Newspapers / North Carolina Republican (Goldsboro, … / Aug. 9, 1848, edition 1 / Page 1
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1 I 1. I I r t 1: "7- 1 B - ;5 si r. or;. vu ; of IT. tfi fcr- bo- fi'.. mo vc wv '11, It, til-, -a: M Lc inn 'I' ll.v Hi it !l. ho I .It' up , vc of on in.' f.y jrh nJ - in- 1 10 i Mr li h ii ) - - IS il ir BY W. B. GIMCK. hon. r. McClelland, i I, , OF MICHIGAN. 5 ?v titp HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. SATUR- ' DAY, JULY 1, 1848, ; w he Civil and Diplomatic Appropriation Mr. Chairman: Dunnff five years bfser- vice in this House, I have nevGr yet mope a Jtrictly party speech upon any question, nd ,vouId not trespass now upon the ruie 1 pre scribed for mysdf, had not the "character ol a dislinguished citizen of my ojjn,Stote. Jen ,ma?t viplently attacketl andraducecL . ; ine TMr. Stew- rir;7 a eiv days ao, m3trBTHany.cii4Tes t a grave character against General Cass, and although they are very loose, and some of them exceedingly tnmng, yet 1 piupvao ju 'occupy a short time in discussing them and similar ones made elsewhere. If my hour is med in this way, I may no- I tice other remarks made by him and otHer j gentlemen on;this floor. . , The most prominent cnarge aguiusi ycu. that whilst Governor of the Territory of Michigan, he drew, besides his salary as Governor, enormous amoun:s of extra com- f pen1 sat ion some maki ng it, i n the aggregate, ($100,568 9i: but the gentleman from Penn sylvania, with every disposition to increase it, has been obliged, by some regard to truth, to 'reduce it to 60,4 12. I propose to examine omcer states, that " Governor iark was ai "this charo-e, and believe it is susceptible of the lowed by law a salary, as superintendent, of mot satisfactorv explanation. One.sr.reat er IT j 4 w ror committed by those who have endeavor ed to distort this matter is, in assuming that each of the three documents (No. 6, 27th Con grrss, 3d session-and Nos. 112 and 244,25th Congress, 3d session) usually refered to, and vhch contain all the necessary information pn the subject, relates to and embraces difler ent and distinct classess of allowances; and hey are figured out and adroitly woven to- gether so as to make up the sum arrived at; while the slightest glance and most cursory examination will show, clearly and unequiv ocally., that the documents are repor is from the Secretary ot War, in answer to three seperate f calls of Congress for nearly the same informa 'tiorj, and that thev embrace, with slight vari- Rations, precisely the same allowances, except tha hfthe amount nntninprl in document No, 6. 812.612 is 1 ft out of the other two vlocuments. Th us the whole of the allowan-(services No. 244, and all in docu- ces in document mert io. t xcept the sum ot qiz, rz, are set forth and contained m document No. 112. General Cass was Governor of the-Terri-oryof Michigan, and ex officio superintend ent jof Indian affairs in and for this Territory. As kx officio superintendent of Indian Affairs, The discharged his duties within the limits es tablished by the -Territorial organization, whih! -embraced and included only the Indi ans! and agencies within the peninsula of JVlicpigan and the agency at Green Bay, on the ves'tern shore of Lake Michigan.' Indoc ument No. 112, the accounting officers say, " that as ' superintendent of Indian affairs, . Governor Cass was paid no salary by the Ireasury Departments; but an allowance or fifteen hundred dollars per annum was made to him by the Secretary of War, and paid by the Treasury Department, during his super- I intendency, to cover his expenses of office rent, I drrkhirey fuel, stationary, $fc, and, besides I this, ten rations per day, equal to $730 per year, were allowed to him froni the date of his appointment, in 1813, till the end of 1821." .' f Th(?y. then go on to show the circumstan : ccs under which these allowances were made, . quoting for that purpose a letter to Congress upun Hue siipject irom ivir. Ualhoun, the Sec I rct.'iry of War, and by whom they were made, in which the facts and circumstances are fully ; fcot forth. It appears, from this letter thai Gen, Cass not only performed his -appropriate du- . ; . tns ot superintendent, but, in addition, actu ally executed those of agent for several "tribe15 which were without agents, both within and t without his superintendeney. In reference 1 to thq allowance, Mr. Calhoun states, (Doc. No. 112. page 2,) that shortly after General