North Carolina Newspapers

I EXECUTIVE TATRONACE. 1 AnsTR(rr or-MR. ruiA:s'& llKlt'ltT ON KXUCUTIVB P AT RON At E. This mmtuti of Cvwgress ba, wi fur a iImj rico ate w esteemed, been ilfiiii'jtliu by whim of Ihe tsoat elaborate m able reports eve r mu'le in either branch si" the National lycgUUturs. (4iptcui among them will stand tl Rep-wt nwito by John t'. Cslbooa', from I rWh-ct Committi ! ptii(' id, up his motion, to Inquire iirto the exUml ami operation of the constantly increasing patnsiage f (he Executive of the United rM.itmi, la presenting r.ioculive ot tlie "JnilcU rM.ite. laun Report, Mr. CIlMtiti said tUl U had the I'm) uiian iouus assent of iKe committee on every point of it b'tl one, and on that mm, a single imnuUr of the committee only dissented. The Report sets out, very properly,' with an if urt la ascertain the present cicol uf the Exoru. Jive patronsge. rV this purpii,lbe returnsof the -yea-lS;Jl,. not. being couipltlc, Ihcy like lb" jear 1833, the year adordwg the neceanary data t "hicb data are, fir, the revenue of the Co . neral Govvrpment from all sources; secondly, the , t xpemliturcsof the Goveniiocnt. exclusive if pay luent of the public debt ; and thirdly, Ihe number of person who, at officers, s gents, contractors, or in other forma, are in the receipt of the pullic mo ney. The revenue of 1933, the Report states In have been over thirty-five million of dollars: ami " 't!ie number of person who are recipient of the . i .public lU'HH-y, to have bern sixty thousand two hull '.dred and odd, of whom belong (as nearly aa we -caild catch the number) to the Civil Lint 1,141; . Jo the Military and Indian Dertmeuis 0,6 1 J ; to the Navy (including Marine Corps) 6,100 ; and to - lbs. Post O.fiee 31,917 all of whom derive their "p'ace iliroctly or indirectly from lite Exicutive; M w, with the exception oi toe Judicial othcers, are ViHjoct to removal from office at the will ami plea sure of the President. If to thete he adilcd .'!,. ' 6(9 pe'wuxKMt an aggregate appear uf ihio Iiuu ' flnti thousand am) seventy-nine persons in the em 'jftf of the Government, or in the receipt f mo. my from the public treasury. If to tln-an be aiMeil .-tlifl counties boat of those, who are necking to dis. flace the present racipisnt ami beneficiaries, aome lea may bo formed of the extent of the influence ,in Ije country of the pntrnnagq ri'wiliing from mh-Ii dtburMOMiuU of wotMiy, u which ao nwny iiiilividuala are inlereted. .U The Report tlien p rococo toahow the grroi in- ertuit of Ike publie tiprnditurt hi eight years, from to 1833, incluxive, carrying with it a . C.TrrenpooJing Tocroaxe of the number and compeit eition of agwnta, olhoera, contractoni, and othera, -depending &X anbwirtence npon the Government, , and of courae upon the pttronage of the Executive. JJofore inMtitutmg thia compariaoii, however, the repart advnrta ta the rapid increaaa, by Lxlmii wrealie, of rtttrtationa of land to Indian, to be jiponed of by then) only with the ronaeiit of the Kxecutive, than which it ia dilucult to imagine a device better ealculaled to enlarge the Executive xtronnge. The practice of removing from afice 1"ToiW wko r? wcW quahfrd for and have uth fully perfurtned their dutiea, in order to introduce jnlhera in thrir aad, who are of the party in power ,. practice of reeent date ia alao the aubject of crave censure W thia view of the Report Caaea, t ;jt (a frue, may be (tnind la tlie early atagea of thia .iovammant, in which removal from office have I r-r:bermadey Vuflhiy "ir' ao ft to twiiriVr aa (o iTTjtoiwliute o!rtncef rattwi 'thai a practice; aw! it ia i only withio few years, that an opportunity haa : ' ,..)eo aflorled of testing the practice, u a ijtiem, by e'eftlicifc--" r-: -" " ; ' : ' .Fn"erlyt the patronage of Jha-Executive waa ; ' wfitwcl, jo, point of .fuel, to the .power of oomiraK . , ,tmg persons to all occasumai vacancies to the. pub- "TtZ "' J"0 ncea-i Coder the contrary-practice, the otfi- cea of the Government, instead of public IruHta, .Ji'hoso Ciithful executkw. is inninly to be held in .view, cpme to be considered as the spoils of vitlo iV ader a political conteat-lhd rewarda for faith- .JTmI servicijn the ranka of partyi the recipients of niriTnii Mtndv Cif an aarvicA. however corrunt. Ater This praetiee, tWrefure, the Report goes on 71 o say, U a aytem to encourage vice and discourage -..virtue, and must endjif not reformed, by overt urn-rr.