IMmm
LIFE 18 ONLY TO BE VALUED AS IT 13 USEFULLY EMPLOYED.
ASHEYILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, FRIDAY MORNING, JULY 10, 1840.
NUMBER 6;
' '' ' - : ' '
t-. -4?:'.. - -ar'" - 1111 "'" 11 "i '
b . annvtTt vniTfltS. I has not exneriencrtl one. Ynn miiat hear I
mncD svsav rarnsv,
tinned, - J
N ,Ktabcr) nta all HMngMN .paid,
swill be berted .t One tfcll
Afl comni"" . -
MISCELLANEOUS.
"Tact akb TsXiOTTaJeift
,, Ucteve? jjB
aerioua, sober, grave and respectable ,
tact U all that, and more too. It u not a
SoihU, but it is life of all the
. It b the open eye, the. quick ear,
the judging taste, the keen smell, and the
Kvelytouch ; the interpreter of all riddle,
the wrmouoter of all difficulties, the reroo.
TCr of all obstacles. It is useful Jhi all pla
ce and stall timet. It is useful in solitude;
f r it mnirhis way into the world j
it k ustful ia society, for it shows him his
my through the world. - Talents is power;
tact is skill. Talent is weight ; tact is mo.
mcntum. Talent knows tthat to do ; tact
Junto ko to do it Talent makes a man
if-mectablc ; tact will make him respected.
TaleDt is wealth act is ready money.
Jfcjhe-pnctical purposes of life, tact car.
hm it arainst talent ten to one. There is
jiTwant -of dramatic tactrortalentfhut
they are seldom together ; so we nave sue
eessful pieces which are not respectable,
and respectable pieces which arenot sue.
cemlvL , iakeinem m u oar, anu m
them ahakc their learned - curls at' each
other in legal rivalry. .Talent sees its way
clearlv: but tact is first at its journey fs
the bench : but tact touches fees from at
torney and clients. Talent speaks learn.
dlyand logically; tact triumphantly. Ta
lent makes the world wonder that it gets
on do faster ; tact excites astonishment that
it gets on so fast The secret is, it has no
weight to carry ; h. makes no false stejflf ; it
hhs the right nail on the head; it losses ho
time J it takes all hints, and by keeping its
eye on the weather-cock , is ready to take
advantage of any wind that blows. :
Take them into the church. Talent has
always something worth bearing ; tact
always sure oabundance of hearers. Ta.
I I . ' lr r . . . -11 1
iem nmy omnia uving , uici wiu maxe
one. '. Talent gets a good ndme tact gets
great one., latent conceives ; tact con
verts. Talent 1 aii honor to the; profes-
akm; tact gains honor from the profts-
, Take them to court. Talent feels its
way: tact makes-its way. Talent com-
mands ; tact is obeyed. Talent is honored
with approbation ; tact is blessed with pre
ferment, . -
Place them in the senate ; talent has the
ear of the bouse ; but tact Wins its heart,
and gains its votes. Talent is fit for em
ployment ; but tact is fitted for it. - It has a
knack of slippinir into place, with a. sweet
ailence and crlibness of ntovement. as
billiard ball insinuates itself into the pocket
It teems to know every thing without learn
ing any things Ithas served an invisible
nd extemporary apprenticeship. It wants
no drilling. It never rank in the awkward
aquai ' It has no left band, no deaf ear,
no DUnd aide. It puts on no looks of wond
row wisdom, it has no air of profundity ;
but plays with the details of place as dex
terously aa a well-taught hand flourishes
ovef tbe keys of the piano-forte. It has
all the sir of common place, and the force
hd power of genius; it can change sides
wun a of, prtsio movement, and be at all
points Of the COmnaaa. whiU tJitont ia mil
derooshand learnedly ahiftinir a irimrU
fui aiew caculates clearly, reasons
logically, aad jitters its orao.lm with all ttu
1 weight ofjuslice and reason. Tact refutes
wunout contradicting, puzzles the profound
without profundity; and without wit, out-
. pet. tnenr together on a
ce for popularity, pen in hand, and tact
m distance talent bf half the course,
latent brings to market that which is need
J ; tact produces that which is wished for.
