4007 H. OF R.] GALES & SEATON'S REGISTER The General Appropriation Bill. 4 [MAY 9, Mr. C. P. WHITE referred to and quoted the act au- NAYS--Messrs. John Quincy Adams, John A thorizing the Commissioners of the Navy to institute a Archer, Ashley, Baylies, Beale, Beardsley, Bodle, Br board of officers, whose duty it was to report such rules Brown, Bynum, Cambreleng, Chinn, Samuel Clark, and regulations as, when sanctioned by the President of Coffee, Day, Dickerson, W. K. Fuller, Galbraith, ( the United States, should be considered obligatory. Gilmer, Gorham, Joseph Hall, Thomas H. Hall, H He said that, the report having been presented, the Com- Hardin, Joseph M. Harper, Hathaway, Hawkins, H mittee on Naval Affairs were not even willing to recom- Hubbard, Abel Huntington, Noadiah Johnson, Cave mend these rules, until the officers should have given son, Kavanagh, Lansing, Luke Lea, Thomas Lee, Le their views upon them. When the report was originally Loyall, Joel K. Mann, Martindale, Moses Mason, M presented, the usual number of copies was ordered to McKim, McLene, McVean, Miller, Robert Mitchell, be printed. This extra number they deemed necessary; and as the number was so limited, giving only two copies to each member, he trusted there would not be any objection to it. The resolution was then agreed to. WEST POINT ACADEMY. The resolution submitted yesterday by Mr. GAMBLE, in relation to the West Point Academy, calling on the Secretary of War for information as to the number of cadets, &c., was taken up and modified; and the question being put on its adoption Mr. CONNOR inquired if the information called for was not already called for by a resolution submitted by the member from Kentucky [Mr. HAWES.] The SPEAKER having ascerta ned that it was- KENTUCKY ELECTION. Mr. BANKS, on the part of the minority, from the Committee of Elections, presented a counter-report to that presented by the majority, in the case of Mr. MoORE and Mr. LETCHER, which he moved to have printed, and its further consideration postponed until Tuesday next. Mr. POLK asked the unanimous consent of the House to take up THE APPROPRIATION BILL. Mr. POLK moved a suspension of the rule. nays. The House refused to order them, and agreed to sus pend the rule. The question pending, from yesterday, being on the following clause of the amendment submitted by Mr. VANCE, Viz: "In no case shall the compensation by salary, fees, or otherwise, be permitted to exceed: of a collector, $3,000 per annum; of surveyors and naval officers, $2,500 per annum; and of weighers, gaugers, markers, appraisers, and all others connected with the collection of the customs, $2,000 per annum.' phy, Osgood, Page, Parker, Patterson, Pierson, Mr. VANCE thereupon, as he had previously i ted, withdrew all the other clauses in the amen proposed by him. Mr. WHITE, of Florida, moved the insertion in the Committee of the Whole, and there dis following amendments, which had been proposed b Mr. WHITE said that, by an act passed in 1828 gress imposed on all the judges in the Territory th formance of duties previously performed by a bo commissioners at a very heavy expense, of 12,000 per annum: and for this extra service they were ceive a compensation of 800 dollars per annum. Committee of Ways and Means not having made sion for the judges of the middle and western distri last year, the object of his amendment was to pay for whom no appropriation had been made. The he said, would find, on reference to the terms of that they were as much entitled to the compensati was imperative on them to perform the duties u Mr. W. referred to the act, and went into a leng statement of their duties, &c., which he maintai titled them to the compensation he proposed to b to them. Mr. POLK, in explanation, said the Commi Ways and Means had not recommended the app Mr. VANCE said that, as the question had been amply tion last year, not being entirely satisfied that they discussed, he would now ask that it be decided by yeas to have done so. They were influenced in with and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered, and resulted it in consequence of some obscurity in the terms as follows: act of 1828, which, it would appear, was based, YEAS--Messrs. Heman Allen, John J. Allen, Chilton on the act of 1824, granting compensation for Allan, William Allen, Banks, Barringer, Beaty, Beau- duties to the judges in Missouri, (where there mont, Binney, Bull, Bunch, Burd, Burges, Casey, Cham- two,) for the settlement of land claims. Mr. P. bers, Chilton, William Clark, Clayton, Clowney, Connor, clauses in the act, and said that it was only du Corwin, Coulter, Crane, Warren R. Davis, Deberry, De- judges in Florida to state that they had the st ming, Denny, Dickson, D.W. Dickinson, Duncan, Evans, testimonials as to the nature of the duties, &c., H. Everett, Ewing, Fillmore, Forester, Foster, Fulton, district attorney general, the grand jury, and Gamble, Gholson, Grennell, Griffin, Hiland Hall, Hamer, (which were read,) sustaining their claims to Hard, James Harper, Harrison, Hazeltine, Hiester, J. W. pensation. He said that he might also add fur Huntington, Jackson, Jarvis, S. Jones, King, Kinnard, explanation, that the