-2'iing the Government and raising a dcdpotiaiin on its rims.' -Taithfut performance ol auty bwng no kng- ...W a'recommoadation to cootinuance, tlie puJJic of. cen cAwcquently foci thlV dcpcndence on the nere pleasnfe of the Executive, and resort to all those acts of compliance and Buhscryiency which - they learn to consider as recomniendationa to his fiYor. Atfl. . , -w. ---. - - . i "" .Tlie Report llieq adverts to the circumstances of -the increased power which the Ivxecutive has ac -xj'iired bjfe rmrnrf which 4ntevnt harepven .to. him iter ik. publie fund. Without mouting b'r the q'uestioB of the plUy. or illegnlity of the "action of the Executive in.. removing the public (itfMieys from- depniile-it the Rankof the United tates,'the tmnpiittee" any that thorn can be no uibt uoon the romd of any man .that the removal , ,t!1 puDllC aeposiies ma inQrcnmrti mo power oi ' . i Jl : : J .i - vhich become the corrupt and sxipnlo inatriimenUi 'ettyy whick thCoremtt tpr4t. -'"f 4ieHin;y th he 6f lifce reward, is "ireV They li'giii by taviiig :" Awn, as a general : treated a host of hiingfy, greedy, and subecrvient principle, that it is the duty of a Government to " le and unlimited control, as they mi'isfcotulwte J be until otherwise provided by-snine action on the "part Cimssir VndeeJ any act cfongress be passed of greater efloct in this respect puTHic ItHHivys wore -rnnwe, di recred whsre they itiutd1 feeptr-Triis . i Jbport. gvs oo to stnte some facts snowing the ev tent of pitronae exercised through, this awuined ' piwer of controlling- the- deposrtea ef-th publie jmoney, Axe. Ate. - '-;f ; -Ilavinj thus shewfl, hf i-vtrjetinof factsand a. fjura'ints, of which the above can afford lwt very tiirt-idee, thenormmis extent of. the Executive the subject. Patronage, in a Goveraitvjflt, jroys (the rport, is at best but. nereuarg eeu:; the ten .done? of which, even when comparatively irestricl. cJ in its extent, is to debase and corrept "the mo. jds the TOrnrmjnlty.-" In all weft fyitat4 free f!vernmeots, therefore, no more of 'it vdll here, laiaed than: ia jieceMnry. to.tlieir k?:dt&il xist ,eTce. The idea tha large ExTeuiive patronage i$ necessary to give efficiency --tothe Givernmeut is combated as a fallacy, c-emonstrrtted to hi such by a comparaaoa of the present with the jmst ex. 4ent of tbab patronage i this Governmenf: : For his comparison, the Committee select the years ' I S25 and 133, the former year feeing one in which theextEit the Executive patronage already be- ; pan toi be.thb'ugbt too great, wd the latter, because ir ia tb lafet yif Vbich tbey can obuio correct r. turn. Trom thiic'iiipsiUooit appears that tlc come of the ttovrrnmeiil, it -ludiiig the l'.t f )lin e, was. In I frr.l IT.WW r tW, t3C,fi57)0 (rij'ding fr tisw.) That llm eieuililiire of tlie tioveriiiiH-nl, (eicliiMvs of the public deM) was, in IA U.Utf.WHM in IW33, $i5.fi'5,tM)0j and that the number of pi-rwsia receiving enxiliins iil or ruiiieiMuiin from the (Jovernmenl, was, in 1 J, fiHy.five llnsiwind seven humlrml nun seven- ty.wven ami in 1 H'A-i, one humlred lhouand and evenly -iukc raiiim, . MMUHirmg the exlei4of the public patronage by these elements, cofulsiksd with thst of the gross expenditure, without adverting to other eircnnnlan- ces wtiicti hsve U-en shown stilt lurther lo enlarge it, the result is as sixty-five lo eiahtytiinn, shewing an increuM if patronage between those years of lliir1V-it perweut. 1 he pnigressive inrresse ha ving been much greater within tlie Is it lour years limn within the (our yesrs rneding. AuticipNling the answer to Ibis statement, thai tlie inrreateof pstrousge, Ate, has wit been greater than the increase in the growth and population of the Country, the Report gore on to show, by iha oj leral khi of I he several causes al ready et woerated, that the patronage of tlie (fovnrnment has more thsn dsihled, within a space of time wherein the growth snd pollution of the country have not ro bablv inert ssed more Huui 21 per cenL lint. whilt shewing this, the Report dmiies that there is any subttantinl reason why the patronage of the (tovernment