Cass received lus appointment, " he madc ap plication for a specific sum to cover the vari ous; personal expenses to which he was liable jin the-performance of his duty as superintend- r en. i Wil'hout objecting to the amount which jie thought necessary for the purpose, he- was ftin formed that a specific amount couLd not be fallowed ; but at the same time it was stated, : that on presenting his account, what was rea- .sonable would be albwed. The claim,"from f it nature, could only be adjusted on equita I b!e prim;pks, it being impossible to state the -. ( items of expense to which, situated as he was, ;.. he was exposed from his intercouse with the -: lndpna" The duties whjch Governor Cass ;f? performed as superintendent being similar to tQfo of Governor Clark, , (Governor and su- perintendAft nf Tr;'o .,v:r r.u j r- . h, ! . v ""'u auaua lur me iviissouri ie utory.) ht more extensive, and in their pcrfornidnce attend xtenstve, and in their ;.rli o,'" . .. .wv gicixier expense, 71l- . - . - i j"-"1 Ul uis accounts - SJ u t ie allvance which reference had been wner, making such additional .. .ing the intercourse r,hn.eCieT',y attena" twit, and where; ftom t J"? , P" sary to extend to Ithem great, "ll atlfption than atanyothf 0tL'r and previously been submitted to , "p386 . (Mr. Madisdn. wU ZT Ae p- Iei)t.(M n.that Gen Cass houldX V mepin . for; v these additional expls -landing all 'this the rrS" r Notwith- ; y!vkni! iintimaeS thft60.0 Pnn - lWeabyMr.Catunlwer : asoit of office." What he ymeans V l r vwx-0, uun xuc jo charge Mr Oil win with gross dereliction of duty - Bui. t ssertion is so devoid of all .ndplausibility, (without taking into consi? ;ration the purity of that distinguished man's haracter,) that it must be ascribed to the ; pieman's distempered imagination, as no i - Xorpnsps would malcR fin man m ni yivy'. 7 -' . - unwarrantable and disingenuous an imputa- tl0rlr Burt said, by the permissW of my friend from Michigan, 1 1 wish to add a word to the explanation he has already inade. 1 speak as to the Jtemof 5Xtrarallowancel made by the Secretary of War during Mr. Monroe's administration, and of that alone. I am au thorized to say, that this item was allowed during- that "administration, and thus1 the gentleman from Pennsylvania M. Stewart is utterly mistaken in supposing that it was allowed subsequently. The allowance was to remunerate Gen. Cass, as Superintendent of Indian Affairs, lor suosistence actually furnished Indians from a distance, who visit ed him on official business. These demands upon him Jjecaxae vjy heavy and very fre tjcrejitr ft w.as'eih expe.nise which he- was.1 uncrer nu uuiy iu ucai, auu ui saiaiy yv xa in adequate to sustain it. From the; veryjnature of the expenditure, specific vouchers could not be adduced or obtained. This sum was allowed, because it was supposed no more than vvas sufficient to cover the ictual expend ltures. which Mr. Calhoun was satisfied had been made by General Cass in the course of his official and important duties. Sir, I un dertake to say, it was a charge as just on the part of General Cass, as its allowance was xm honorable and proper on the part of Mr. valhoun. His reasons are assigned on the account, and fully vindicate the propriety of the allowance. f But, sir, to the narration. 1 he accounting per annum, auu uu reiejcuuc iu um accounts, it appears that the sum paid to him to cover his expenses for office ren,clerk hire, fuel, stationery, &c, wis about 1 2,000 per annum; which greatly exceeds the allowance to General Cass for those objects, excepting for the the first seven or eignt years of his superintend ency." Thus the allowance of 2 230 from" October 9th. 1813. to May 29th, 1822, when it was reduced to $1,500, and of that amount from the latter date to July 31, 1821, made by Mr. Calhoun, and sanctioned bv Piesident Madi?on. for expenses and ex penditures to which Gen. Cass was actually subjected in the performance of his official duties as superintendent of Indian Affairs and and amounting in all to $33,325, is by some of his unscrupulous assailants and defamers, noi only run out lor the vyno.e penoa at SdU per annum as an ? extra allowance ior incident to the office of Governor," but, by their peculiar -facility at figures, is laKtiii up ii om d.utiiw: qoemxieni aim maue to amount to a much larger sum than that of the gentleman from Pennsylvania. He must be surprised, and a n - f dmire their fertility of invention, when he