Ttentsinstructs ; tact enlightens. Talent
lean where no one follows; tact follows
where tbe humor leads. Talent i. u..i
.uvuxinasfucceeded. Talent toils
P.n,whKh wir never Wy it.
rJpssionolL
wrr-Talent builds for eternity : tart
Aort lease, and gets good intercst-Ta-Kta
w a fine thhw t rw .v j
PJ of; but tact is useful, portable, .U
Kfea,Way"tmrketoM h he
fr!L?Sfellto' vailableness of re
. "oei, the applicability of power, tbe eye
0?CAwIioI,The following
Kx!trf)b,in15C'P Horn, w!
lettef from m officer of the
Jytan Wof
eaS? dVl3i ieperi.
JJ tremendous gale. For twenty-two
, 3 blew with awful violence, and
, T, and rained and hailed almost in.
-Ocu,ionaIly, there would be
of the galeand the sun would
T out clear and dutiful; but this was
.KS,roore ga,es-blacker
, nd possible more tremendous
wer an!? tr fonn We of the
has not experienced one. You must bear
the howling of the wind--the incessant
roar Of the ocean, and behola the mountain
waves , appearing as if they would swallow
the ship heU one moment lifted up on the
monstrous waves, and then pitched head
long into the trough of the Ocean the,
waves Dreaking over the decks, the masts
creaking', the vessel groaning, and hear the
hoarse trumpet as the orders are given- 4n
order to realize' it Nearly all the time,
during the height of the storm, we lay to
under storm stay-sails. All the higher
masts were sent on deck with the yards
and sails, leaving the ship with only her
main and top masts, in order that as little
surface as possible might be exposed to the
wind. fThe most wearying thing during
the storm, is the pitching and rolling of the
ship, which you must be constantly guard
ed against, br you may be killed at any n
ment A. number of the midshipmen were
injured by being precipitated down the cock
pit hatch. One night a -large mahogany
table came tumbling down and deposited
itself, legs up, along side my cot Camp
stools and chairs went dancing about, as if i
possessed or life. ' . j
But the most amusing occurrence during
a gale, is the eating, or rather the manner
in which it is performed. Tbe table, bbing
lashed, and the plates and diijes placed
upon it, we sit down to dine. Now on
shore it is a perfectly easy thing to eat your
dinner, and if hungry, quite agreeable.
But suDDOse some ono should set under
your tabic; and suddenly raise one sidenp
so nigh as to form an angle of nearly forty.
five degrees with the walls of the room,
and, another standing behind, jerk your
chair from under you sliding away on hands
and feet to leeward, while your neighbor,
who biay. by holdinir on to the table, main-
tain his scat, gets tho contents of the soup
iate;te1iwgre3ag?ta
1 r '"""'c "y 1
the fragments of the, broken dishes,, and
re-seating yourself at the table, you have
time to eat a moment, and the same opera.
tion is repeated. . You would not, 1 am
sure, think thisa very agreeable way of
aimng. some 01 my, messmates securea
themselves at table by holding on to life
lines, which are cords secured to the beams
over bead, which was: the only way of
maintaining a nxea position, vv nen the
caterer, who presides at the table, finds a
sea coming, which can he known by the
motion of4he ship, he sings out, "hold on
to the potatoes,' "take -care of the soup,
" look ou for the dishes," or , whatever
may be on the table, and each one secures
whatever he can; nut notwithstanding all
our precaution, we lost most all our crock
ery. Ine ship was much strained, in con
sequence of her rolling in the trough of the
sea, and her mast loosened; but we did
not sustain any aenous damage.