salaries paid the judges in Lane, Laporte, Lincoln, Love, Lucas, Mardis, Mc- were inadequate to the expenses of living there. Comas, McKennan, Moore, Potts, Ramsay, Reed, Ren- were in the Territory four judges, three of wh cher, Aug. H. Shepperd, William Slade, Charles Slade, $1,500 per annum--one $2,000. Sloane, Spangler, Stewart, William P. Taylor, Tompkins, The difficulty for the House to decide was, James Turner, Tweedy, Vance, Wagener, Webster, by the terms of the act, all the district judges, Frederick Whittlesey, Elisha Whittlesey, Wilde, Wil- ployed in the discharge of the duties imposed by liams, Young--85. entitled to their salaries? If the House were of MAY 9, 1834.] The General Appropriation Bill. [H. OF R. that each of the judges was bound to act, then the this Government, should constitute the standard by which House were bound to make the appropriation. It did not the fees of custom-house officers shall hereafter be reguappear that more than two of them had heavy duties to lated! The House might just as well ascertain by the perform; and he presumed, if the Delegate from Florida Blue Book what they received during the last year, and could satisfy the House that the duties imposed on these fix their salaries at once at that amount. Who does not caused them additional trouble, their decision would turn perceive that such a proposition is tantamount to the upon this fact. establishment of fixed salaries to officers whose pay, here The amendment was opposed by Messrs. MCKAY and GAMBLE, in the form in which it was at first offered. Mr. WHITE, of Florida, went into an explanation of tofore, depended upon the nature and extent of their serthe duties performed by the Territorial judges, and vices; and, what is worse, just at a time when those sermaintained that, as the law had enjoined upon them all vices were about to be greatly diminished? A more certain duties, for which a certain compensation was to be ingenious device to enlarge salaries, when we are endeav given them, there could not be any discrimination or oring to reduce them, could not possibly be conceived. selection, as to the persons entitled to receive the com We were called upon to take the receipt of customs for pensation, so long as there were any causes remaining for the year 1833, being the greatest ever known; and whethem to decide. ther officers performed any duties or not, they are to be He might here state that he had seen the Secretary of paid according to their wages received in that year! Let the Treasury on the previous evening, who had informed us further examine into the monstrous character of such him that he had lately received such information from the a proposition. By the act commonly called the comprojudges themselves; that he (the Secretary) said that he mise act, a great many articles are rendered duty free, would send a statement recommending the appropriation and consequently all those classes of services belonging to be made. It had not, however, been sent, as he ex- to weighers, gaugers, markers, measurers, and such as pected it would have been, this morning. The judges receive a per centage upon the amount of duties, will be had not completed the duties required under the act; evidently and notoriously reduced. Yet these persons and, as they were bound to perform them, they were are to receive the same compensation which accrued to entitled to the compensation. He could testify, so far as them in the great business year of 1833, though their his own experience went, that the expenses of living were labor has ceased. Take an illustration. Teas are now duty so great that no judge in the Territory could support free, and consequently the necessity for weighing them is at the station to which he was appointed, on the salary an end; but a public weigher, under the amendment prohe received. posed, has nothing to do but to ascertain the amount of that immense article of importation, for the year 1833, and receive his fees for weighing, though not a single pound has passed through his hands. But, Mr. C. said, he had another and a higher reason for his opposition to the amen iment. It will be recollected that a committee had been raised for the purpose of investigating the necessity of equalizing and reducing the expenses of the Government, as well as to abolish unnecessary offices. The committee had entered upon that duty, and, as a member of it, he had lately acquired some important facts, which he would submit to the House, to show the propriety of abstaining from legislation on the matters referred to that committee, until the House could be furnished with all the information in the pursuit of which they had been despatched. He said, in his visit to New York, against which, as he had understood, some complaint had been made, he had not been unmindful of the trust committed to him by the House; and, while there, instituted an inquiry into the affairs of the custom-house, being the most important in the Union. He found these facts, Mr. S. said that this amendment had been suggested by which he would submit to the House, with this qualificathe Treasury Department, and was only the transcript of tion, that there might be some slight