sImhiIiI increnan in proxirtim to its Increaiof population. This iilea, the rewrt goes on to show, is an asumrtinn dsngersis aa well as erroneous. The danger of a patronsge, thus in- eraasing with the growth of a country, arises from the great advantage of an organixi-d, over an unor ganised mim ; the great alvantage w hich, in a populists cisint ry. piwer thus acquires over liberty. The Report dilates on the pAier which such a swelling patronage, all wielded by a single individ. iml, gives him lo corrupt the people and seixo on their lilyrtie, A:c. Under a cmilinm-d progrensive increase of patronage, keeping ce with the in ereae of iair p-puliiiiKi, litwrt y itelf mul certni il ly lie im. Nothing Isit reftrm can save it. The action of the Government muni, then, lie modera ted. This, the Report maintain, i the principle on which our political exigence depend. - The Report ny, that the Omimittee are aware thst it may be urged against their statement, thst since 1!.1.1 there has b"en a great direase in the public revenue by the operation of the Ut tariff law. lint the .revenue is yet as great, now thut the public debt is extinguished, asjtwaawhen the politic dclit amounted to a hundred millions of dol lar. The difk-rence between thai lime and the present is, that the surplus revenue then went to pay the Miblie creditors ; whereas it now goes into the pockets of those who live upon the Treasury. The Report next proceeds to examine into ike eject of this enormous extension of Kxecutive pat ronajre. The Committee says, it has tendud to Kip the foundation of the Cisistitution, to throw a clowl of uncertainty over the future ; to substitute a de grading subserviency to power for the attachment to liberty and our tree institutions, tor winch the American People have boeu heretofore distinguish ed. There never was a period in our history, in hort, in which the prospects were more gloomy lor uoeny, awl oevotimi to party ami to power stronger. With this increase of patronage, the whole structure of the Oovemmeut is undergoing a changn. Admitting the necessity of a strotur Executive, the Report enters into an irgumcut to show that an Executive has become too at rung, when it begins to regard itself as the paramount power in the Government. . Nor, in our case, could the aid of the several States be successfully Invo" ked to XCiiLst the apfinch of dcnpiiic power in this lorm. : oo for from op posing" It; they will m more likely, to aid knd strengthen tlie Executive and, acting m conjuction with it, constitute a joint force Uilticult to be resisted by any other authority For theso evils, present and prospective, die Re port says, there can be but owe etfeetual remedy, ami that m, a prompt and great reduction of Exe. cutive patronage, uito the mnt expedient mode ol leave the mtsiev. as fur as oraoticahie. in the Dock ft? of Jhe people, from which Utf wy tt csnnut be reimived by the Government, except for its essen tial waiitsithoqt violatiuii uf Jheiighcst trust of the Governmenr, and manuest injustice to the people. - - 1 The Report then enters upon an elaborate and comprehensive view of the finances of the country, to show to what extent the revenue of the country may be expected to exceed the amount nccessar to the support of Government. In pursuing this inquiry, the Committee to on ta show that, doting 1110 oisieuce oi in compromise law, so cauea, re 'gulating duties on imports, and after all the reduc tions which may te nmite by rediicing the'dtitws on articles which do not interfere with protection, .there will still be au muavoidable annual surplus in the I reasury of about nine millions of dollars. 1 hey do hot propose to reduce the income by re ducing the price of the public lands, because to re duce the prjee would not only tempt great specu lotions therein, and affect the value of all other lamtwd- oronertv-tit-the lntoiT.