VOLUME 19.
SpecCh of Hon. R. McClelland,
. OF 'MICHIGAN,
In the llonse of Representatives Saturday, July 1,18 , 1 S
with, Crvit and Diplomatic Representatives,
Bill, in re
& to .loci. Stewart, of Pa.
Mr. rIfcCI.III,LAND saidi
Mr. ClittlaNlti% During five years of service in
this IluuSe; I have never yet made a strictly party
speech upon any question, anti would not trespass
now upon the rule I prescribed for myself, had not
the charticter of a dietinguised citizen of my own
State been most violently attacked and traduced.—
The gentleman from Pennsylvania, (Mr. S•rawart - rd
a few days ago, made many charges of a grave char
acter against General Case, and although they are
very loose, and some of them exceedingly trifling,
yet I propose to occupy a short time in discussing
then and similar ones made elsewhere. If my hour
is not wholly consumed in this way, I may notice
other rernarlts made by him and other g'entlernen on
this floor.
Th- G
he most prominent charges ngins., _ten. Cass
is, that whilst Governor of the Terl itory of Mielti
gen, he drew, besides his salary as Go'vernor, enor
mous aryfoutits of extra cOmpensatioe—some making
it, in the aggregate, 5 . :5100,568 91; but the gentle
man front Pennsylvania, with evert disposition to
increase it, has been obliged, by spine . regard for
truth. to reduce it to $60,412. I propose toexam
ine this charge, and believe it is susceptible of the
most satisfactory explanation. One great error
committed by th os e who have endeavored to distort
this matter is, in assuming that each of the three
documents (No. 6, 27th Congress. 3(1 session, and
Nos. 112 and 214, 25th Congre . ss, 3d session) iisii- I
als, referred to, and which contain all the necessa- ,
n information on the subject, relate to and embra- '
ces Zifferent and distinct classes of allowances; and
they are figured out and adroitly woven together so
as to make up the suns arrived at; while the slig lit- ;
est glance and most cursory examination will show, :
dearly and unequivocally, that' the documents are '
reports front the-Secretary of War,- in answer to
t h ree seperate calla of Congress for nearly the same
inforinatiA), and that they embrace, with slight va
riations, pwelsely the same allowances, except that ,'
of the amount contained in document No. 6, is: 4 l'2,-
71:2 is 101 out ot ,
the other two documents. Thus ;
the ninth; of the allowances in document No. 24 I,
.:
and all in (lament. No. ti, except the sum of sl'3,-
71-', are set forth and contained its:document No.
General Cass was Governor of the Territory of
lichigan, and ex ojJicio superintendent of Indian af-
Mars in and for this Territory. An ex officio super-'
use:slew. of Indian Affairs, he discharged his duties '•
olden the limits established by the 'rerritoriiil or
van/talon, which embraced and included only the
holmus and agencies within the penisula of Miclii- '
g..aud the agency nt Green Bay, on the western
shire of Lake 71lichigan. in d‘wurnent No 112, the
accounting officers say, "that as superintendent of '
lisdati alliairs, Governor Case was paid no salary
by the Treasury Department; but lan allowance of
titian hundred dollars per 'annum was made to him
by the S4retary of War, and paid by the Treasure '
Department, ;luring his Ellperintepii ,, icy, to sorer .
his tsp rases of ojfice. rt sit, clerk 'hire, fuel, statiouo
-11, 4.c., and, besides this, ten rations per (14y, equal
to ii:73o per year, were . allowed to lion from the
date of his appointment, in 1813, till the end of 1- ;
S2l.' 'They then'go on to show the cireninsianeea l
under which these allowances were made, quoting
for that purpose a letter to Congress upon the sub-'
Jed. from Mr. Calhoun, the Secretary of War, and I
tar whom they were made, it) which the facts and I
circumstances are fully set forth. - It appears, front ;
this letter, that Geperal Cass not only performed his ;
.appropricate duties of superintendent, hut, in addi
tion, actually executed those of agent for several
tribes'whicli were without tigettts, both an ithin and
without his superintendency. In reference to the
ilium ante, Mr. Calhoun states, (Doc. No. 112, page
1.,) that shortly after General Cass received his ap
t-iintnient, "he made application for a specific sum
to cover the various personal expenses to which he
was liable in the performance of his ditty as super
intendent. Without objecting to the amount which
he thought' necessary for the Rurpose': he was in
funned that a specific amount could not be allowed;
hitt at the - same time it was stated, that on present-
^ . g, his account, what was reasonable would be al- 1
loin ed. The claim, from its nature, could only be 1
alitiFted nn equitable principles, it. being impossible I
to state the items of expense to which situated as he
was. he was exposed from his intercource with the
Indians." The duties which Governor Cass per
fumed as superintendent being similar to those of
(;‘)% croon ('lark, (Governor and soperintendent of
Indian - affairs for the ISlissouria Territory,l "but
more extensive, and in their performance attended
with greater expense, in the adjustment of his nc
meal reference was had to the allowance which
had boon . lmMe to the latter, making snelt additional
alloa /mei: ati the ddl'erence in the tan o cs,..es and a
regard to equity required." Among the !castors
slava by Mr. Calhoun for the allowance was "tile
.Ipaive necessarily attending the intercourse with
the Indiahs at a point to which the is so great a
revert ofindians as Detroit, and where, from the
neighborOcel of the adjoining province of Canada,
it ill ner/tsbary to extend to them greater liberality
and attention thaii at any other place." The case
hal previously been submitted to the President, (Mr.