variation in the sums, a similar clause in the bill of last session. Unless it should as the present results were acquired under a hasty enube adopted, the collector of Philadelphia would be $3,900 meration. In the year 1828, the cost to the Government out of pocket. He insisted on the policy of giving these for the collection of its revenue at the port of the city of officers a full compensation. Mr. WHITE thereupon modified his amendment so as to make the extra compensation only retrospective; leaving the year 1834 to be provided for in the bill of next session--in which form it was agreed to. Mr. SUTHERLAND now moved to amend the bill by adding the following as a third section: "Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby, authorized to pay to the collectors, naval officers, surveyors, clerks, gaugers, weighers, provers, markers, and measurers, of the several ports of the United States, out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, such sums as will give to the said officers, respectively, the same com pensation in the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty-three, according to the importations of that year, as they would have been entitled to receive if the act of the fourteenth July, eighteen hundred and thirty-two, had not gone into effect." Mr. CLAYTON observed that he should be opposed to the amendment, and he hoped he should have it in his power to show, before he closed his remarks, by the exhibition of certain facts which he was able to procure in a late short visit to the city of New York, that the House will act very unadvisedly if they legislate at present on the subject of the amendment. [Here Mr. SUTHERLAND asked to explain the object of his amendment, which he did by a speech of some length; at the close of which Mr. CLAYTON continued.] New York was about $130,000; last year it was $370,000; an increase of two hundred and forty thousand dollars. In the former year, the stationary account was about $3,000; now it is $8,000. 13 weighers, 12 measurers, 4 markers, 120 66 8 14 13 9 32 Mr. C. said he thought the House ought to be well satisfied with the gentleman's explanation, for it related to matters and things in general, and doubtless included It will be perceived that there is a most extraordinary every dispute which had taken place in the House for the increase of expense and of officers; and we are to'd that last three days; but it did not convince him that the it is justified by the very great increase of business at that proposition was either wise or just. What does it amount port. This may be; but in order to satisfy this House of to' That the duties received upon the importations of the truth and soundness of such a justification, it is the 833, decidedly the largest that have ever accrued under intention of the committee to procure from the Treasury སྙ H. OF R.] The General Appropriation Bill. [MAY 9, 1834. He Department a tabular statement of the amount of duties vinced that the officers there employed could not be disreceived in each year, or quarter of the year, from 1828 pensed with. He had never seen in his life individuals to this time; and therefore these facts are now submitted more busily employed. Gentlemen appeared to suppose merely to warn the House of the danger of proceeding that, because the rate of duties had been lessened, there further in a course of legislation in which they must obvi- was less employment for custom house-officers. ously grope their way in the dark. They are well aware would inform those gentlemen that every thing required that the compromise act has made, and is making, a ma- before to be done was necessary now. In fact, some terial revolution in the receipt of customs, and as materi- portion of employment was greatly increased. The abally affecting the services of very many of the officers struse mode of calculating duties required by the comconnected with the collection of imposts. Of this they promise law was calculated sometimes to puzzle even an have just been apprized by a letter from the Secretary of expert accountant. The gentleman from Ohio [Mr. the Treasury, transmitted to the Committee of Ways and VANCE] had alluded to his remark, that the high tariff of Means; so that the subject of the amendment on the table 1828 had increased the propensity for smuggling. This is now before two of your committees--one general, and was notoriously the fact, and rendered more officers esthe other special; and yet you are about to sweep the sential to the protection of the revenue; and one of the matter from under them without one particle of informa- most unfortunate consequences of the system of high dution upon which you can found any thing like safe legis-ties is, that when men, under the temptation of fifty per cent., have been induced to smuggle, they will not leave lation. Mr. C. wished to be understood that he gave no opin-it off when duties are reduced to twenty-five per cent. ion on the merits of the proposition--he did not wish to It must also be remembered that the trade of New York prejudge them; for on another occasion, and in another had nearly doubled since 1828. It had swallowed up that place, they might