Ah Extkact. Go out beneath the arch
ed heavens, in night's profound ' gloom,
and say, if you can, "There is no God !
r renounce that dread blasphemy, and each
star above you will reproach you for your
unbroken darkness of intellect every voice
that floats upon the night winds will bewail
your utter hopelessness and despair! Is
there no God. 1 Who, then, unrolled that
blue scroll, and threw upon its high frontis
piece the legible gleaming of immortality 1
w bo festuoned this green earth, with its
perpetual rolling waters, and its wide ex
pans of islands and main T .Who sett'ed
the foundations T Who paved the- Hea
vens with clouds, and attuned, amid the
banners of storms, the voice of thunder,
and unchained the lightnings that linger
and lurk and flash in their gloom T . Who
gave the eagle a safe eyrie where the tenw
pests dwell and beat strongest, and to the
dove a tranquil abode amid the forests that
ever echo to the . minstrelsy of her moan 7
Who made thee, U man, with thy perfect
elegance or intellect and ibrmT Who
made the light pleasant to thee, and the
darkness a covering and a herald to the
first beautiful flashes of the mornine T
Who gave thee that matchless symmetry of
sinew andjimb I That regular flowing of
blood T Those irresponsible and danng
passions of ambition and of lovet No
God! And yet the thunders of Heaven,
and the waters of the earth are calm. Is
there no lightning that Heaven is not aven.
ged ! Are there no floods that man is not
swept under a deluge T ' They remain, but
the bow of reconciliation hangs out above
and beneath them. .And it were better
that the limitless waters and stong moun
tains-were convulsed and comminirled to-
gether-a-it Were better that tbe very stars
were conflagrated by fire, or shrouded in
gloom, than that one soul should he lost',
while mercy kneels and pleads for it be
neath the altar of intercession. : '
Good Hmoa is the clear blue sky of the
soul, on which every, star of, talent will
shine more clearly, and the sun of genius
encounters no vapors in his passage. Tis
the most exquisite beauty of a fine face ;
a redeeming grace in a homely one: It is
like the green . in the landscape, harmo
nizing with every color, mellowing tbe glo
ries of the bright, and softening the hues of
the dark ; or like a flute in a full concert of
instruments, a sound, not at first discover
ed by the ear, yet filling up the breaks in
the concord with its deep melody.
The 400th anniversary of the art of
rinting, was to be celebrated at Fanueil
Iall, Boston, on "the 24th inst Printers
in every tyart of the Union, together with
ineir associates in tno art, were invited to
attend. . . : a ,
Religious FkmdoM. -The friends of
Religion must be much gratified in contem
plating the character of the anniversary
meetings of the different sects of christians.
Ine spread, strength, activity 'and enthu
siasm tjf feeling and discipline which they
mamfesjt, form, the noblest and holiest ar
gument in favor of Religious freedom.
That ingenious and learned slatician, II.
C Carey, shows thai the contributions for
religious purposes, bre more liberal in this
country than any other. That the Amer
ican Clergy is eminently exemplary will be
conceded. The vices which disfigure po-litico-religtous
church establishments, were
the leaven of worldly ambition and mate
rial interests is mixed up with creeds, and
their exposition, are hardly known here.
Where the peoplo are left free to sit in judg
ment on the moral qualities and habits
of living of the clergy, they will certainly
insist on a coincidence of character with
profession. Coarse propensities and inde
cent practices are here always visited with
signal punishment when found in the sacred
calling.
That magnificent praise "What other
nations call religious toleration, we call
relitrious riehls. should be deeply- im
pressed on the heart of every American.
The term toleration as regards religion, it
may be remarked, is still in the mouths of
christians here, notwithstanding it 19 in
sulting and ridiculous. Who is there to
tolerate, and what is there to be tolerated,
in the matter of abstract belief and its
evolvement-in- profcasion. . and, practice!