Nladisots) wild expressed the opinion that General
'Cass "should be remunerated for these additional ex
sews." Notwithstanding all this, the gentleman
from Pennsylvania intimates that these claims were
'elot‘ ed by Mr. Calhoun six years after he was out
t.t office." What he means I cannot conceive, till
le.ts it be to charge Mr. Calhoun with a gross dere
'loom nfsluty. But-the assertion is so devoid dull
reasonableness and plausibility, (without taking in
toii consideration the purity of that distinguis led
imam's character,) that it must be ascribed to he
trench,'fm Per be - lan's distempered imagination, as no man in
f
tisenses would make so unwarrantable-and
disiiig nsous an linputation.
(Mr. Bun! said, by the permiaSion of my friend
frsiii Michigan, I wish to add a Word to the eXpla
-1.,th.11 he has already made. I speak as to the item
of estra allowance made by the Secretary of War
'''snug Mr.,Monroe's administration, and of that
; 11 ;41.s. lam authorized to say, that this item was
aSosed (Insley, that administration, and thus the
gentlemen from Pennsylvania [Mr. Sre.want-] is ut
terly mistakened in supposing that it was allowed
4 illeipiently. The allowance was to remenerate '
6r11631 Cass, as ,Superintendent of Indian Affairs-,
fsr subsistence actually furnished Indians frript a
).iiitalice, %).11%) visited him on official business.7llese
d-inands'n pun him became very heavy and very fre
',lent. It was an expense which he was under no
'Say to bear, and his salary was inadequate to sus
-tarn it. From the very nature of the expenditure,
Tecific vouchers could not be educed or obtained.
l'his s u m was allowed, because it was 'opposed no
more tlian was suficient to cover the actual, expert
onuses, which Mr. Calhoun was satisfied had been
made by General Cass in the course of his official
tiolonportant duties. Sir, I undertake to say, it
aaas a charge as just on the part olGen. Cass, as its
' , sown:ice was honorable and proper on the part of
ir. Calhoun, his reasons are assigned on the ric
.c"lfllt and fully, vindicate the propriety of the allow
ance.] .
Dir. sir, to the narration. The accountit ' s offi
cer state., that "Governor Clark was allowed by law
a salary, ns superintendent, of trt41,600 per annum.
.\ll , l on reference to his accounts, it appears that
tl.e Flllll Paid to him to cover his expenses for office
reat, clerk hire, fuel, stationery, Ike., was about
1 1 00 per annum; which greatly exceeds the' al
,oo-ance to General Cuss for those objects, except
-1: ;1 fur the first seven or eight years of his superin
te44fleSt" Thus the allowance• of 1t1i2,230 from
iktifuer 9th, 1813, to May . 29th, 1822, when it was
reduced to t:4_1,500, and of that amount fram the lat
ttrdste to July 31, 18,31, made by Mr. Calhoun, and
THE I ' SERVER
sanctioned by President Madison, for expense 4 and
expenditures to which General Cass was actually
subjected' in the performance of his official duties as
stmerintdndent of Indian Affairs, and mounting in
all to $33,325, is, by some of his unscrupulous as
sailants and defamers, not only run out for the whole
period at $2, 230 per annum as an "extra allowance
for services incident to the office of Governor," but,
by their peculiar facility at figures, is taken up from
another document, and' made to amount' to a much
largdr sum than that of the ger tlenian from Penn
eylvania. He must be surprised, a l od admire their
fertility of invention, when he finlls it surpasses his
own,
The next item of 'allowance, as shown by the
documents, is $1,500 per annum ftoin 1822 to July
31, 1831, inclusive, amounting to $14,375. This
is the item in regard to which the most infamous
and. groundless charge has been [lade, that Mr.
