Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856.

218 ABRIDGMENT OF THE SENATE.] Removal of the Deposits. [JANUARY, 1834. as much above law as the President is above the Treasury, although a Catholic and a federalist, Secretary. would be found to maintain his station in the The President is on trial for a misdemeanor- first rank of American gentlemen and Amerifor dismissing his Secretary without sufficient can patriots. cause. To this accusation there are ready Mr. B. took up the serious charges against answers: first, that the President may dismiss the Secretary, that of being the mere instruhis Secretaries without cause; secondly, that ment of the President in removing the deposits, the Senate has no cognizance of the case; and violating the constitution and laws of the thirdly, that the Senate cannot assume to know land. How far he was this mere instrument, for what cause the Secretary in question was making up his mind in three days to do what dismissed. others would not do at all, might be judged by The Secretary of the Treasury is on trial. In every person who would refer to the opposition order to get at the President, it was found papers for the division in the cabinet about the necessary to get at a gentleman who had no removal of the deposits, and which constantly voice on this floor. It had been found neces- classed Mr. Taney, then the Attorney-General, sary to assail the Secretary of the Treasury in a on the side of removal. This classification was manner heretofore unexampled in the history correct, and notorious, and ought to exempt of the Senate. I-is religion, his politics, his an honorable man, if any thing could exempt veracity, his understanding, his Missouri re- him, from the imputation of being a mere instriction vote, had all been arraigned. Mr. B. strument in a great transaction of which he said he would leave his religion to the Consti- was a prime counsellor. The fact is, he had tution of the United States, Catholic as he was, long since, in his character of legal adviser to and although " the Presbyterian might cut off the President, advised the removal of these dehis head the first time he went to mass." His posits; and when suddenly and unexpectedly understanding he would leave to himself. The called upon to take the office which would make head which could throw the paper which was it his duty to act upon his own advice, he actaken for a stone on this floor; but which was, cepted it from the single sense of honor and in fact, a double-headed chain shot fired from duty, and that he might not seem to desert the a forty-eight pounder, carrying sails, masts, President in flinching from the performance of rigging, all before it, was the head that could what he had recommended. Hlis personal honor take care of itself. His veracity would be was clean; his personal conduct magnanimous; adjourned to the trial which was to take place his official deeds would abide the test of law for misquoting a letter of Secretary Crawford, and truth. and he had no doubt would end as the charge Mr. B. said he would make short work of *did for suppressing a letter which was printed long accusations, and demolish in three minutes in extenso among our documents, and withhold- what had been concocting for three months, and ing the name and compensation of an agent, delivering for three days in the Senate. He when that name and the fact of no comlpensa- would call the attention of the Senate to certion was lying on tile table. The Secretary of tain clauses of law, and certain treasury inthe Treasury was arraigned for some incidental structions, which had been left out of view, but vote on the Missouri restriction, when he was which were decisive of the accusation against a member of the Maryland Legislature. Mr. the Secretary. The first was the clause in the B. did not know what that vote was; but he bank charter which invested the Secretary with did know that a certain gentleman, who lately the power of transferring the public funds from stood in the relation of sergeant to another gen- place to place. It was the 15th section of the tleman, in a certain high election, was the charter; lie would read it. It enacted that leader of the forces which deforced Missouri whenever required by the Secretary of the of her place in the Union for the entire session Treasury, the bank should give the necessary which he first attended (not served) in the Con- facilities for transferring, the public funds from gress of the United States. His politics could place to place, within the United States, or ternot be severely tried in the time of the alien ritories thereof; and for distributing the same and sedition law, when he was scarce of alge, in payment of the public creditors, &c. but were well tried during the late war, when Here is authority to the Secretary to transfer he sided with his country, and received the the public moneys from place to place, limited constant denunciations of that great organ of only by the bounds of the United States and federalism —the Federal Republican newspaper. its territories; and this clause of three lines of For the rest, Mr. B. admitted that the Secre- law puts to flight all the nonsense about the tary had voted for the elder Adams to be United States Bank being the treasury, and the President of the United States; but denied the Treasurer beingr the keeper of the public monright of certain persons to make that an objec- eys, with which some politicians and newstion to him. Mr. B. dismissed these personal paper writers have been worrying their brains charges for the present, and would adjourn for the last three months. In virtue of this their consideration until his trial came on, for clause, the Secretary of the Treasury gave cerwhich the Senator fromt Kentucky, (Mr. CLAY,) tain transfer drafts to the amount of two milstood pledged; and after the trial was over, he lions and a quarter; and his legal right to give had no doubt but that the Secretary of the the draft was just as clear, under this clause of

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Title: Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856.
Author: United States. Congress.
Canvas: Page 218
Publication: New York, [etc.]: D. Appleton and company [etc.]; 1857-61.
Subject terms: United States -- Politics and government

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Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856.

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