be sufficiently just to deserve respect: of many other places, and, it might be said, of almost all he only wished to exclude the subject from a common other places in the United States. That a large increase appropriation law, designed for other purposes, and of officers, under these circumstances, was necessary, where, if once lodged, it might be placed beyond the was not a matter of surprise. power of future control. Mr. BROWN said, the amendment offered by the gen Mr. HUNTINGTON, of Connecticut, opposed the tleman from Ohio [Mr. VANCE] proposes to strike from amendment, the true effects of which he stated to be, to existence one hundred and twenty-one of the officers emgive men salaries for duties they had no longer to perform. ployed in the collection of the revenue in the city of New Mr. SUTHERLAND modified his amendment, so as to York. As one of the delegation from that State, he could confine it to collectors, naval officers, and surveyors. not feel indifferent to the fate of this extraordinary propMr. GORHAM said that this modification had removed [osition; and unwilling as he was to occupy the attention his chief objection to the amendment, which was, in- of the House, he must be permitted to make a few obser creasing the salaries of men appointed, not by the Presi-vations upon the subject. Gentlemen seem to argue this dent and Senate, but by the collector only. Mr. HARPER stated some facts, showing abuses which existed in the custom-house at Philadelphia; but had less objection to the amendment as now modified. question as if the revenue officers and the Government alone were interested in its decision. He begged to currect this impression, if he was right in supposing such existed in the minds of honorable members. There was Mr. SELDEN supported the amendment. He thought another class whose interests might be prejudiced by the the great want of reformation had respect to the inferior event; that class was the merchants; those concerned in officers; the naval officer, in particular, might be dispen- the vast commerce of the city, which led them to transsed with altogether. act business with the custom-house. What information is there before Congress that the officers employed in that branch of the public service were too numerous? Mr. VANCE now offered an amendment to the amend- Were there more than the public interest and convenience ment before the House, directing the collector in New required? None whatever, sir. The facts communicated York to dismiss a long list of officers in the custom-house by the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. CLAYTON] do not there, including 1 deputy collecter, 1 assistant cashier, touch the question. He would, at a proper time, and 20 clerks, 4 assistant appraisers, 31 night-watches, &c. upon a proper occasion, go with gentlemen in any reasonamounting in all to 121. He briefly advocated this able effort to reduce the number of revenue officers, or the salaries of revenue officers, whenever such reduction Mr. JARVIS opposed the amendment, and commented on the high salaries of custom-house officers. amendment. Mr. CAMBRELENG said he must be permitted to say can be made without injury to the public service, or dithis was an extraordinary mode of proceeding upon a minishing the facilities for the transaction of commercial subject which required so careful an examination of facts. business. What particular reason exists for the applica The gentleman from Georgia [Mr. CLAYTON] had referred tion of this proposition to the city of New York alone, to the increase of officers at New York. He hoped that the House had not been informed, nor could he conjecgentleman would do the collector the justice to ascertain the number of vessels which entered and cleared at that port; examine into the amount of the revenue collected, and satisfy himself whether it was collected so economically at any other port of the United States. He was entirely willing to support any well-digested and practicable arrangement of these offices. The amendment, as it had been originally moved, was the same as was proposed at the last session by the then chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means a gentleman who resided in the city of New York, and who had also drawn the report in favor of the United States Bank. Mr. PARKER said the amendment to the amendment did not go far enough. It only proposed to dismiss a part of the custom-house officers. It should have gone to dismiss the whole. He had frequently had occasion to go to the custom-house in New York. He was entirely con ture. Gentlemen were sometimes inclined to find fault with New York politics and New York influence; but he hardly expected, while the general appropriation bril was under consideration, that the number of her citizens engaged in the collection of the revenue should be made the special subject of animadversion. New York has much to be proud of besides her well-spread commerce, which it might not become her representatives to enumerate here. And she had as little to fear from the most searching scrutiny into her political affairs on any other branch of her public concerns, as any other portion of the Union. He