Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-03-13
RELICS OF BY-GONE DAYS
TOLD OF BY HASKIN
Daily Letter by Frederic j. Haskin

WASHINGTON, March 13.-The
success which the Earl Of Carnarvon
| has met in digging UP antiquities
from the Valley of the Kings at Lux
or seems to have inspired some OF
the officials at Washington to look
around among long buried objects to
see what interesting things can be
| brought to light. No II expects
war chariots and vic dummies to be
! discovered in so. new a capital as
| Washington, but nevertheless
epidemic of antiquarian research mas
produced at least two valuable finds
Secretary of the Treasury Mellon
and Attorney General Daugherty
! both have discovered documents OF
absorbing historical interest.
The Treasury Building is the old
| est detrimental Government edi-
! flee at the National Capital. Most OF
it was erected in the administration
| of Andrew Jackson. The other day
! Secretary Mellon unearthed from
long forgotten files of the treasury
a book of letters written in the sum-
mer f 1888, to William J. Duane,
then Secretary of the treasury. me
letters were nearly all inscribed by
the hand of President ackso MINI
self. Some of them were written IN
the fine flowing Spencerian hand
which competent amenuensis VINO
in those days served in a position
similar to that now occut "a ny the
twist and stenographer, employed.
These were signed by Jackson. A
majority of the letters, however,
were written by the old President
himself in a rather cramped hand
showing the heavy strokes OF the
pen which experts in c~hirography
| declare proclaim strength and. earn
| estness of character.
The letters include the one when
Jackson wrote TO Duane inviting MIN
to become a member OF the CABINET
Most of them relate to the famous
controversy then raging over the
| Bank of the United States. THIS
bank had a sort of monopoly or
public business. although privately
owned. Jackson objected to such an
arrangement and it was a result OF
| his fight against the bank that the
independent Treasury was establish
ed. The fight was on when these
letters were written and several OF
them discuss the withdrawal OF the
Government deposits from the bank.
Duane was in sympathy with the
bank and later was asked by Presi-
dent Jackson 10 esign.
Some of the Jackson letters were
written from Washington and some
from Boston. 1t is presumed that the
| Boston letters were written while
Jackson vas in New England max
ing speeches in reply to Daniel Web
ster who, as a United States Senator,
was the principal public official who
charnpioned the cause of the Bank
Of the United States.
sent to Library OF Congress
There are about 100 pages in this
| collection Of Jackson letters. OBJ
viouslv they were gathered together
a long time ago-probably at the d.
rection of their recipient. Duane
and bound in the leather covers OF
the book for preservation. They are
in excellent condition, though vel
lowed by time. Some of the letters
are lengthy, covering many pages.
Secretary Mellon has sent the col
lection to the Library of Congress
for filing in the Manuscript DIVISION
Of that institution. 1t is expected
that the writing will be carefully de-
ciphered and the epistles printed as
a, public document. This IS regaro-
ed as important because or the ms
torical interest n tnS Dam 'A.S
limited States affair. No letters Presi-
dent Jackson could have written
would be more interesting historical
ly than letters discussing this famous
old controversy which to this day
has had an influence on American
banking policy and legislation, 1t Is
believed that these letters never
have been made public and that IN
all probability their existence mas
been unknown. After their receipt.
duane doubtless had them filed and
they since have reposed in the dust
Of shelves which perhaps have not
been inspected for nearly a century
A few years ago a draft of an an
nual report to Congress, written III
his own hand by Albert Gallatin who
was Secretary OF the Treasury at the
time of the War of 1872, was dis
covered.
Attorney General Daughorty's dis
cover has more variety and te
some, more interest than Mr.. Mel
Ions find. Mr.. Daughegty ~unearthec
from old files in his office various
lot of papers dating back to George
Washington's time. There were doc
uments written by such famous At
tarnsys Gsparsl ss EdERRa Kap'