Calhoun refused to allow it, and that. General Cass
allowed it to himself when he became Secretary of
War. It has already been seen fr t thequotations
from Mr. Calhoun's letter that Genefal Cass actually
performed, besides the duties within ,his territorial
limits, those of agent for Indians for which no agents
were; provided, as well without as - within the boun
daries of his appropriate superintendenCy. lie could
not legally be required to attend to oilier duties than
those strictly pertaining to his legitimate superin
tendency, and within its limits; but so great was
his activity, efficiency, and success in the manage
! meat of Indians, that, under peculiar circumstances
of difficulty and embarrassment in conducting our
Indian relations in that quarter at that time, he was
selected to take chargeol numerous other tribes far
beyond his superintendency, in Ohio, Illinois, and
what is now Wisconsin. Many of those Indians it
was difficult to manage, being diiiatrected towards
onr"Government and citizens, from having been em
ployed against us during the last war with-Great
Britnin, and in consequence of the intrigues of the
agents of the British Government and the Hudson's
Bay Company, who made them large Presents annu
ally, and taught them to look to-their Government
and citizens as friends and protectors,land to ours as
enemies and foes, from whom they had nothing to
expect but injustice and wrong. 4 was only by
the most energetic measures and first and deter
mined per:mind conduct, that on frequent occa-dons
they were prevented from breaking ant into open
hostilities and deluging an exteksive frontier with
the blood of our scattered and defenceless citizens.
On (Mc occasion the Indians abruptly withdrew
from the council with threatening words and ges!
Lures. rind had drawn up in battle'array and hoisted
the Briti,h flag in defiance, tt hen! General at
the imminent peril of his life, neclunpunit4 only by
nn interprerer, went directly among them. trire down
the flag and trampled it limier his feet, nnd told them
that nn such emblem of foreign power should wave
over territory of the United States in his - presence.
This chivalric. act so astounded the Indians and
excited their admiration fur his daring find courage,
as to eh Inge completely the whole tune of their
feeliugs,'and they scion submitted, and entered into,
l'iiendly r e l in ed and satisfactorily arranged their
difficelties. This is only one of the many instances
in which General Cass subjected himself to similar
tisk and danger within same promptness and deter
' Initiation and with boo a,,a 1 .4 • t. a ...
subjETied to great, and various inconveniences, rind
his difficulties and- embarrassments were greatly
increased by his being compelled to take with him
large amounts of money. which, on account of the
had state of the currency,. he Inid to collect and
tram:Port Co Detroit With much danger akd
Any one who will take the trouble to consult the
doemrients referred to. will acknowledge the almost
insurmountable difficulties, he had to encounter, and
I wonder how he eter succeeded as well in the dis
, charge of his dirties. It was customary at the time
to allow two and a half per rect. on all motleys
disbursed under similar circumstances; and though
some sloo,ooo' passed through his hands, (most of
I which lie had at his own coast and expense to trans—
portfrom the interior of Ohio through an unsettled
country of abont two hundred miles,)he never was
I allowed one cent for it, except in what 'the gentle
! man from Pennsylvania'calls extra allowances: l
Under, these circumstances, be considered that
some reasonable allowance shimld be made to him
fur the extra labor and heavy expenses to which, in
various ways, he was subjected, and fur disbursing
this large amount of money, wipe of which duties
I legitimately belonged to him. 'Accordingly, in the
year 1828, he submitted an account fur these e xtra
and extraordinary services, for the seven years end
ing with 1.828, amounting to $14,373 55, being at
the same rate as had been filleted to his predeces
sor (Governor Hull) fur similar sei vices. Without
questioning the justice of the,clnitn, the Secretary.
of War. General P. B. Porter, Submitted it to the
Attorney.
.General, the upright and eminent Mr-
Wirt, fur his opinion, arid Mr. Wirt deciding it fa
vorably. saul:
I understand the farts stated it
ter of the t2lith Nort.mhor to be
1111EIME=
he ret,isted. Ilis salary as goveri
governor, but the services for whi,
belong to his duty as governor of ti
and having been employed by (1,4
then mervices, he has a fair claim
ciplos of a quantum nicruit. Tik
right is undeniable."
Thereupon the Secretary of War allowed Gen
eral Cass $10,500, being at th rate of
. $1,500 per
annum for the period embrace( in - the account, .and
that stun was accordingly pair ~some time prior to
his becoming Secretary of W{r, and Mr. CalhOun
never ,had the claim under consideration, (so far as
( can ascertain,) and therefore could not: have re
j•N:tell it.
When General Cass entered upon his ditties as
Secretary of War ' there was due to him the same
allowance for the balance of his term as superin
tendent, namely, from 1829 to July 31st. 1831, in
clusive, amounting to $3,875. This allowance
being based on the same principles as the case de
cided by Mr. Wirt, there would have been nci im
propriety in the accounting officer's acting on the
accoun., and paying hint the amount: but governed
by the most scrupulous deljcacy, and the nicest
sense of propriety, he endorsed upon the, account
the following.: - 1-
—ln the peculiar positipn in which I now stand in re
lation to the department, - although the charge isnot only
unexceptionable in itself, but supported by a previous
decision of the War Department, yet I 'am willing it
should remain suspended and net acted on until it can
with propriety bo decided."