finds it surpasses his own. i The next item c-Allowance, as shown by the documents, is l,5CiO per annum from 1822 to July 31, 1831, inclusive, amounting to $14,375. This is thu item in regard to which the most infamous and groundless charge has been made, that Mr. Calhoun refused to allow it, and t iat General Cass al lowed it to himself when he became f Secre tary of WarV It ha already; been seen from the quotations from Mr. Calhoun's letter that General Cass actually performed, beside! the duties within his territorial limits, those of agent for Indians for wpich no agents were provided, as well, without as within the boun daries of his appropriate superintendeney. He could not legally be required to attend to other duties than those eti icily pertaining to his legitimate superintendeney, and within its' limits ; but so great was his activity, effi ciency, and success in the management of In dians, that, under peculiar circumstances ol difficulty and embarrassment in conducting our Indian relations in! that quarter at that time, he was selected to take charge or nu merous other tribes far beyond his superinten deney, in Ohio, Illinois, and what is now Wisconsin. Many of those Indians it was difficult to manage, being disaffected towards' our uovemment and citizens, irom naving been employed against us during the last war with Great Britain), and in consequence of the intrigues of the jagents of the j British Government and the Hudson's Bay Company, who made them large presents annually, and taught them to look to tieir Government and citizens as friends and protectors, and to ours as enemies and foes, from whom they had nothing to expect but injustice and wrong. , It was only by the mos t energetic measures and firm and determined personal conduct, that on frequent occasions they were prevent ed from breaking out ir to open hostilities and deluging an extensive frontier with the blood of our scattered and defenceless citizens. Oh one occasion the Indians abruptly withdrew from the council with threatening word and gestures, and had drawn up in battle array and hoisted the British flag in defence, when General Cass, at the imminent peril of his life, accompanied only by an interpreter,! went directly among them, tore down the flag and trampled it under his jet, and told them that no such emblem of foreign power should wave over territory of the United States in his presence. This chjvalric act so astound ed the Indians and excited their admiration for his daring and courage, as - to change completely the whole tone of their, I feelings, and they soon submitted, and entered into friendly council and satisfactorily arranged their difficulties. This is only one of the many instances in which General Cass sub jected himself to similar nsk and danger with the same' promptness and determination and with like auspicious results. He was subjected to great and various inconveniences, and his difficulties and! embarrassments were greatly increased by his .being compelled to take with him large "amounts of money.which, on account of the bad sjate of the currency, he had to collect and transport to Detroit with much danger and risk, . Any one who will take the trouble to consult the documents re ferred to, will acknowledge the ajmost Jnsur mountable difficulties j he had to encounter, and wonder how he ejer succeeded so well in the discharge of his duties. It was cus tomary at the time to allow two and a half per cent.; on all moneys disbursed tinder simi- NEWBERN, E C. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9, 1818 lar circumstances; and though some 400,000 passed through his handsj (most of which he had at his own cost; and expense to transport from the interior of Ohio through an unsettled country of about two hundred miles,) he never was allowed one cent for it, except in what the gentleman from Pennsylvania calls extra allowances. . 