-ptrt would- have it he etrnci w uicti'ase i.insieaa ot aimimsniag inc incon.e iroiu incir siur. . as, inereiure, u is uucmoa im ., , . - - , -- --, possiote, auciiig me exisiencejot ine compromise actTaniTwithout disturbing that act, to prevent the jinminl rrrripf intn thn Treiisury of "PWtra nine millions, even afior reducing tiie expenditures pf the government within proper limits, the Com' roiltee go into an ivuiry as to the most expedient mole of applying this sum. They protest against its remaining and accumulating In the Banks where it is depnetted ; and they do not recommend its ap- plication .to the purposes of Internal Improvement, tbfr difficulties in the way of which have been in ereasstr" l!th?xeet apjiroprinrirms for that ohjoct. sanction Tlie Committee', therefore, come to he conclu. sion that the only, and the Jeast objectionable mode of disposing of the surplus revenue, is to make an mwiaet''srrtyiift( MmofaMmziktMatmUStakt tie, to aontinue until the year 1942, which will, ter minate the existence of the present compromise Act, and leave Conirress at hhertv to reduce the -income to the actual wants of the Government, ,Th Com .. ny, . .L.- . J rnmee proposs 40 etject. ineir ootect oy bh a menu meirt of the CVmstltution, giving, power to Congress to mke such distnbunnn, which a roaionty bttbe Coinmrttee deem not now within, the. competency of Congress, For that purpose- they report a loint Resolution, and propose to divide the annual sur. plus .revenue Jn1 auck imiiiher of shares as tbe iu-.aro i' uuturs ajJ Upn iiitir, to he diilJ i among llwi ftMle in proportion to their rrpresi lita- 1 Cn'ml with' two sliar.s to each fttttiuty awl the I)mtrict i( C'olumtii lie Oiiniiiiitt proiMMe, also, tlie enactment of a law, for wlm b they reprt a bill, to regulate the ItcpiMiles of the public money ami the rnaclnn-iit of mm of the Utls n .rted by a rMeci Coiitmiiteo in ll'.'O, to reguLtt the patronage of the Govern. Burnt. trtm'-a. : M'tikinglnn Vuetttfomdmrt of 14 Richmond Whig. WaaNiiNiToa, February 12, 13.. Dear 8ir 1 I have just witnessed one of the moot exciting sceitee that ever occurred t the tkoate. 1 lie bills reported by tlie Committee on hxecuuve patronage were the order of the day Air yesterday. At an early hour the Senate was fillod to overflow ing, ladies who could not obtain seats, stood oa their H-el ir teiura, anxiously expecting the debate. Tlie bill from the Committee on Commerce inter, verted, and tlie Honate, after a king session slj(uro ed. This moniing the hill reieahng the four years' law came up, and Mr. Calhoun, n a fi'w brief re. marks, rccurrej to (lie report of 1920, made by Mr. BcutoA, as chairman of a committee composed of Renton, M'icim, Van lluren, White, lloluma, R. M. Johnsiwi, DickersiKi, llsyne, aixl one other not recollectiMl stated that that committee had re CominoiKlcd the same' prirviwitHis, and hoped that the bill w i mi Id pass without opposition. Iknlim r, ami, with a amnli bsA of notes, said that he was alrt to mtpply what he had omitted to say on the introduction if the report on Monday, and axknd the Senate to lake it as part of that sik-ccIi indulged in a bold mikI unqualified deiiunciatioo of the n'Nirt asserted that it was a party pnper,got up fir political i i t clisrw leriwd it as an attempt to buy the people by the bribe of four shilling, and tii pence each, in pujier money. ' Mr. Calhoun replied defending' the report ami vindicating its details. In the course of his remarks, ho said that nature had emlowed the Senator with boldness yes, boldncNs of auertion. This llenton chime to coiiHiik-r M-roiial ; and when lie rose to reply, seized ujiofi a isirt of tlie n-ort, which sM-aks of tlie efloct of rciHlering the nlhce-holdcra di-peiMlnnt upon tlie Executive, and a remark of Mr. Calhmin'a, in which he had alludgcd that ilcnton was the advocate of tlm ofbciHl corjis (lemsinced it as " a Imld attack Usn truth." t)n this he was called to order by Mr. Poimlexter. Tlie Chair decided, that as Mr. II. did not intend to itns;ach the jiersistal veracity of Mr. t'albisjn, it was m4 out of order 1 ,Mr. Webster took an aipeul, ummi the grmiml, that tlie words themselves used, not the intent of the Spea ker, w ere to be considered. The opinion of tlie Chair was overruled, and then a scene occurred which diackmed the fiendish purixise of the attack. After having traveled out of the way, and out of order, to attack the report which was not under consideration after having assailed the report, and dciiiNinced its conclusion as an evidence of hallu cination; after having stigmulised it as unfair, un camlid, deceptive, fuUsj, he preUMsbsl to consider