It accordingly remained suspended until Novem
her,
1837, a year after he had left the country for
France, when it was taken up and allowed, •as a
'matter of course.'
i
Another item of the tissue of misrepresentations
is, that in addition to the other allowances-noticed;
General Cass was paid $27,087 for extra services
as commissioner in negotiating treaties with various
tribes of Indians, 'Six. This itkm is taken from doc
ument No. 6, and $14,375 of the amount is a repe
tition of the same sum contained in document 211,
being, the allowance heroic noticed, for labor and
expenses in superintending Indians and making•
disbursements not within his superintendency grant
ed under the opinion of Mr. Wirt. Thins, instetid
of being the amount falsely stated, it Was only $12,-
712; and even of this sum - the document shows
that a consrdert.ble portion was for expenses. The
items have I ern critiically analyzed and tlie expenses
calculatedy a gentleman of long experience in,
{,
and perfect y conversant with, such matters, who
was witheneral Cass on many of the - occasions
for which the allowances wen made, and who
(1
states that the actual and unavoidable expenses
could not have been less than $6;442, leaving for
compensatinn only $6,270.-- , , small conipensation
for prolonged absences from . is family, through a
period of seventeen yearsrgr at exposure, risk, and
danger, and a travel of over ten thousand miles, in
birch-bark :anoes, along the lakes and rivers, on
horseback an
discomfort.
Of all the
of General C
and responsi
000 per annul
nor of the
intendency o•
and the strong
one as Goverl
the other.
To recapitulate: the allowances, as shown by a
correct analyris of the documents wliich have been
so frequently referred to; whereas follows:
1, The allowance made by Mr. Calhoun. November 2
1821, and sanctioned by President Madison; and con
tinued to hirn by subsequent Secretaries of War, (ono
for rations, rom October 9, 1813, to May 29. 1822-40
rations per day, at 20 cents each—for supporting the
Indians, $6 1 610: and tho other being for office rent,
clerk hire, foel, stationery, &c.,' from October 9.1813,
to July 31, 1831, $26,715. Sce Doc. No. 112, p. 2,
and Doc. No. 241, p. 2.) $33,325 00
2. The allowances made under the opinion of
Mr. Wirt, bY the Secretary of War, during
Mr. Adainsrs administration, and subse
quently, (one for services in superintending
the agencie- 1 of Piqua in Ohio; Fort Wayne
in Indiana, hicago in Illinois, &c., at $l,-
500 per aim, in, for the years 1822-'23-'24
-'25-'26-'27 and ,28, $10,500, and anoth
er, for similar services, same agencies, for
1829, 1830, 'end 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 travelling, attending councils,
and disbursing some $400,000, for which ,
others were allowed 2b per cont.—See Dot.
Na. 6, p. 13 ? and Doc. No. 112, p. 9.
3. 'flip other allowances, viz:—
b or a port diem of $8 per day, for fifty
five days' extra services, as commissioner at
the treaty oil Greenville in 1814, and St.
Mary's in 1818, and concluding arrange
ments with the Wyandots in 1817 - end 1818. '
($440); travelling expenses incident to
same business; ($260); attendance and trav
elling allowance at Fort Meigs in 1817,
($200); travelling and other expenses in
cident to tit treaty of St. Mary's, in Sep
teutber and October, - 1818, ($800); treed
inn and other expenses incident to the treaty
of Saga:mai, in 1819, ($240); travelling
and other expenses incident to the treaty of
S.tult de Ste. Marie; in 1820, ($336); and
"for fifty day4' extra services, previous and .
subsequent to the aforesaid treaties, in pre
, paring for add carrying into effect the sev
eral stipulaiMits thereof, ($400.) '
Services its commissioner at treaty of
Chicago, 52.1tdays, at $8 per day, between
June and November, 1821, ($416); and
mileage for 350 miles, at $8 I for every 20
miles, ($1411.)
Attendance nt seat of Government, by
order of the Secretary of War. on settlement
of his aecountA, front October 31, 1821, to
May 29, 182.2, 208 days; nt 10 rations (at •
20 cents crier per day, ($416); and allow
ance for ex .enses traveling to and from
Washington, and whilst there, ($1,022.)
'Services As commissioner to treat with
Indians nt Wapagh-Konetta, and his trav
eling allow i nco from 4th to 30th May,
182,3 (.4(25
Chien, from 4th June to 7th October, 1825.
including traveling allowance and attend-'
ance in taking the treaty to Washington,
($2,092.) 1 •
Similar services, holding treaties in In
dianna, in, September and October, 1826.