Until there be found a power above the
Constitution, which prefers ng particular
Christian sect, the expression is devoid of
point , and decency. ;
Ine subject of religious rights in ling
Und is becoming particularly interesting to
inquirers on , the subject The position of
worthy. f
remark, owing to the differences existing
among some of the leaders as regards the
Uiurch establishment The celebrated Dr.
Chalmers is high in favor with the Bishops
tor his lectures delivered in London, favor
able to the established Church, as the edi
fice under whose protecting towers the
Uhurch of Scotland ; has grown securety.
The learned divine, seems ignorant of the
unequalled prosperity of religion in this
Z f.l . . . .
country wimoui any reson 10 political pre,
ference and military force in its favor.' Th
political economists of England in and out
of the pulpit do not understand the great
solution of the problem as it is going on in
this country: that under law every thing
should be free in the social world as it is
in the natural, and that truth can only be
arrived at through such means. We here
know no christian sects which do not ap
pear satisfied (as we judge from their pub
lications constantly before us) with their
distinct positions;. their several relations,
and their general influences, workings and
hopes. PktL Gaz. ''
A WARNING TO MOTHERS. ,
I knew a little girl of twelve years of age,
who left her father's house and went into a
neighboring town to reside with' her uncle
and aunt -
They soon found that she deceived them
and lied to them on -various--occasions.
xney conversed with her faithfully and se
riously, and charged her never to be cuilty
oT such a sin again. - bhe was pleasant and
willing to do what she could, and in other
things obeyed her uncle and aut But she
seemed to be given to deceiving and J vine
She was told that she would ruin her char,
acjer here, and her soul forever, if she did
not beeak off this practice ; that it was
always best to be honest and tell the truth.
But nothing seemed to have the - desired
effect", though she would promise not to do
so any more. . ,
After she had been guilty of this sin one
day, and after another serious talk with
her, her uncle told her that be must try
something else, and if she ever deceived
them, br lied to them again, be should
punish her with a rod, unpleasant as it was
to use the rod upon a girl so large, it must
be done, or she would be ruined. . ' i
It was not many weeks, however, before
she was found to have told a falsehood.
Her uncle reminded her of his promise, and
went out and brought in the rod, showed it
to her, and foidber that he must do as' he
said h should, but that he Would give her
one hour to think of what she had done)
and of the punishment she was to receive.
At the expiration of the hour, he came in,
conversed with her again, and gave her
another hour to think of it , When another
hour passed he took the rod, called hereto
him and applied h a few times, and then
stopped and reasoned with her : she appear
ed humbled. Her uncle, asked her how
many blows he should give her? She
ept, and mildly replied, "Unckv punish
me as much as you think'I deserve. But,'"
said she, "my mother has brought me to
uus ; wnen 1 was a cnua, sne laugni me
to deceive and lie to my father, and now I
am brought to this ! O ! bad that moth
er been present to hear the cutting reproof
of her child, must it not have pierced her
to the heart, and filled her with the deep
est agony to think of what she had done !
Must she not have .felt, ' that possibly,
through ber teaching, her daughter might
at least have her part with all "liars in the
lake thatburneth'with : fire aMlrim
81006." 'What a warning to mothers to be care
ful what they teach their children, lest at
last their children should point to them as
the means of their ruin. Sabbath School
Visitor. : , I - .
POLITICAL.
V EXTRACTS
From Jliy Pboffit's tpeeck, on the General
Appropriation BUI. April 27, 1840,
""Mr. Proffitcommcnced by showing,"tnat
tbe Administration members, had commen
ced the course of irrevelant debate, by lug
ging in Gen. Harrison and party politics.