hoped gentlemen might have an oppor tunity to see her as she really was; and when they felt inclined to speak of the number of officers employed within her limits in the preservation and collection of the revenue, he begged they would not forget her commerce, and the vast amount of revenue she brought yearly into e MAY 9, 1834.] The General Appropriation Bill. [H. of R. the public treasury. The gentleman from Connecticut gislative department of Government, by requesting, from [Mr. HUNTINGTON] seemed to think that the extent of certain sources, a statement of expenses in different service rendered in carrying into effect the revenue laws, branches-it was whispered immediately that an inquiry and the collection of the impost duties, depended upon into the expense of paper, pens, and wafers, was a "small the amount realized by the Government; and that the business." Members may sit here in this chamber and operation of the last tariff law has taken away the neces-shoot away wafers for amusement the live-long day, and sity for the same number of custom-house officers. This if a correction of such an undignified sport should be atopinion, he apprehended, was not true, to the extent tempted, it would doubtless be called a "small business,' which the gentleman seemed to suppose; and the observa- never once dreaming that the act itself is a very little aftions of his colleague [Mr. CAMBRELENG] were so full fair. If we go to the custom houses, we are met directly and satisfactory that he would not trouble the House with the cry of "small business;" if you seek to apporfurther with that branch of the subject. tion the expenses to the services, or the officers to the laAlthough, as a general rule, he was opposed to legisla- bor. If we should knock at the Post Office, that instituting upon officers or salaries in an appropriation bill, tion which hardly hangs together by reason of its wastefurther than to provide means for the payment of those ful debaucheries, we should be told researches here for already created, still, rather than leave collectors, sur-the purpose of scaling down the number of clerks, or veyors, and naval officers without an adequate compensa- their salaries, will be a very "small business." Indeed, tion, he would so far depart from this rule as to vote for the amendment making provision for that purpose. Mr. PEARCE, of Rhode Island, spoke in opposition to the motion, and in reply to Messrs. VANCE and CLAY where can we go to escape this reproachful term? No, sir, there is devolved upon the committee a trust of fearful responsibility; and they owe it to themselves, as well as to the country, not to shrink from their duty; not to be shamed out of a service than which nothing is better calMr. VANCE said, as the House was impatient for the culated to promote the public interest, or the purity and question, and as the gentleman from New York [Mr. duration of the Government. For one, he said, he was CAMBRELENG] did not wish his amendment to be encum-determined to persevere, and, in the language of a celebered, he would withdraw his motion. brated Tennessean, to stand up to his rack; and, he be TON. Mr. FILLMORE, being solicitous, as he said, that this lieved, it was equally the intention of the rest of the comamendment should not be considered as inconsistent with mittee to do the same thing. It has been said, nothing the clause adopted on motion of the member from Ohio, can be done in this House, but that New York must be [Mr. VANCE,] moved to amend the amendment by add-attacked. Mr. C. said he disclaimed all such views. He ing to it the provision, that in no case should the com- could not, under any circumstances, be induced to be pensation of a collector exceed three thousand dollars, guided by such a narrow policy. He was quite sure that nor that of a surveyor and naval officer twenty-five hun- such a course from him would be signally illiberal, for he dred dollars each. had lately received the most pleasing proof that no one deserved it less than the inhabitants of the city of New York, from whom he had received the most generous and hospitable treatment. He appealed to the candor of the House, and the sincerity of the gentleman himself, to say, Mr. CLAYTON again rose and remarked, that though whether any thing in his remarks had tended to impugn several amendments had been submitted and withdrawn, the conduct of the officers of the custom-house, or to reyet they had given rise to very many insinuations that flect upon the character of the people of New York. He could not possibly follow them, and he felt it his duty to had sought and derived his facts from that city, because reply to them. The gentleman from New York [Mr.it was the most important point, being the great centre of CAMBRELENG] had said, in substance, that the inquiry commerce, and, it seemed to him, the most appropriate made concerning the condition of the custom-house at New York was a small business. Mr. SUTHERLAND accepted the amendment as a modification, in order to prevent further delay, declaring, at the same time, that he was opposed to the reduction of the emoluments of those officers. [Mr. CAMBRELENG here rose to explain that he did not