46 days, at $8 !Mr day, (368); and his trav
eling allowance, ($148,)
Similar services at Fond du Lac. 65 days,
between tliti 10th June and 10th Septem
ber, 1826, at $8 'perday. ($520); and tray •
cling allowance for 2,100 miles, at 40 cetrts
per mile, ($840,)
Similar services at Butte des Morte, in
June, Julv! and August, 1827, 60 days, at
sB' per day, ($180); and traveling alloW
ance for 1,200 Miles, 'at 40 cents per mile,
($-180.)
Similar s
from 10th It
per day, (1'
tions and ar
closing that
cling
per mile, ($
Siutilar .4
to mbo r, 182
and milcag
($160.) I
Services
ntent, 1111
1828, and l'
ing a code
fairs, in co
tars of Wri
mileage for
W ash i ngto
20 miles, (,
In all
Governor Cow's let-
Mitted; and if so, 1
his claim can properly
for is compensation for
eh he claims do not
Ile Michigan Territory.
vernnient to perform
for them on the prin . -
facts conceded, his
The first, as has been shown; was for the actual
and necessaly expenses of his local office, as Omer
intendent of Indian affairs, within the peninstilii of
Michigan, during a space of over eighteen rind-a
half years. It was, therefore, no emolumentor com
pensation w waver. It was to cover the expenses
of the office, j and not the officer. And General Cass,
when applyrg for it in 1821, says: "It may be
'readily pre. iimed that, upon such a frontier, and
'in such times, my expenses must have far excee
ded the salary of my office. I can solemny aver,
'that I expeided much more than the whole suin
'received asaiary,"(s2,ooo per annurn• ' )and refers
to Colonel lmit and General Macomb, and inci
dentally to General McArthur and Mr. Graham. all
'gentlemen distinguished fur their veracity and in
tegrity. (See Doe. 112, pages 4 and 5.)
The second item was for'services and. expenses
as superinteMdeut arid agent for numerous tribes o .of
Indians not Ivithin his superintendency, which duties
the law did not require him to perform, and for
which, as decided by Mr. Wirt, he was clearly en
titled. to extra compensation: One-half of this
amount at least was for expenses.
Of the third item, it has already been shown that
only $6,270 was for compensation, the balance
.being for rituel and nettessary expenses.. Thus,
instead of hs having received over $100.500, or
i
$60,412, m inly na extra compensation, the whole
amount pai him, for extra sort ices of all kinds, be
yond his salary as Governor, did not exceed, in
eighteen-and-a-half years, $13,457 50. This - is
probably a ar less, stun than, on examination of the
i
accounts of his distinguished opponent, would show
that he has received as extra compensation during
his career of service: which service, it is no dis
paragement' to him to say, has, for the greater., par
of his time,lconsisted of only the formal routine o
light military duty, at comparatively unimpOrtai ,
posts, and fir which, a oldulation of only his:reg
i
,
ular and or inary pay and allowances, id the'sever
al grades t rough which he has passed, willi shot
that he has received (separate and apart from ex
tra allowan es) the large BIM of 8127,000—as wil
appear by a statement in my pOsession, and subjec
to any perslon's examination.
I do not desire to, and shall not draw any invidi
oils comparisons between these two men. My on
ly design i to show that Gen. Taylor, as well a=
Gen. Cass, has received his shareof the public trea .
'sure ; at th" same time I am candid enmigh to frank
ly admit my belief that he has deserved every far
thing he received. Gen.l Cass has received nothing
from the General Government that others have no.
received fo similar services.
TURDA Y MORN!
t—all involving great toil and
I on fo
costs of Governors or Territirips, that
iss was perhaps, the most limportant
His salary as Ooverno, was O r
f n; whilst that allavveci to Om Gover
irritory of Orleans, who had Jio super-
Indian affairs, was $5,000 FiFr annum;
ig probability is, that the duties otthe
Mir were more arduous thant those of
rvices nt Green Bay, 51 days,
my to 29th August, 1828, at $8
.'408); and 15 days in prepara
angements for the treaties and
concerns, ($120); and tray
ince for 1,400 miles, at 40 cents
584.)
!ervices at St. Joseph, in Sop
-7,10 days, nt $8 per day, ($80);
100 miles at 40 cents per mile,
ond expenses at seat of Govern
{ days, between 22d October,
oth February, 1829, in prepar
'or the regulation of Indian al
formity to orders of the &ere
.r, at $8 per day, ($880); and
1,600 miles, (ruin Detroit to
city, and back, at $8 furl every
r 640.)
BM
v devote a few moments to showing the
the invariable practice• of the Govern
e what the gentleman denominates extr
and 1 do it with no malicious or improp
t only for the purpose of relieving a die
an's character from a vile aspersion.
i ;tt received the following, (see Doc. No
I will no l
it has been
ment to mil l
allowances
er spirit, b
tinguished
Gen. Sc.
6, p. 41
MO N W
R D ~.