That Mr. Duncan, of Ohio, set the exam
ple. He charged"it to. Duncan's face, and
dared him to deny it.' That he was fol
lowed in the same course by Weller, Ath
ertori, Clifford, Parmenter, and Jameson,
who read the whole of one newspaper,
(the Nashville Union,) and parts of others,
as a part of his speech. He goes on to
say,
I perceive, JWr. Chairman, that the last
Globe contains the speech of tho gentleman
from Ohio, (Mr. Duncan,) and that, in
recommending the speech to tlie Public,
its Editor says, "it has a spice of coarse
ness suited to the Western People." I pre
sume, sir, that our People of the West 4
will fully pppreciato the compliment paid to
their taste. I sir, have yet to learn that our
People are less intelligent or less observant
of the decencies and proprieties of life than
the People of other portions of the Union:
and I have greatly mistaken their character
if any respectable man of any party will
countenance and approve any such vile
garbage as is contained in this specimen of
coarseness issued to suil 'tljolaste'of tho
West Could I overcome my1 repugnance
to-read -sicliri.baldryI-would givtho
committee some "beautiful extracts" from
this speech; but I should then be compell
ed to pollute my printed remarks with their
insertion, anu, uierciorc, 1 loroc-ar. ai
the suggestion of a gentleman immediately
before me, I wilfjhowever, read ne ex
tract, assuring tle commit' ee that I mean
"Mary Rogen are cmc,
And so are Sally Thompson,
Gt ncral Jackaon are horse, -
And so an UoL Joiioaon.''
This, sir , is a specimen of Congression
al speech-making, and if it is not coarse
enough to suit the taste of the most vulgar,
thegcntlerhanwiltrdoubtless, upon ano
ther trial, improve both his style and" his
rhymes. With the aid of other kindred
spirits, he will, doubtless, in his next ef
fort, favor us with something still more dis
gusting and foolish.
1, Mr. Cliairman, as a western man,
have watched, with something both of sor
row and anger, the continued insults which
have been offered to the West, since Gen.
Harrison became a candidate. No sooner
was his name, announced, hn we were
sneeringly told that be was but a " paltry
Log Cabin Candidate;" as though a resi
dence in an humble dwelling constituted a
crimej or at least a disqualification for of
fice. Another writer ot the Administra
tion, defending this' scornful allusion to the
people of the West, speaks of the tenants of
the log cabins as " having souls suited to
tbe dirt hovels in which they live." And
now, sir, the most loathsome-trashy is pub
lished under the name of a speech, and it
is said by the official organ that its coarse
ness will suit the Western people. .
Amongst other things, the gentleman
from Virginia quotes tlie Florida war as an
tern of "extraordinary expenses," and
says that many of tlie Opposition voted
supplies. I have not examined the journal,
neither shall 1; for I consider it as quite
immaterial who or what party voted for or
against the appropriations. - It is enough
for me to know that a war with the Indians
existed in Florida, and that the Govern
ment made estimates and demanded sup
plies. Tliey were granted and the Ad
ministration is responsible for the manner
of the expenditure. But, sir, this is ano
ther instance of the fairness with which the
Opposition are treated. If they vote sup
plies, they are accused of extravagance,
and the President protests tint he is hot
responsible. Had they refused to vote the
moneys demandedby the Government, Ta
want of patriotism would have been ascrib-
edto them, and they would have been
branded as enemies of the country.-. But,
Mr. Chairman, I will proceed to prove that
tbe inoneyappropriatcdy C
tho prosecution of this war has been most
shamefully wasted; and, I will cite a few
instances of the lavish extravagance which
I charge upon the Adininistratiol) In
Senate document,, 2d session .25th Con
gress, vol. 3, 1 find a statement of contracts
for fuel, transportation, &c. for the Quaf.
termaster'a .Department for 1837," and
signed "T. Cross, Acting Quartermaster
General." Here, sir, I find in part, how
the thirty millions have been expended in
r londa. I will give tlie committcee l few
items of steam-boat contracts for 1837.
For Charter of Steamboats.