1 " ! Under these circumstances, he considered that some reasonable allowances should be made to him for the extra labor and heavy expenses to whiph,in various ways, he Was sub jected, and for disbursing. this large amount of money, none of which duties, legitimately belonged to him. Accordingly, in ! the year 1828, he submitted an account for these extra and extraordinary services, for the seven years ending with 1828, arnountipfir to 814,373 55, being at the same rate as has beeri allowed to Jhis predecessor Governor Hull for.simi- lar'scrvices: Without questioning the justice of the claim, the Secretary of War, General P;. B. Porter, submitted it to tl -.Attorney General, the upright and eminent Mr. Wirt, for his opinion, and Mr. Wirt deciding it fa vorably, said : "I understand the facts stated in Governor Cass's letter of the 26th November to be ad mitted; and if so, I can perceive no ground on which his claim can properly be resisted. His salary as governor is compensation lor governor, but the services for which he claims do not belong to his duty as governor of the Michigan Territory, and having been em ployed 'by Government to perform these services, i he has a fair claim for them on the principles, of a quantum meruit. The facts conceded, his right is undeniable." . Thereupon the Secretary of War allowed General Cass, $10,500, being at the rate of $1,500 per annum for the period embraced in the account; and that sum was accordingly paid some time prior to his becoming Secre tary of War, and Mr. Calhoun never had the claim under aonsideralion, so far as l ean ascertain, and therefore could not have re jected it 1 ' I When General Cass entered upon his du-. ties as Secretary of War. there was due to him the same allowance for the balance of his term as superintendent, namely, from 1829 to July 31st, 1831, inclusive, amounting to $3,875. This allowance being based on the same principles as the case decided by Mr., Wirt,, there would have been no inipropriety in thq accounting officer's acting on the ac count, and paying him the amount ; but gov erni by the most scrupulous delicacy, and the nicest sense of propriety, he endorsed upon the account the following : , j "In the peculiar position in which T nojsv stand in relation to the department, although the charge is not only unexceptionablein it self, but supposed by a previous decision of the War Department, yet I am willing it should remain suspended and no acted on until it can with propriety be decided." It accordingly remained suspended until Noyember, 1837, a year after he had left the country for France, when it was taken up and allowed, as a matter of course. Another item of the tissue of misrepresen tations is that in addition to the other al lowances noticed, Gen. Cass was paid $27, 087 for extra services as commissioner in negotiating treaties wit'i various tribes of In dians, &c. Tnis item is taken from document No.6,nd $14,375 of the amount is a repe tition of the same sum contained in document 112, being the allowance before noticed, for labor and expenses in superintending Indians ,and making disbursements not within his superintendeney, granted under the opinion of Mr. Wirt. Thus, instead of being the amount falsely stated, it was only $12,712; and even of this sum the document shows that a consi derable portion was for expenses. The items have been critically analyzed and the expen ses calculated by a gentleman of long expe rience in, and perfectly conversant with, such matters, who was with General Cass on many of the occasions for which the allow ances were made, and who states that the actual and unavoidable expenses could not have been less than $6,442, leaving for com pensation only $6,270--a small compensation for prolonged absences from his family, thro' a period of seventeen years ; great exposure, risk, and danger, j and a travel of - over ten thousand miles, in birch-bark canoes, along the lakes and rivers, on horseback and on foot all involving great toil and discomfort. Of all the posts of Governors of Territories, that of General Cass was, perhaps, the most important and responsible. His salary as Goyernor was $2,000 per annum ; whilst that allowed to the Governor of the Territory of urieans, wno naa no supenntency ot Indian affairs, was $5,000 per annum ; and the strong probability is, that the duties of the one as Governor were more arduous than those of the other. To recapitulate ! the allowances, as shown by a correct analysis of the documents which hye been so frequently referred to, were a follows : ' 1. The allowances made by Mr. Calhoun. November 2, 1821, and, sanctioned by Pre sident Madison, and continued to him by ' 'subsequent Secretaries of War, one for rations, from October 9, 1813, to May 26, 1822 10 rations per day,at 20 cents each -for supporting the Indians, $6,610 ; and the other being for office rent, clerk hire, fuel , stationery, &c, from October 9, 1813, to July 31. 