Mr. Calhoun's defence of the report, in reply to his attack, as a premeditated attack on him, and assumed that Mr. Calhoun was bound lo huld Atsi to personal accisint for what he had said. During the enactment of this scene, there wss a deimsiiac grin, which plainly disclosed Mr. Bentim's purpose of bullying down all those who dared to expose the corruptions of the oflicial corps, whom it was his purpose to rally around him a a Pnrtorian cohort, to eoforc.s the purposes of corruption. .To this, Mr.Cafhisin jroptod-, By a luoid illustra tion of the trjuh of his report, reasserting and re alnrining all that he had said, and showing 'that it was; JHL sq. aiuch what he. had said, a aba. truth and consequence of the exposure that had given offimce. There la but' one opinion, AU . parties here admit, that unless Mr. Van Buren succeeds in rallying the party, and putting the resr( to death, by premature denunciation, the report will put an end to the party. It has brought to light such a mass of facts, and has arrayed them with a force that it is imposHihle to resist, unless the prejudice of. party and tho avarice -of the office-holders can be enlisted. Their craft is in danger, and he who ca tjrowbeatX C. tillioun,or niirrder his report, will have rendered Mr. Van Buren an indi.eiisa ble service. . - " The Senate was crowded to overflowing many stood fif hisjrs, and did not not tha flight of time. The debate was continued until it became so dark that Mr, Calhoun could scarcely read, and will be resumed to-morrow. The efficacy of Mr. Calhoun's report, and the force of (he alarming troths ildisrtowes, are demon strated by the 'panic" it has caused among the office-holders. Its truth, its value, its unanswera ble reasoning, are in the ratio of the consternation it has caused among the Treasury leeches. They are combining all their forces to crush him, and kill that. The People, whose interests Mr. Cal houn is endeavoring to protect whose liberties he ia mooring 10 guaru agaumi ine inroaus 01 corrup tion, far more to be dreaded than. the opei assaults of tyrants ought to reward and animate him with their gratitude and confidence, and frown down the bravoe who are attempting to a we him into silenCe. His report ought to be placed in the hands of every citizen, ai a beacon light in thia moment of outer political darkness. r - v . TTiswiwro, fcbreary 14, 1885. In the Seriate, after the usal morninj? btwiness. one of the- bills reported by-fr. Calhoun from the oelect Committee on Executive patronage, came op as the special order.. Mr. Clay , rose and read to on the table the substance of which was that, whenever the President shouhTrenibve any person from office, and nominate another to fill his place, he should state his reasons of the removal, to the Senate, and jf that body should refuse Jo concur in thero, by rejecting the person nominated, the per son removed should continue, in office. Mr. Clay Said Kg waa Aillv nrenarhit ta uistain his nnmsi. nn,ji Monday, when he hoped the leaders of the Jackson party would come prepared to go into the subject. . In the Hi S House of Itenresenlatives. an animated debate. tmik pl,ooa aioo to prmt 3,000 copic pt the fost Ottice Report and Documents, and 20, 000 without the documents.' "Both motions were decided in the affirmative. During this debate, all sides 'admitted f he foulest corruption, in the Post Office j but attempts were made to screen the Post master General from his. share of the blame. But this would not do: it was evident that he bad evin ced the most criminal negligence m the affairs of; the lepartment, and had connived, in many instan ces, at acts of corruption, His friends are anxious -that he should resign and I have been informed, Jto-dny, jthat lie intended to do so. " ie'nmtU iUdSii t,itiih. r,Uunrf II) The rk isitfl on wie n isi is u,". ".. . f..