Watchman,
Mobile,
Ann Calhoun Sl
$450 prd. or $161,250 p. an
, 465' do. 169,745 do
400 do. 146,000 do
300 do. 109,500 do
300 do. 109,500 do
300 do. 73,000 do
3,750 pr. no. or 45,000 do
3,000 do. 36,000 do
4,000 do. 48,000 do
4,000 do. 48,000 do
4,000, do. 48,000 de
5,000 do. 60,000 do
3 barer.
Henry Cromwell,
Hyperion,
Leflore,
CharWton,
Florida,
John McLean,
Camden,
June Adams,
Altamaha,
7 3,500 . 42,000 do.
In short, sir, by this document it appears
that there were chartered, during the year
1837, thirtyfive steamboats, forty-three
schooners, two sloops, twenty-five brigs,
six ships, making in all one hundred and
eleven tr? chartered, during the year
T1837, fof the prosecution of thisf Florida
war this war, sir, which we, a nation of
millions, have waged for years with some-
500 naked warriors. And, besides tho one
hundred and eleven vessels chartered,
find upwards of one hundred contracts,
some of them of a verylarge amount, for
transportation of troops, forage, arms,
horses, &c during that year, for this war.
Sir, the party in power is justly chargeable
with having involved the country in this
war I, unnecessarily , and then of having
wasted the money appropriated tor its pros.
ecntion.
. I will give also another charge from the
samo document: "For transporting 100
cords of fire wood from New Orleans to
Fort Brooke, East Florida, and onetissis-
tant .Surgeon, 2,00O." Here, sir, is
charged twenty dollars jtcr cord for carry.
r 1 " T r 1 : 1 1
nig nrj-woou irom ixew uneans, oesiues
tlie original cost and other expenses; and
that, too, to a country where, as I am as
sured by gentlemen well acquainted with
$he country, thousands' of cords of wood
could bo cut in sight of the fort to which
this wood was sent. I am also informed
that wood has often beert taken from Flori
da to New Orleans for sale; , and I should
not be surprised if this wood was originally
from Florida, and, after being shipped to
New Orleans and proiK'rly seasoned, was
shipped back again to allord a little pat
ronage. 1 hese, sir are a lew specimens
of expenditure in the Florida war for 183T.
I could for hours read charges equally ob
noxious to censure; and, sir, I have had a
res&lulidn 'Otf TOuT table ever Kinwrthc first
resolution day bf this session, asking the
Secretary of War for a detailed account of
tlie-xpenditures of tlie wrrand the friiids
of the Administration, by sonic niiscrabl.:
subterfuge or quibbling point of order,re-
fused to call for the statement. And yet,
Il l . -j -
ment, and we assume to be the Urand In-1
quest of tlie Nation, and thrpeoplo are told
that all officers, from the President down,
are strictly accountable. Yet we cannot
ask how i30,000,OOO of their money has
been spent without being told by gentlemen
that tlie Opposition voted supplies for the
war, and tW these expenditures are "ex
traordinary. Iruly, sir, they are " ex
traordinaty;' and therefore it is that I de
mand a full and explicit statement as to
th4r nature.
I am told, sir, that a steamboat was of
fered to the government for about $ 1 4 ,000
and refusing to purchase, they chartered
her until they paid some $72,000, v I am
told, sir, that plank in several instances has
cost $1 23 per foot, or $125 per hundred
feet. Also, that fire wood has cost $50
per cord. Sir, it is the duty of the Admin
istration party to give the People light on
this subject, and to Telieve themselves, if
they can, from the charges of waste and
peculation. -f ?'
I believe the charges to be true? from
what I have seen of the ducuments how be
fore me, and this is but the account for one
year. I should, amongst other things,
like to sec what amount has been expended
for the "blood hounds," which, as every
person now. acknowledges, have turned
out tj be common curs, and not worth a
shilling head. I presume that this expe
rtment, with the contingencies, cost some
thousands. I perceive, also, that one man
has bciil paid $7 50 per day, and subsist-
ance, foftransporting forty bushels of corn,
in sacks', from one post to another in Wis
koiisin. Flour has been transported from
one place to another until it cost $50 per
barrel, and then sold at one-fourth of tlie
cost of transportation. In short, sir, did I
not sec these things stated in official docu
mOnts, I could not have believed it possi
ble that such gross mismanagement existed.
