
ures OF Importance. Nothing was heard
in those early days of the republic of
sessions of the executive board to con-
slider appointments which the constitu-
tion and the laws conlided to the Presi-
dent alone. But the Taylor cabinet
usurped this power, giving the President
the casting vote at their meetings, where
enemies We're punished and friends re-
warded while the executive was trans
formed into directory.
Socially, President Taylor enjoyed him
self and he used to take morning walks
through the streets of Washington. wear
ing a high black silk hat perched on the
back of his head, and suit of black
broadcloth much too large for him, but
made in obedience to his orders, that he
might he comfortable. Mrs. Taylor used
to sit patiently all day in her room. ply
ing her knitting needles. and occasionally
it was said, smoking her pipe. Mrs
Bliss was an excellent housekeeper, and
the introduction of gas into the Execu-