1831,$26,715. See Doc. No. 112, p 2, and Doc. No. 244, p 2 $33,325 00 2. The allowances made under tie opinion 1 of Mr. Wirt, by the Secretary jof War, du ring Mr. Adams's administration, and sub sequently, one for services in superintend ing the agencies of Piqua in Ohio, Fort Wayne in Indiana, Chicago in Illinois, &c, at $1,500 per annum, for the years 1822 '23 '24 '25-'26-'27 and 28, $10,500: and another, for similar services, same agencies, for-1829, 1830, and the first seven months of 1831, at $1,500 per annum, as allowed for previous years being amounts received for actual services and expenses, as superin tendent, in traveling, attending councils, and disbursing some $400,000, for which others were allowed 2 1-2 per cent.--See Doc. No. 6. p. 13. and Doc No. 1 12, p. 9.. . . H,375,00 . - , . , ,17. -- v ' Uj. j 1 - The other allowances, viz:-, r ur a per aiemol8 per dav. fm nve uav extra services, as Pf,mr7 at the treaty of Green vill?1!!!0" Marys in ibis, and concln; ' u ol minis nritl-t tYia i T9" ?ludmg arranrft. CKtS' and nsiov .i.n:Ju".e'g.'m i8i7 V . . ''.v . r-s u otner e.Tner.;-: ber and October, 1818 2 in SePim and other exvenL Jj0' traveling Sasanawin 1819. KoaZ.1 th treaty :of other expenses inc 0 n; a Sault de Ste. Mariei in i for fifty days', extra services -j; an? . sqquent to the aforeT0- : ;,efa5tipulatipM thereof ($400 TV . oervicpsas commissioner at treaty of Chicago, 52 days, at $8 per dav. i ' June ana jNovember Isoi iVicV , merit of .; his . accounts, from Octoher it 1821, to May 29, 1822, S b tions (at 20 cents each) per' Jy' 4,6) and allowance for Expenses trave fe o mnd from VVflfihinn-t 1 , .. ' 5 lu ($1,022.) 5 "UU WQllSt there, j Services as commissioner to treat with Indians at Wapagh-Konetta, and his trav elling anowance irom. 4th to 30th M 1625,. 9256. , Also for similar services at Pra (V Inn fmim At T.. . . i me du yu t"! l"une.io tn October, 1825 including iraveling jallbvvance nd attend - aem taking the treaty tyWashingtop, Similar services, holdmtreaties in Indi ana, in September and jOctober, 1826 46 da3 s, at $8 per day,$368j; and his travel-, ling allowance, $18f Similar services at Fond du Lac, 65 days between the 10thf-June and 10th September' 1826, at $8 per day, $520; and' travelling i aljowaice. for ,100 miles, at 40 cents per mile, $84CJ ; Similar services at Butte des Morte, in June, July, and August, 1827, 60-days. at $3 pepday, $408; and 15 days in prepa rations and arrangements for the treaties and closing their concerns, $120; and irav elling allowance foi 1 1,460 miles at 40 cents per mile, $584 i . Similar services at St. Joseph, in Septera tember 1 827, 1 0 days, at $8 per day, $80; and mileage, 400 miles, at 40 cents per mile, $160. Services and expenses at seat of Govern emment, 11 1 days, between 22d October, 1828, and 10th February, 1829, in prepar ing a code for the regulation of Indian - af fairs,' in conformity to orders Of the Secreta ry of War, at $8 per day, $880; and mile age for 1.600 miles, from Detroit to Wash ington city, and back, at $8 for every 20 miles, $640. 1 In all , ; ,,,...12,712 00 Total $60,421 00 The first, as has been shown, was for the actual and necessary expenses of his local of fice, as superintendent jof In-ian affairs, with in the peninsula of Michigan, during a space of over eighteen-and-a-half, years. It was, therefore, no emolument or compensation whatever. It was to cover the expenses of the office, and not the officer. And General Cass, when applying for it in 1821, says; 'lt may be readily presumed that, upon a fron tier, and in such times, my expenses must have far exceeded the salary of my office. I can solemnly aver, that I expended much more than the whole sum received as salary," $2,000 per annum ; 'and refers to Colonel Hunt and General Macomb, and incidentally to General McArthur and Mr. Graham, all gentlemen distinguished for their varacity and integrity See Doc. 112, pages 4 and 5. The second item was for services .and ex penses as superintendent and agent for numer ous tribes of Indians not within his superin tendeney, which duties the law did not require him to perform, and for which, as decided by Mr. Wirt, he was clearly entitled to extra compensation. One; half of this amount at least was for expenses, I 1 Of the third atemj it has already been shown that only $6.27.0 was .for .compensa tion the balance being1 for actual and neces sary expenses. Thus, instead of his having received over $ 1 00,500, or $60,4 2, mainly as an extra compensation, the whole amount, paid him, for