But I must leave tliis branch of expend!,
ture, thus hastily glanced at, and pass to
another. '
The, gentleman, from, Virginia, in his
anxiety to defend his new allies, quotes the
expenses'"of Indian emigration and sub
sistence for Indians," as an item of expen
diture for which many of tho Opposition
voted, and the gentleman classes it under
the head of "extraordinary expenses." I
shall not deny that many Oposition mem
bers did'vote for thej estimates demanded
by tlie Administration for this branch of the
publicscrvice I think they-ivere-quite
justifiable in so doing. But, sir, could
any one of the Opposition have ever sup.
posed that the . money voted would have
bwn so shamefully squandered, absolutely
wasted,- as the reportTbf tlie dtlicers Tn that
department prove it to liavo been? I will
cite one or two instances, out of tin: many
I could enumerate, to prove tlie unjustifia
ble and criminal abuses which have been
practised on this subject.
.Document No. 127. of 3d session of
25th Congress, is a letter of Mr. Poinsett,
Secretary of War. In that document I
find a communication from the Commissa
ry General " of Subsistence,- addressed to
Mr. Poinsett, and I. there' perceive that the
Government, after purchasing unnecessa
rily a vast amount of provisions, &c.-"for
the army, sent into the Cherokee1 country,?
and, having no use for it, ordered it to be
sold, and I will quote an extract from, that,
communication:
"The nippur sold consisted of 50 barrrs pork.
2,645 barrels floor, 821 barrel hard bread, 27i
buaheb beano, IS bumels
com, 506 busheb rait, 75,027 pound (agar, 41297
pound coffre, 5,438 pound rice, 531,020 pound
bacon, 28,181 pound oap, 1 4,1 10 pounds candles,
371 gallons whiskey, 5,145 gallon vinegar, and
all the issuing apparatus, such as scales, weight
and measures, uswdwhOetbs tulunteer troops
were in serviced TW artkl's produeed the nttt
randfJ'.'.iK w.' - 1
This, sir, is tlie "official account" Does,
any gentleman here deny it? Is there any
one of the, Administration harty who wishes
to give an explanation? If so, I will give
way. Not one, sir. Then, k none of the
Administration papers throughout the Uni
on dare to deny this statement And what
do I prove by this, Mr. Chairman? That
rthis vast amount pi supplies, collected unne
cessarily, cost, as will appear by tho ac
counts of die Department, upwards of two
hundred and sixty thousand dollars inclu
ding transportation, commissions,, build
jiigs erected for their preservation, otc and, " , ,.
were sold by his all-wise and coinMeHl.
Auminisiration lor leas man one-nun mm-
cost This, sir, is tlie manner in whith,
the money of the Peoplo is wasted. 1 will
ask tlie gentleman from Virginia if it was
possible for any honest man to anticipate
such unjustifiable squanderings ot the pub
lic money? It seems, sir, that the 28,1811
pounds of soap were not needed by the ar
my. It ought never to have been sold , sir.
It should have been shipped to Washington,
and would have served as a fraction of the
quantity requisite to cleanse this fqul Ad-
tnirii.strutioii. but, sir, 1 will give you ano
ther item of sales of stores, &c.' purchased
unnecessarily, and sold at auction in the
Cherokee country, in 1838, and embraced
in this some communication. 1 hnd, sir,
that corn, which cost the Government at
least one dollar and a half, and in many in
stances, two dollars per bushel, and accu
mulated unnecessarily in" vast quantities,
was sold by this economical Administration
as follows: --r -
8,381 bushel corn, at 17 cent per busheL
5,275 oo. 11 'do. -...
