National Republican., 1885-08-10

ent character oil the confederate states.
Mr., Seward drafted letter Of instruc.
tions to Mr.. Adams. 1t was submitted
to President Lincoln, then only in the
third month of his administration, and
in that letter The word wrongful was
used as applicable to what Great Britain
had done. Mr.. Lincoln, with the keen
ness and foresight Of the statesman and
the scholar combined, struck out the
word wrongful and inserted the word
"hurtful," dealing with the conse.
quences of The act, aud relieving the act
of the allegation Of every improper mo.
tive.
The duty resting upon this government
to-day with reference to this accused is
not to show that he did an act that was
hurlful to the government. No man
has served the state who is not alike
guilty; and until human nature reaches
that state of perfection which the imag.
nations of men have only OWNED, pub
lie officers will do acts that are hurtful
to the state. They have not shown that
it was wrongful in the criminal sense,
that he took bribe, that he was in
tluenced by any malice, that he had any
purpose in his heart except to serve the
state in the light of the law as it then
appeared TO him in the place where he
stood.
That all means, in one phrase, that the
government neither ought to take nor
can take Of any public officer security
that what he does shall not be injurious
to the state. The only security they ask
is that when they put man in a place
and endow him with power, he shall use
that power in the light Of the best judg.
ment that he can command at the mo.
ment when he is called upon to exercise
that power. That is the extent of the
duty required, and that is the light Of
the obligation imposed.
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF OFFICIALS.
1t may be useful in this discussion to
see how money is regularly and properly
obtained from the treasury of the United
States by the Navy Department for the
payment of the obligations incurred by
that department under the direction of
the Secretary of the Navy; and the Sec.
rataries themselves, by the nature Of the
case, by the decision of the Supreme
Court OF the United States, speak for the
President, and though an act done by a
Secretary never was within the knowl'
edge OF the President until he saw it in
the public newspapers, he, nevertheless,
is in his Office responsible for that act.
So the heads Of bureaus in the various
departments Of the government in like
manner represent the Secretary.
Under these circumstances how is
money to be obtained from the treasury
of the United States to meet the obliga.
cations of the navy department? In the
first place the head Of the bureau asks
the Secretary Of the Navy to make req.
uisition on the Secretary of the Treas
ury. Then the Secretary of the Navy
is called to exercise his judgment. The
Secretary of the Navy then makes
requisition on the Secretary of the Treas.
ury, and he is then called upon to exer.
else his judgment, not as to whether the
expenditure contemplated is within the
proper limits of the Secretary of the
Treasury with reference to the admins
tration of the affairs of the navy, but
solely upon the inquiry whether there is
statute authorizing payment for such
services as contemplated by the requisi.
ton.
The Secretary of the Treasury, if he
approves it, notifies the treasurer Of the
United States. First Of all the requisi-
ton goes to the second comptroller of
the treasury. If it is there approved, it
goes to the auditor, not for the purpose
of having any judgment whatever in re.
gard to the payment, but to register in
his office the fact that such q requisition
Mas been made and to set it down in the
tesoks of the Office against the appropri.
ton to which the rtquisition relates. |
shall have occasion to comment, posi-.
bly, with some severity, upon these pro.
ceedings of the fourth auditor Of the
treasury as they are here disclosed.
1t is certified by the treasurer 10 the
cashier of the treasury, who makes re.
mittance to the pay officer who is to pay
the bills that are covered by the requisi.
ton which the Secretary of the Navy has
made, covered either in detail or generally
with reference to the subject matter to
which the requisition relates. The 273d
section of the Revised Statutes defines
the duties Of the second comptroller:
He is to examine all accounts settled by the
second, third. and fourth auditors. and certify
tho balances arising thereon to the Secretary
of the department in which the expenditure
has been incurredi to countersign all warrants
drawn by the Secretaries Of War and OF Navy
the Secretaries of War and of the Navy the
official forms to be used in the different Offices
for disbursing the public money in those de-
partments, and the manner and form OF keep
ing and stating the accounts OF tho persons
employed by him to superlntend the pre-
seryation of the public accounts subject to his
revision.
Do you find anything there with refer,
ence even to the comptroller which
would satisfy him in refusing to pay or
to allow to paRs through his office re.
QUESTION which had come from the Sec.
retary of the Navy and been indorsed
by the Secretary Of the Treasury, if he
found there was an appropriation which
justified the draft that had been made
upon it? ] say be has not any power
whatever of that sort, and the limits Of
his authority may be stated thusi
/. 10 see whether there is an appro.
priation to which the claim can be
charged.
2. Whether the contract or order for
supplies or service was made or issued
by the person having authority in the
premises.
8. Whether the voucher is in proper
form and in all respects duly executed.
WHAT AN EXIGENCY IS.
He cannot decide whether there was
an exigency. A good deal has been
said upon the subject as to what an
exigency is, The Supreme Court has
defined it to be substantially this: That
when in the opinion of the person hav'
ing authority to act the public interests
will be promoted by immediate action
without waiting for advertisement, that
exigency exists; and it is not necessary
that the thing taken under the control of
what is in law aud in departmental ad.
ministration an exigency should be sup
piled at the instant. During the war, in
1864, the quartermaster's department Of
the army made contract without adver-
tisement, in the state of Kentucky, for
100000 hogs. They proceeded to get