-.1ii. Pslns!!!. was rssuusid etcriiay 111 tlie Henate. Mr. Ik titon, in studied 'sch, which he begged I be Hcnala lo coinMr as a pan of his Sjieer h upon I bo first n-admg ol me resin, aiain asih d it 10 the bitterest terms of dcnumia- Imn J repealing M lormef oecisraiHsi, ini " 5 port was rwule Cir party purposes! that it waa a tissue of fallacies, intemh-d fir elctiooeering pur. pwes. To this Mr. Calhoun replied, vindicating the truth of the report, and in tlie csirs of Ins remarks took occasion to say thai nature ewlowed individuals diffrrenlly that she had giveit tW Be nator from Missouri b.4dnes -yaa, IssVlwaai of as. sertion. Mr. Ilenlon couided this declaration with the remark tliat he had Mtenliood himself with list official corps as their advocate, assuming that Mr. Calhoun had Imputed falsehmid and corruptim lo him, assumed bullying tone and repeated bis as sault upon the report read that part of it which spraks of the temleiry f making the office hidd en, as a 'jisly, des-mlant uww the Executive, de. ctared it lo be "a bold attack upon the truth ;n tut this he was called lo order by Gov. Poindcxter, and the Vice President al Ihe same time Gov. Poin dexter bavins teduced the words to writing, Ihe Chair decided that if it had been the intention id" Mr. Benton to impeach the personal veracity of Mr. Calhoun, the words would have been out ot or der, but thai inasmuch as they applied to a deduc tion of Jb.e repot t, they were iM personal, and there, fore w4 out of order From this decision Mr. Web ster took an appeal to the Senate, which was sus tained hy a vote of 24 to 20. Mr. Ileiitisi wss then permitted lo proceed, when a scene, such as was never In-fore witnessed in that body, ensued. It is manifest that Mr. Benton be- lieves that he must kill the report, or the report will overthrow that corrupt state of things upon which he has placed his hopes of reaching, to use his own words, " th a tmbonr. Inwards Mr. Calhoun and Mr, Webster he endeavored lo lie particularly olTcimive, giving it distinctly to be understood that his purpose was lo make a persrsinl affair with Mr. Calhoun. To this bluster and bullying Mr. Calhoun replied, by defending, in a firm and dignified manner, the statements ami detail of the report. He said that lie was aware of the reonibifiiy he hail as- snmed when lie entered opm the duly ot mnhmff war umjabuses of Executive patronage; lie stissj there as the advocate of American liberty, not to be intimidated or driven from his purpose he iei teraled ell that he had said, affirming its truth, leaving -others to. ajtfdy it deihietioos. POST-OFFICE CORRUPTIONS. From Ike Salionml lnleUigenerr, of February 14. J TIIE POST OFFICE. In the House of Representatives, yesterday, the hill which passed the Senate (uuaniiiKHisly) for re forming the administration of the Pisit Office, re ceived its first snd sectaid reading, and was referred to the Post Office Committee. It was a concurrence of circumstances rather re markable, that, 00 the same morning, the Commit tee appointed by the J liaise of Representatives in June lasf, to examine into the a flairs of Ihe Pt Office, should have brought in its report. - The re port waa presented by Mr. Connor, the Chairman of the Committee, and, without reading, (because of its great length,) waa ordered to lie on the table, and to be printed. Mr. E.Wiuuhmnrrnirhehalf tof the- Minority of said Commiltee7 who, he said, had not been able to take, in all particulars, the same view as the Majority of the Committee, ofter red a. report on their, part; which waa-elao ordowd to lie on the table, and to' be printed. " ' We have nut, of course, bad .it in out power to read any material portion of these important and voluminous documents. . But, desirous to soe to what conclusions the Majority of the Committee had arrived, as the result of their investigation, We turned to the last pages of the Rcfiort, and found them there stated in such frank and manly terms, a lo do honor equally to the spirit and Intelligence of the Committee, who have dared to oe noriest in the teeth of party-WecnpjMhe eooel4im7sTgraphs of the Majority Report (thai oT the Minority we hav not yet examined)-Hlo which there isno occasion to ask the attention of every render. The Committed, in enne lading this brief ana." lytical review of th'6 wwilts of a very jwtient and luborioiis investignrion of the Conditiisn and procee dings of the Post Office Department, should not consider therf duty as folly discharged to the Honse, and to fne coontry, without frankly submit ting the general 'conclusions, to which their minds have been brought. The propositions which follow, and which condense these conclusions, this