4,390 - do. 10 . -Jo.. 4,
400. do. - 4 do. . .v. .
dsa! do. 14 do.
This, -sir, is a secimen of the prices at
which this article was sold, and tliousands
r A rl,i ,u ; i ' fM.
of ern alone. - And this fcir, is only a frac.
tion of the quantity sold. I find, further
sir, "that oatslpurchaseJ at double tlie' usual
cost , were sold at 4 cents per busheL I lus
corn and oats were not damaged; for the
report states thern to have been sound, and .
the damaged corn sold separately. I could
proceed, sir, to enumerate hundreds ot
cases of the same nature, but time will not
permit. I will close by giving an extract
from a letter of the Creek A gent at fort
(jltbson, addressed to the Commissioner of
Indian Affairs, complaining of the action
of the Administration in forwarding such
immense quantities of supplies unnecessa
rily to that post, and which also had to be
sold at an immense sacrifice: "
"But, whatever be the apology of the mcauro
in question, whether it be ignorance of the resour
ces of the country, distrust of the capability of tho
officer charged with the -subsistence of the Indi
ans, or a dread of a failure of their effort in that
respect, one thins; is 'demonstrably true, that tbe
great los which is now inevitably consequent upon
the measure might hare been avoided had timely
direction been given to dispose of this extraordi
nary supply of provision as soon as it was ascer
tained not to be needed."
He-again says: . ,
"Instead of thi, carpo after cargo continued to
arrive as the necessity decreased.'
Again, sir, the same agent says:--'
"I repeat, sir, fearless of contradiction, had the
agents here been in true ted, in the first instance,
as agents of the Government ought to hsvebeen,
where it interest was concerned, the public would
not have sustained the kxw of a single dollar; the
provision purchased in New Orleans would have
been sold, and not transported here, a ha been
the case, at an enormous expense, where it was
not needed, and at additional eipense of several
thounds to erect (uitable buUdjngW'to cover it from
the weather." " .' .U,w.',Jk - ".
This gentleman, sir, for his plain speak
ing to tlie Government officers , was treated
with official insolence, and immediately re
signed lus station. A mean, obsequious,
fawning sycophant would have been cher
ished and patronized by them. Here, sir,
is another instance of hundreds of thou
sands of dollars squandered. Who could
have dreamed of "such blundering policy?"
And yet the gentleman from Virginia says,
the Opposition voted for "Indian" subrist
ence," &c. and he is loud in ruse of an
Administration which is thus, by, its own
official documents, convicted ofincompe-,
tincy, waste, and extravagance, and it mr y
be something worse. 1 believe, sir, that
all these unnecessary purchases were made
to give profitable contracts to favorites.
We have been told, sir, that tlie public
btrHdings-are arxrther-source of "extraor-
dinary expense. I will, sir," for a moment,
refer to this matter, and in that moment
convince the committee that another high
handed and unjustifiable act of this Admin
istration has cost the People, uniK-csarily
three hundred thousand dollars. I refer to
the Post Office building. The Committee
on Public Buildings of tlie House of Repre
sentatives; in order to ascertain ihe-actoal
cost of the building proposed to be erected,
made a demand for a detailed estimate of
the cost of a sjilit granite building. It was
furnislied, and amounted to two hundred
and eighty thousand dollars. But, sir, no
sooner had Congress adjourned, than the
President ordered the erection of marble
building a perfect palace, which is now
estimated by Administration gentlemen to
cost six hundred thousand dollars. This,
sfr, will explain to gentlemen why this
h,rnnch of expenditure is termed "extraor
dinary." But, sir, there is another matter
connected with this subject, and "which is
admitted even here by the friends of this
Administration, After the money appro
priated by Congress had been expended,
fearing that at its next meeting, it might ar
rest the work, or demand an explanation
of this enormouslxlncjreased expenditure,
the Executive allowed the work to progress
oU credit to the amount of 55 ,000, and
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