extra services of all kinds, be yond his salary as Governor, did ! no : exceed, in eighteen-and-a-half years, $13,457 50. This is probably a far less sum than, on ex amination of the accounts of hjs distinguished opponent, would show that he has Reived as Pvtro - : during his career ot timp fnnM'i.4 r rnT the lio-ht r;i:... j.... oi nmDarativeiy unirn pontts, Xf only hisVegular and ordinary pay and alknv anc4s, in mTsevel grades through which he has passed, will show that he has receiv ed (separate and apart from extra allowance) the large sum of $127?000-as will appea byasfatemLin my possession, and subject to any person's examihatI0n- , S v I do not desire to, and shall not, dijw any invidious comparisons 1 men. My only design p, Taylor, as welf as Gen. Cass, has received hisshare IFZ public treasure ; att eme time I am candia enough to frankly admit my belief that he has deserved every farthing hi reoewT GeSrai Cass has received nothing from the General Government that others hayeot received for similar services. t J- reCf. - fow moments to show- ing that it hasten the Jnvariabjea of the Government to make wa,ai "Lr, man pleases to denominate extra allowances nnd 1An L malicious or improper spirit, but only for the purpose of relieving a x'w-icuiOMFM man s ijiw- persion. General Scott received the following-, fsee Doc. No. 6, p. 41:) s' v 1. For a per diem of $5, from Sept. 22, 1818 to 17th May,1819,engaged in the compila , Hon of a military work for the army,by or J der of the War Department, i $1428 00 2. For a per diem of $6, engaged' in iozk in revising mlantry tac tics. . . . . . ... . -. . . .... 3. Similar services in 1825. . . . . 4. Compensation as author and compiler of the new system of ; discipline and tactics, and, for superintending the 'printing1 the same. . . . ... . . . 5. For a per diem of $8. for one hundred and eighteen jdays' ser vices as commissioner with Pot tawatomie Jndians and treat ing withLthelWinriebagoes, Sacs and FoVs, ai; Chicago, Prairie du Chien,- and Rock Island, from 22d June to 17th October, 1832, ($9 14,) and mileage from - New York, by way of Chicago ' and Praife du Chien, to Rock . Island, and back, 2.980 miles,' at 40 cents per mile,' ($1,192 ;) buvGen. Scott not to charge for army transportation in his ac i;i04 00 540 00 5,000 00 counts as Major General.- . . . 2,136 00 6; For a per diem of $8 for two hundred and forty-four days' services as Commissioner to treat and make arrangnments with the Cherokee Indians.from the 11th April to the 10th Dec. 1$38,($ 1,952,) and his expenses during the time, ($358 71). . . 2,31071 12,518 71 Total. George B. Porter, late Governor of the Territory of Michigan, for services similar to those of Geh. Cass, (see Doc. No; 6, p. 38,) received during four years j and five months. . . .... . . ! . . $8,472 60 I might also refer to the cases of Governor Duval, of Florida, and Governors Miller, Iz ard, and Pope, of Arkansas, and others, in all the! different departments of the Government ; but to do so would be consuming your time to little purpose. But, after all, the gentleman from Penn sylvania has not, in "his own legislative ca reer, manifested any antipathy to these extra allowances. Only a few day days ago, the bill to pay the widow of Joseph Nour&e which was for the payment of 2 1-2 per cent, for disbursing moneys whilst he was Register of the Treasury amounting to $23,582, 72, and whilst Mr. Nourse was. during most of the time, receiving a' salary of $2,400 and $3,000 per annum--was under consideration, and its merits were fully discussed, and the gentleman could, not .have misunderstood it and yet, when the yeas and nays were order ed, he voted for it. The gentleman's party also gave-as a gratuity to Mis. Harrison, wid ow of General Harrison, $25,000. i I do not give these instances for the purpose of show ing my disapprobation of them for of that I do not speak but merely to exhibit the spirit and feelings of the man who has made many of these reckless charges. I will now, Mr. Chairman, direct the atten tion of the committee to the manner in which the gentleman has stated these seyeral items in his printed speech, in order to exhibit its unfairness, and the injustice done, to General Cass. 1 One of the charges in his account, which, up to 1822, was allowed by Mr. Cal houn, runs thus in the gentleman's speech ; ' From October 9, 1813, to July 31, 1831, $1, 500 per annum, extra "salary when,: by re ferring to Doc. 1 12, we find, instead of being for ' extra salary," it was " to coyer his ex- penses for office rent, cieru hire, tuei, station onr making treaties. J 1 " Kt r. n nntinrr tnp ltpm TOr &c, at Greenville, Saginaw, and Sault Ste. 