MMI
1. For a por diem of $6, from: Sept. 22, 1818, to 17th
May, 1819; e gaged in the compilation of a military
Work for the my, by order of the War Depart
ment, , $1,428 00
2. For a per diem f $6, engaged in 1924
in revising t inntry tactics -
3. Similar service in 1825,
4. Compensation s author and corn iler
of the now s stem of discipline and
• tactics., and or superintending, the
printing of th same,
5. For a per diem f- $B, for ono hundred
and eighteen
service in
we' services as Coin
missioner wit POttawatomio Indians,
and treating ith the Winnebagoes,
Sacs and Fox s„ -at Chicago, Prairie
du Chien, and Rock Island, front 22d
Juno to 17th ct., 1832, (5944.) and
mileage from flow Yor k, by way of
Chicago and praktie du Chien, to Rock
- Island and bac , 2,980 miles. at 40 cts
• per mile, ($l, 92 ;) but Gen Scott not
it
to charge fora tnytransportation in his
• account as 51a'e General.
6. For a per diem o flsB, for two hum
and fcirty-fodr days' services' as C
missionor to it and make - hrrai
inenti with th Cherokee Indians, f
the 11th Apri , `to 10th Dec., 1
(51,952,) and hiis expenses durin
time, ($358.71)1
George B. Porter,
ntory of liliel_
to those bf‘Gt i,
6, p. 38, ),, receAvie
and rwo months! 88,479 00
I might alsq . refer to the cases of Governor Duval,
of Florida, tin&overorns Miller, Izard, and ,Bope.
of Arkansas, end r tilers, i l ls all the different depart
merits of the Go - gammen ; but to do so would be
consuming your ime to little purpose. -
' But, after all, I e gentleman In na Pennsylvania
,has not, in his von legislative c reer, manifested
"any antipathy to these extra allowances. Only a
(few days ago, the bill to pay the Widow of Joseph
rNourse—which vas for the payment cf 2} percent.
for disbursing moneys whilst hews Register of the
iTreasury—amounting to $23,589 2, and whilst Mr.
Nurse was, du ing moat of the ime, receiving a
i salary of $9,409 an $3,000 per annum—was under
consideration, a ;it - count not' have tisunderstood it;
d its merits' wer 'fully 'discussed,
and the gentler),
paid yet, when the yeas and nays were ordered, he
voted for it. The gentleman's pa ty also gave as a
e ,l
gratuity to Mrs. ; l Harrison, widow of General Harri
son, $25,000. do not give these instances for the
purp'ose of showlng any disapprobation of them—for
of that I do not seeak—het merely to exhibit the
spirit and feelingof the man who las made many of
these reckless cl urges.
I will now, M .Chairmar, dere t the attention of
the committe to he manner in which the gentleman
has stated those overal items in his printed speech,
t a
in order to exhi it its unfairness, and the injustice
done to General Cass. One of the charges in his
account, which, up to 1822, was sallowed by Mr.
Guthman, runs Oa as in the gentleman's speech: "From
October 9, 1813 to July 31, 1831; $1,500 per an
num, extra solo sr when, by referring to. Doe. 112,
we find, instead Of being for "extra suiary," . it was
fuel, stationary," &e. In noting the item for mak
ing treaties,; &.c., at Greenville, Saganaw, and Sault
Ste. Marie, &c., he climes' with these words—irrif-
Jy days preparing before. and after treaty;" leav
ing it naked and unintelligible, and conveying the
impression that General Cass had really put 'so much
money into his I pocket, without having performed
any service to deserve it; when the language_ used
in she document, No. 6, from which he copied, is
this:, "And for fifty days ex6arertiiees, previous and
subsequent to the aforesaid (retails, in preparing for',
and carrying into effect the se - era! stipulations'
thereof," explaning this part of the item satisfactor-,
ly. As the rule ! of order will not permit me to state
why be has reso ted to the Procrustean system here,
1 leaveit to you to determine what inference might.
be drawn from i . In his second statement, which
appears to be general, he asserts that "fifteen hun
dred per annum 1 41ra salarY, (the same to which I
have before alluded,) from 1813 to 1831, nearly 18 1
years, was "paid in 1831;" ',which was years after
the services we re i rendered . Nosy the documents
and the accounts stated, show that the several a
mounts were paid in 1822, and thereafter whenever
the accounts of General Cass were audited. There
i I
was no postponement or refused of payment, and no
extraordinarydelay. The gentleman from Pennsyl
vania has inprted in his speech a particular and
general statement of theirs items of account, and in
his addition cif one of his columns of figures, he has
committed an eror of more than four thousand dol
lars; and it Willa seen, that if lie had entered the
items properly, dnd made his calculation correctly,
ii would have satisfied hint that the imputation of
Gen. Cuss's chaiviing twice, fur the same item was
without foundation. '
Mr. Chairma , my time ', will not permit me lon
ger to dwell on this portion of his speech, which
from the adroit manner in Which it is drawn up, is
1
calculated mid perhaps designed to mislead and de
ceive the peonle!,. If such was not his purpose, why
were not all tlieltems of account set down as they
appeared in the Official docUments from which they
purported to have been taken? Did he act oponthe
maxim that t'all's fair in politics?" Ushould be
glad to throsv i th mantle of charity over it, but all
the circumstances are so strong, that I am in doubt
whether it can be ascribed to anytning else than a
disposition to! ',revert the truth.