Commit te doubt not, if examined, in a spirit ofandor, and1 ImaAlaTnywuToe admitted" as "just corolla ries ol tins report. t. .ThftfinanCrg of . thuDepartmemV--lwve hfllierto been managed without frugality, system, intelligence, or adequate pabUc tility,-r The car dinal principles of an enlightened economy have been violated Ignorance of the real fiscal ability of the Department has long-prevailed. Expenses have nol been kepi within the limits of income. Means have not been proportioned to the ends sought to be obtained: expendltiirea.to.the.oenefits to be purchased. h DpaHmenti iff this vital particular, have not been kepCwrith memoa ana accuracy : lor the, data they lurnish conduct to widely- varying resultsTTne accounts of the receipts, exnen'ditiirea. and tnasea nf iKa Department do not, in fact, illustrate, with certain ty, the actual fiscal condition of the Department. No common test or standard appears, at any time, to have been employed to detect such casual errors as.tnigbt creep tn to derange the balance between receipts and expenditures 1 and hence the existing unfortunate excess of the latter over the former, The absence of such a test produces the ffocts,of accuracy- ot the conclusion which it may reach by any ordinary process of investigation; and upon the practicable operations of the Department, of a perpetual liability to fall into error, without any certain oiodo of its detection.. The evil is within the rench offegiHTafion, and should be corrected by establishing a proper system of checks and balan ces. 2d.. The negligent and unsystematic form of matung an preserving the mail contracts, is such that oo human mind could comprehend the whole, and maintain in order, so vast and complicated a machine as the General Post Office. The contracts are now, and have, at all times which have fallen under the observation of the committed been most loosely conducted. It is occasionally impossible to penetrate their obscuritv : often difficult to dwi. jihcr their interlineations jiad marginal mites; al- iwiii o ldvuUcd aUtlr tl are so o. j I" . '" '-' msuawa ja twt IUr IIWIH-I lltHl III Ilkfl llaill '.l. i II 1 convey an adequate idee of the 1 - '-.s ssiriH:i lUmik run iL ed state in win, h , they are kept. Certain i, ... "w wa gem-ration of UU.rer. , , branch of tl.e yf the off, C1MIIM U nutted through him to another. Km.wkU acquired) is to be s.Uained miliar from ol who keep Ihe books, than the books IliemwbJi and the ciswequence is, that the bssj of fa V keeper is the extinction of all certain light -The Head of lh, De,rtmmt est, aluu. n the eornwjtive lo Ins rul. ' iTf - - M. I be moile of preparing advertiw Pr mail contracts has practically trvt,ra - emls of lh law which enjoined il. Tlie mm i? aigio 11 as treat sal.-guard against fraud u imptsNtion.Tiy bringing Hie salutary priiripkTi competition into active and beneficial eperatjjal!! Tlie usage of Ihe Department n eonjunctioa . , e,- e.- w receitjft- amalgamated bids, has frustrated the wUksa Ibis precautiim, and irmlered the system of htmJt in regard to Ihe more important routes, little feJ than an empty form or a bitter mockery.' "The interposition of the legislative power kU the npoiiiion nf the Committee, uimeery ia rtas instiuice, as tliey deem the existing enactment adr. quale to Iheir object." 4th. The practice of granting ettra alWim has at various dates in the hiulory of this IVp MK-01, run lino nu cwmsi j siane HlegitimfH and therefore without an apology, and others timate, Isit very quest iisinldc as lo tlieirexpediean To this sisirec may m ascribed, wilhisjl Sianrdaf error, much of Ihe eniharrasMmcnt rsf the IVps, mem ; ami, in whatever asm-ct ibis Conimiftes be had opportunity lo examine il, it strikes tliemtk; its practical oteration haa boen fiaught with ti more of evil than of good. Among its otW achievements, it has signalized, most eminently, fU to ready faith and too If saw busiiwss aiethus' of the Department. Tlie letter of a contractor, s grating an improvement and soliciting an extri it. lowance, ms unfrequently has served the double o fice of an authority for tlie grant, and of a meon of its existence. fitricdaj-kroexoLaeariitek or loose scrsp of paper is commoly the oolv officiJ evidence- of the order for large