'Marie, &c, he closes with these words" Fifty days preparing before and af ter treaty leaving it naked and unintelligi ble, and conveying the impression that Gen eral Cass had jeally put so much money into his pocket, without having performed any service to deserve it; when, the language used in the document, 6, from which he cop ied, is this : , " And for fifty days extra servi ces, previous and subsequent to the a ford said treaties, in preparing for and carrying into ef fect the several stipulations thereof " explain ing this part of the item satisfactorily. As the "rules of order will not permit me to state why he has resorted to the Procrustean sys tem here, I leave it to you to determine what inference might be drawn from it. In his se cond statement, which appears to be general, he asserts that " fifteen hundred per annum extra salary, (the same to which I have ber fore alluded,) from 1813 to 1831, nearly eigh teen years; was " paid xn 1 83 1 ;" which was years after the services were rendered. Now. the documents and the accounts stated, show that the several amounts were paid in 1822. and thereafter whenever the accounts of Gen eral Cass were audited. There was no. post ponement or payment, and no extraordinary delay. The gentleman from Pennsylvania has inserted in his speech a particular and general statement of these items of account, and in his addition of one of his columns of figures, he has committed an error oi more than four thousand dollars ; and it will be seen, that if he had entered the items prop erly, and made his calculation correctly, it would haye satisfied him that the imputation of General Cass's charging twice for the same item was without foundation Mr. Chairman, my time will not permit mo longer to dwell on this portion of his speech, which, from the adroit manner in which it is drawn up, is calculated and perhaps designed to mislead and deceive the people. If such was not his purpose, why were not all the items of account set down as they appeared in official documents from which they pnr- ported to have been taken Did he act up- v .i ' .i.... it. c r k u:, 1 i on tne maxim tnat " airs iair m twmHiw I should be glad to throw the mantle of char ity over it, but all the circumstances are so strong, that I am in doubt whether it can be ascribed to anything else than a disposition to pervert the truth. VOL. 2, JT0. 31. uus, mr. vnairman, i nave endeavored. as' briefly as the nature of the case, would permit, to reply to this charge, and whether successfully or not, I submit most cheerfully to the candor and good sense of the commit tee . . ; , -k, - ry i I will now proceed to the examination of another accusation of the gentleman 'from 1 ennsylyania, Mr. StewartJ which will be equally groundless and unjustifiable. He says: t . , . . -. J. " General Cass was once a great lover of the volunteers. He was a volunteer himself, ' and was sometimes called the old volunteer.' Bu t now it was on the records of Congress, S u fr?a,B? tsedptfrom it, that on the 29th of December, General Cass introduced into the Senate a bill reducing the pay of volunteers, for commutation for clothing, one third? He knew it was said that Gen Cass had sent the Adjutant General, and got him tor thef President to nullify by construction, or veto it ex post facto. He migit have found it would not do to strip the volunteers of their clothing; hanging and burning' in effigy" mightj have bj :en unpleasant." To such as the gentleman from Pennsyl vania j to be burnt in effigyf might be very unpleasant, and I doubt not it would ; but in the mind of a man of as hie-h moral nnrl in- tellertual character as Gen.. Cass, it could cause not even a feeling of displeasure against the perpetrators of such ".an act Now. I un dertake to say, Mr. Chairman, that a nara- praph more replete with willful errors was never, in so few words, uttered. The volun teer who fi i st made the charge in Mexico had not access to the records, could not ascertain the facts, and therefore, on the impulse of the moment, and under undue excitement, and from false information, he did that which I doubt not he will deeply regret when he learns the truth. But what palliation. J of the of fence can be found for the gentleman