Thus, Alr. Chairman, I have endeavored, as brief
ly as the nature of, the!case would permit, to reply
to this churge, and whether successfully or not, I
submit npost cheerfully to the candor and good sense
if the corninittee. _
I will now proceed to the examination of another
accusation Of the gentlenian from Pennsylvania,
'Mr. Stewart,] which will be found to be equally
groundless nod unjustifiable. He says: -
"General Cass was once a great lover of the volnn
:eers. Ho was a volunteer himself, and was sometimes
called the ' old volunteer.' But now it was on the records
of Congress, and there was no escape from it, that on the
::9tli of - llecoMber. Gen. Case introduced into the Son
de • a bill reducing the pay of volunteers, for commuta
tion for clothing, one-third.' , He knew it was said that
Gen. Cowshed se e n tho Adjutant General, and got him
or the Presideht t nullify by construction, or veto it ex
.
lost facto. H etight have found it would not do to strip
the volunteers of their clothing ; hanging and blurting
meffigy might h ve been unpleasant.
To
To such as t e gentlemen from Pennsylvania to
be burnt in effigy, might he very unpleasant, and 1
doubt not it would; but in the mind of a man of - as
high moral and intellectual, character as Gen. Class,
it- would cause not even a feeling of displeasure
,gainsthe perpetrators l \i of such an act. Now, 1 un
dertak to- say,l Mr. Chairman, that a paragraph
i
more re fete; with' willful errors was never, in so
few words, uttered. The volunteer who first made
:he charge in Mexico had not access to the records,
:mild not ascertain the facts, and therefore, on the
mpulse of thintoment, and under undue excite
ment, and frinn false information, he. did that which
I doubt nut he till deeply regret when he learns the
truth. But what palliation of the offence can he
found ler the gentleman from Pennsylvania? All
the facts were thin his reach. many of the circum
stances shotddaye been within his ownknowledge,
and yet. to Vili ';.a distinguished political opponent,
F
he resorts to th most monstrous misrepresentations.
That gentleman could pot fail to remember the re
turn of Colonel naker, or Illinois, from Meitice to
this Hall, on the 28th of December, 1846, for it was
rendered memoable by many of the accompanying
circumstances. t
and exhibited a scene which we all
hope never to k itness again. Colonel Bakerclaim
ed the privilege of addressing the House; and after
some objections were obviated, proceeded, and told
some most Unplistable truths. In his remarks, he
said he had be n deputed to comp here to effect a
clothing to the
change of the system for supplying
11,375 00
1%712 00
$60,412 00
/29,1848.
Bred
om
i)ge-
from
,838,
L the
Totu'
o Governor of 14e ter
n, for services sindlar
Cass, (see Doe No.
, d during four years
volunteers; and stated, that of the twenty-six regi
ments of volunteers who had been sent to Mexico,
there were but two or three' who were possessed of
decent clothing for the campaign, and urged, in the
most impressive and imploring mannuer, the adop
tion of a resolution he proposed for that purpose.
On the P.Gth 'July, 1847, Lieutenant McWilliams,
Second Pennsylvania Volunteers, says,. in a letter
forwarded to the War Department; "4s regards
'clothing, I would prefer the clothing instead of the
'commutation thereof."'
1,104'00
540 00
5,000 00
On the 14th of August, 1847, Lieutenant Ankrim,
First Pennsylvania Volunteers, in speaking of the
want of clothing, ho says:, •
"The dissatisfaction has been on the increase for two,
weeks past, during which time several have, deserted,
and others have manifested a disposition to follow their
example."
And again, December 11, 1847:
"I cannot sco the propriety of withholding clothing
from our service."
cautain Scutt, First Pennsylvania Volunteers,
says, November 23, 1847:
2,136 00
"Some of tho recruits come hero iu a truly dOstituto
condition. One of those received this morning had but
one shirt, and no shoes. When Congress meets, cannot
provision be made to supply the vol u uteer recruits with.
clothing as the regulars are supplied?"
A joint application was also nit
the two Pennsylvania regiments
the same allowance of clothing as
2.310 71
12,518 71
I have also extracts from letter
War Department, and written by
i=l2l=l; 2
Captain Carrington, of the Virt4
Colone4 Wrilhnch. commanding de
voluntebrF, and' Colonel Morgan, I
ent of the recruiting Fervice—all u
ment to press the flintier through C
ly as possible, as the volunteers we
and the service, in consequen
jured.