say the inquiry into the affairs of the custom-house was a small business; but as to the number of clerks, and their compensation, he did consider it a very little matter.] place to begin the inquiry, seeing we must begin somewhere; and he merely adduced them now to show that the subject under consideration had better be postponed until a full investigation should furnish the House with the proper materials for action. He wished it to be distinctly understood that he intended to enter into this examinaMr. C. resumed, by saying that the question was tion with no partial or illiberal views; that party consider fast becoming one of little consequence, by the unneces-ations should form no part of the principle by which he sary interference of the gentleman, and the very little un- would be actuated, being resolved that the benefit of the derstanding which he manifested concerning its true country, and the whole country, should alone direct his character. His remarks, he said, related to the entire sub- every movement. He had requested one of his colleagues ject of retrenchment; and that branch, connected with the on the committee to withdraw his amendment, because collection of the customs, had furnished the first opportu- it seemed to be partial in its effects, and partook of the nity of illustrating the necessity of a full investigation of the nature of his other objection to the original amendment, charge confided to the committee of which he was the which was, that the appropriation law was not the proper chairman; not by scraps of legislation in this and in that stock upon which to ingraft the abolition of offices, or the law, but that it should be reduced to a system, embracing reduction of salaries. If the House is honest in its desire every expenditure of Government, in every department, to retrench the expenses of Government, and the comand to be carried out in one complete general law. This mittee be faithful in the supply of the proper occasions is not the first time he had heard that the object of the for such a commendable service, they will have a fair opCommittee of Retrenchment was a small affair, and he portunity to gratify their wishes. But if, in every law had no doubt that an attempt would be made to accom- which comes before the House, where appropriations are plish, by sneers and taunts, that which fair argument dare to be made, you gradually undermine the committee of not essay. It was in the mouth of every body, that some-its jurisdiction, by settling the different subjects properly thing ought to be done; that the extravagance of expenditure and the abuse of office were such as to cry aloud for thorough redress; and yet, begin where we may, we shall meet with the cry of "small business." There had been commenced an inquiry into the abuses of the Le belonging to their inquiry, and placing them beyond their reach, by final enactments, you had better at once discharge them from their commission, and let the people know it was all a pretence--nothing but a sham. There is one other reason why this subject should be 4015 H. OF R.] GALES & SEATON'S REGISTER The General Appropriation Bill. Mr. WILLIAMS briefly replied. 401 [MAY 9, 183 The yeas and nays were taken on this amendment, a decided as follows: Yeas 68, nays 122. Mr. JARVIS moved to reconsider the vote in favor a part of Mr. VANCE's amendment, on the subject of t salaries of custom-house officers. Mr. HUNTINGTON demanded the yeas and na which were ordered. Mr. ADAMS was in favor of reconsidering, but, w ing to express his views on the subject, and to offer so other amendments, particularly one in reference to B The House refused to adjourn. The yeas and nays were taken on the motion to red sider, and decided as follows: dropped for the present. The amendment contemplates a provision for that branch of the revenue collection un- Mr. FOSTER went, with warmth, into an expression der the care of the naval officer. Now this service can, his views, declaring his apprehensions that no nominati and ought to be dispensed with--it is a wholly useless ex-would be made to the Senate; and his determination pense. It is a creation in the system, founded upon er-support the constitutional rights of that body. roneous principles, and supposes a want of honesty in the collector, which, as a high and honorable officer, ought not to be indulged. His duty I understand to be this, and, if I am wrong, I beg to be corrected: that he serves as a check upon the collector. When a merchant settles an account with the collector, he is bound to carry it to the naval officer, and he makes an entry of it in his books, and this serves to show what has been received by the collector. Now all this is unnecessary, and, as stated before, proceeds upon the suspicion that the collector is, or may be, a dishonest man; not reflecting that a naval offi-nos Ayres, moved an adjournment. cer may be the same thing, and that the inducement which could be of sufficient influence to affect the virtue of one man could be as readily applied to two. The truth is, the bond and oath of so high an officer ought to be suffi YEAS. Messrs. John Q. Adams, John Adams, cient, and relied upon alone; and we