from Pennsylvania ? All the facts were within his reach, many of the circumstances should have been within his own knowledge, and yet, to wilify a d istinguished political oppo nent, he resorts to the most monstrous misrep resentationsi That gentleman could not fail to remember the return of Colonel Baker, of -Illinois, from Mexico to this Hall, on the 28th of December, 1846, for it was rendered mem orable by many of the accompanying circum stances, and exhibited a ssene which we all hope never to witness again. : Colonel, Ba ker claimed the privilege of addressing the House; and after some objections were ob viated, preceeded, and told some unpalatable truths, In his remarks, he said he had been deputed to come here f to effect aj change of the system for supplying clothing to the vol unteers; and stated, that of the "twenty -six, regiments of volunteers who had been sent to Mexicb, there were but two or three who were possessed of decent clothing for the cam paign, (and urged, in the most impressive and imploring manner, the adoption of a resolu tion he proposed for thai purpose.1 On the 26th July, 1847, Lieutenant Mc Williams, Second Pennsylvania Volunteers, saySjina letter forwarded to the War Depart ment : " As regards clothing, I would pre fer the clothing instead of the commutation thereof." On the 14th of August, 1847, Lieutenant Ankrim, First Pennsylvania Volunteers, in speaking of the want of clothing, says : - i u The dissatisfaction has been on the in- ' - -4 ' . - . crease tor two weeks past, during which time , several deserted, and others have manifested a disposition to follow their example." Andiagain, December 11, 1847 : ; " I cannot see the propriety of withholding clothing from our service." - Captain Scott. First Pennsylvania Volun teers, says, November 23, 1847 : : " Some of the recruits come here in a tru ly destitute condition. One of those received this morning had but one shirt, and no shoes. When Congress meets, cannot provision, bo made to supply the volunteer recruits with clothing as the regulars are supplied ?" jx joini application vvas also made oy otn cers of the two Pennsylvania regiments of volunteers for the same allowance of clothing as regulars receive. - - - ; I have also extracts from letters received at the War Department, and written by Lieut enant Ash'ey, Lieutenant Gardner, Lieuten ant' GinWy, and Captain Carrinston. of the Virginia Volunteers, Colonel Walbach, com manding depot for Virginia volunteers, and Colonel; Morgan, late superintendent of the recruiting service all urging the department ' to press the matter through Congress as speed ily as possible, as the volunteers were actual- f ly suffering, and the service in , consequence, was much injured. ;. . . f i In compliance, with these solicitations, the Adjutant General,1 from the purest and no blest motiyes; "suggested 4he -measure to the War EjHepartmeat, and th;Saeretary of War recomiiaended it in this strong language; a I respectfully, repeat the recommends tion in my last annual report, on the -subject of clothing in kind foe volunteers, in lieu of the miney which is at present paid to them as a commutation. The experience of the nast vip.nr has shown the necessity, for this change. The clothing provided by the vol unteer themselves, both in kind and quality, is generally unsuited for the service, and of ten proves to be deficient in quality, f Serv ing in an enemy's country, and at a distance from the ordinary sources of supply,- it can seldom; be replaced when lost or worn out, and always at an exorbitant price. Much of the suffering which has been experienced by these troops may be attributed to the want of proper clothing. If authority were ' given to supply the volunteers in the manner provided for the regular troops, it is beleived they would be belter clothed, (and at less cost themselves and to the government, than by the present mode. It is understood, that it such provision is made, the arrangements of the -quartermaster's department are such, in relation to supplying clothing,' that it can. readily furnish a supply to the volanteers." (See Ex. Doc. No. I, p. 66.) Thej War Department having adopted the suggej ions made by the Adjutant Genera!, prepared and sent to the Military; Corumitte p I Se,e Fourth rage j - 3 I I -
North Carolina Republican (Goldsboro, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Aug. 9, 1848, edition 1
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