disbursement! of nwsMy umlcr lbs nam of extra allowances, b a puzzling problem lo decide whether; this far tiiaiary, power thronghoui its whole existence, ku (haie most mischief in the character of importer npon the IhrtmernVnr aedurerto tonlractwiM It has, disibtliiw, beeu an cvilJoer io both fnr "The committee have not deemed it within tht acojs of llieir authority to prepare a silL" Toil duty comes within the pnivince of a Btanding Cco mitlee of the House. "The Committee, in surveying toe wide nAl of their labors, regret only that their reward bad ' t been discoveries of a more pleasing chaiwtn They had Ikm,! that their researches would I brought to light the fruits of an enlighten . well directed labor, instead of proofs of errn" 4 neglect... But they, have fiuutued ism tosli t j them with an honest purpose and to the best of iWr ability. 11 remains lor I ontrress tonveaai perfect organization to thU IVpsrtmeot j arwl ( those who administer it, to bring to its renowio the most efficient and preservinir smdicalina al practical talent and business like halslf -wrlhip weal m) VielMt iwrwsmt iwn iiileistence.' - The ComTnirtee ConsiMed of Messrs Connor, fksi dert, E. Whhtlusey, II. Everett, Beardsley, Witineajfi sad ilawes. --srrrr . Pram tie Saliunml ItlrUigenrrr, Frh. 21 - . THK fOHT OFUCE REPORTS. We have had, since our last, "an opportunity af looking over the llrport of The Miliofity II Pil Office C011111.il lee. It ia a work of great ! bor, exhibiting evidence of unwearied industry. with the result nf smirate research, an far lips' Committee were allowed lo carry it. The Report consists of a series of s'atements under virMM heads, exhibiting the particulars of abuses, such as have led the iiiujority, as weft" a theTiiioonty of the Committee, to the withering concliisicei which hnve'been alrcudy published, slatementi of great interest, but which cannot be cimmIcmn m made ihe subjecll' of. abstracts, witlnnit the te sumptmn of more lime snd space thsn wesrssW no 10 give to Ihe subject. We reserve, there fore, till after the adjournment, the details, nf whkk we shall then consider it. our duty lo.prrseot tt ample a view as is practicable. ' r Notwithstanding the extent and enormity of lis) disclosures made by the Committee, it sev that there is much yet to be told, if the fac'li coals' be full? arrived, at . ,2 bus, Jhe JWiaority tho outset of their 1Report;r",,It is doiogne-inj lice to the Department to ssv. thn! they receive' 00 vokwHar y aid from -any- ttf ;tt3W;flkers W they have been able to find out, they knowjii from what -fa known; : ft"-niay ie roferred tkst much remains to be known .V-----The Report of the Minority further states " will be apparent, from the recordaof the Con"i tee, that from an early day of thefr isinn, tb waa a mnjority and minority. Th minority not rluim anv ihioa dT iknmnnlvfia that theT ''nott'rtlie' majority.' Tticj disclsim ll Prtlji'tini.Cnteringupon. examination on thpir nsrt. nnd shall cive full CrM to a similar disclaimer on the part of the majority Thn fact, however, ia meuiioweoVsf sccoutttins in lAm, ftnrrpM. ft mutd nf tirinmmr forWatf the examination, the prolixity an4 irreWancJ 4 portions of the testimony, and the fanner in mhf it was taken. The minoriry belioed it lo bejhr duty to go forward, and examine' into the procee mga of the "Department, to see w he'tber they e right or wrong. The majority woreof opinion tl il was" nof Yequired lo search fpTaJiuses, but examio.only. where proUble auae was sIJeW this would, in fact, have limited jdie exaroinatwt to abuses already discovered. The effect of difference of opinion will be seen to have i'""" to the calls on the Department for information, to the .production of witnesses. Vrifci partment to answer interrogatories, absolutely feated, to a certain extenf, theWiject of the tnVM instituted by the House of Representatives. Tn says the Minority Report! "It is but j'"': themselves to state, the Minority are not rets sible for the course the examination has uk.; J", direction of which was beyond their control,) that so little has been done, and so much has be left undone they do not say which ought to M been, but which could hot be i5.I0R! the neglect of the Department to answcTnJ solutiojia of the Coipmittce, . : . ,-.