are paying too high liam Allen, Baylies, Beale, Bean, Beardsley, B a premium for his faithful conduct when we create an of- Bockee, Bodle, Briggs, Brown, Bunch, Burns, Byn ficer, with his expensive retinue, merely to watch him. Cage, Cambreleng, Chinn, Samuel Clark, Clay, Cot It is a little curious to observe the consequences of es- Day, P. Dickerson, Fowler, William K. Fuller, Gi tablishing one of these high offices in any of the depart- Graham, Thomas H. Hall, Halsey, Hannegan, Hard, ments-such as a bureau, an auditor, a chief clerk, &c. din, Joseph M. Harper, Hathaway, Hawkins, How He draws around him, immediately, all the state and Hubbard, Abel Huntington, Jarvis, Richard M. John pomp of a departmental appointment. It is a wheel with- Noadiah Johnson, Cave Johnson, Benjamin Jones, k in a wheel; a machinery, or contrivance, that has almost nagh, Kinnard, Lane, Lansing, Luke Lea, Thomas the appearance of standing out to itself: you scarcely per- Leavitt, Loyall, Joel K. Mann, Martindale, Moses Ma ceive where it touches any other moving power. They McIntire, McKim, McLene, McVean, Murphy, Osg have their deputies, their chief clerks, their private clerks, Page, Parks, Parker, Patton, D. J. Pearce, Fra their messengers, doorkeepers, and, in some instances, Pierce, Pierson, Pinckney, Plummer, Polk, Schley, their deputy doorkeepers, with all the lit le kingly pow-den, Shinn, William Slade, Speight, Standefer, Su ers of patronage, attended with the right of appointment land, William Taylor, Thomson, Turrill, Vander without merit, and removal without cause. Now this Van Houten, Ward, Wardwell, Wayne, Whallon, very naval officer has all this. Upon examining the Blue --80. Book, you will find his own salary at $3,000; his deputy NAYS. Messrs. Heman Allen, John J. Allen, C at $1,000, his clerk at $800, his private secretary at $80; Allan, Anthony, Banks, Barber, Barringer, Bates, B and, I have no doubt, he has a messenger, or servant, at Beaumont, James M. Bell, Binney, Boon, Bull, 1 some other considerable sum, making an expense of some- Casey, Chambers, Chaney, Chilton, William C thing like $6,000, in this single port, for watching the Clayton, Clowney, Connor, Corwin, Coulter, Crane, collector. Besides, if report be true, (and it is mentioned lington, Warren R. Davis, Amos Davis, Daven by no means as being authentic, but, having heard it, it is Deberry, Deming, Denny, Dickson, Dickinson, Du due to those concerned to refute it if false,) the mer- Evans, H. Everett, Ewing, Felder, Forester, F chants, in their settlements with the collector, do not al- Philo C. Fuller, Gamble, Garland, Grennell, Hiland ways carry their accounts to the naval officer to be check- James Harper, Harrison, Hawes, Hazeltine, Hende ed; in that case, he sends his clerk, at the end of the Hiester, Jabez W. Huntington, Jackson, William quarter, to copy the entries from the collector's books Johnson, Laporte, Lay, Lincoln, Love, Lyon, Mar into his own, and thus they are made to correspond. If Mardis, McCarty, McKay, McKennan, Miller, Mill this be false, it ought to be shown; if true, it is infamous, Robert Mitchell, Moore, Peyton, Pope, Potts, Ra and demands that the office should be instantly abolished. Reed, Rencher, William B. Shepard, Augustine II. 9 Mr. HUNTINGTON called for the yeas and nays on perl, Charles Slade, Smith, Spangler, Stewart, W the question, and they were ordered. P. Taylor, Philemon Thomas, Tompkins, Turner, 1 The question being taken, it was decided in the nega-dy, Vance, Wagener, Watmough, Webster, Elisha tive: Yeas 74, nays 117. tlesey, Wilde, Young.-94. So the amendment was rejected. Mr. DAVIS, of South Carolina, thereupon mov On motion of Mr. POLK, the word "custom-house" the House the same proviso he had offered in comm (at Baltimore) was changed to "warehouse," and the in relation to the appropriation for the missions to appropriation of $850 for watchmen at the War Depart-Britain and Russia, as follows: ment was augmented to $1,250. "Provided that so much of the sums herein app Mr. ADAMS now renewed the motion which had been ated as is for the payment of the salaries of the minist made in committee, by Mr. Foor, to strike out the words "Great Britain" and "Russia" from the appropriation for salaries of foreign ministers; and accompanied his motion by a statement of the grounds on which he opposed it. Mr. WAYNE briefly replied. Great Britain and Russia shall not be expended, the appointment of said ministers shall have been with the consent and advice of the Senate; nor sha part of the sum herein appropriated for the cont expenses of all the missions abroad, or for the conti Mr. DAVIS desired the question first to be taken on expenses of foreign intercourse, be expended in th the proviso he had offered in committee, that the nomi-ary or outfit of such minister or ministers, unless nation be made to the Senate; but this was pronounced appointment shall be made during this session c out of order. Mr. BARRINGER explained the reasons why he would not vote for the motion to strike out. gress, by and with the advice and consent of the Se Mr. DAVIS, of South Carolina, supported this a ment by an eloquent speech, in which he urge |