In compliance with these solicit
taut Genernt, from the purest and
suggested the measure to the War
the Secretary of War recointnendel
language:
"I respectfully repeat the recomme
annual report on the subject of clothin
tears, in lieu of the money which is at p
as a commutation. The experience
shown the necessity for this change
vidod by the volunteers themselves
quality. is generally unsuited for the
proves to he deficient in qu ility. Ser
country, and nt a distance froin the
aupply - , it can seldom ho replaced wh
and always at an exorbitant price. 111
which has been experienced by thee
tributcd to lb* want of proper clothing
given to supply the volunteers in the r
the regular troops. it is believed they w
ed. and at less cost to themselves and
than by the present mode. It is nod
provision is made, the arrangements
ter's departinunt are 'snip, in relation
ing, that it can readitV furnish a s
tears."—(See E. Doe.. No. I, p. 66.
The War Department having ad ipted the snggcs
lions made by the Adjutant General, prepared and
sent to the Military Committee of the Semite a bill
to authorize the President to call out twenty thou
t ,518t l ‘ llli d thugpsir o f , o f y
i l t h t e t f l u e rtgr st 14;t a i s e e c a t t u t ir i
e n
la o ‘ f v t n if
hided to as.one of the 'sections: , 'or • the? enetit of
the volunteers, the committee in he Senate—coin
posed of Messrs. Cass, Benton, Crittenden, Davis of
Mississippi, 'Dix, Badger, and-Rt sk-=uiranimonsiy'
decided
,to report this section as a seperate bill, and
thus obtained for that measure more speedy action
than was anticipated for the bill !of which it was a
component part. On ithe motion Of the gallant Col.
Davis, (than whom no man' has shown a stronger
attnehmer.t to the volunteers,) the committee chang
ed the phraseology so as, in their opinion, to render
the condition of the volunteers in tr matter of cloth
ing less identical with that of the egular army, and
to avoid the construction that was afterwards tem
porarily placed upon it; and the section, thus modi
fied, was reported by a member of the military corn
mittee to the Senate, which, on the 3d play ofJann
ary last, passed it with Out division or amendment.
(See letter of Col. Jeft Davis, of the Senate, to
Wrn. C. H. Waddell, of New York city, June 28,
1848.) This shows clearly that it was thoroughly
investigated and ft Hy niderstocd in the Senate.
. Now- for the acti t oflthe House. The bill was
sent to it, and the gentleman frdm Pennsylvania
says, it was stated to be a bill "for the benefit of vol
unteers; and it passed at once, without inquiry of
opposition." Is this true? On the countrury, the
Journals convict .the gentleman of a most palpable
and unjustifiable error., ,i No man should prefer such
an accusation without at! least endeavoring to ascer
tain the facts; but what 'are we authorized to say of
an honorable member, who oughtlo'be conversant
with the proceedings of the House, who makes such
an unfOunded asserertion, in order to shelter himself,
nod condemn 4he "old volunteer?" I have no doubt
I might select an epitaph from the gentleinan's own .
vocabulary which would, be appropriate to the pres
ent occasion; but if he ii not callous to the higher
and more ennobling imOutses of the human heart,
his punishment will be Severe enough when he-re
flects soberly upon the injust:ce he has attempted
to do. What were the, proceedings of the House
ut.on this bill? It was referred to the Military Com
mittee, composed of Messrs.' Botts, Burt, Wilson,
Haralson, Dickey, Boyd, Marvin, Haskell, ant Fish
er,—six Whigs and three Democrats,—not one of
whom was hostile to the volunteers'. On the 19th
of January, they, through their cliairman,t.-31r.
BOTTS,—reported it back to the House, without
amendment, and recommended its passage, in which
recommendation the House immediately concurred,
and the gentleman himself voted for it. Where
was his prufeased attachment for the volunteers then?
Why did lie vote for a bill which, in his opinion,
Was shameful and unjust? Ignorance of its con
tents dues not excuse him, nor dues it, to the slight
est degree, mitigate his offence.
As,soon as the order of the Adjutant General—of
which the gentleman comp Taine—was known Col.
Davis brought it to the notice of the Military Com
mittee of the Senate; and General Cass, and all the
members of the committee, leclared that no such
result was intended, or believed to be deducible from
the terms (lithe act. i Col. Davis Was thereupon
deputed to make this km4irn to the depar menu anil
1
afterward. 4 die order I whg • r changerl; and lite true
spirit and intoning of the law was carried into ef
fect.*
Now, sir, this brief history shows the Partieipa-
tioif of Gen. Cuss in this mutter; and is there an
other whig on this floor so regardless of a proper
sense of honor us to attempt to distort these facts so
ns to bring down odium and censure upon a gallant
old soldier ? If there be such amongst Us,- I know
him not. See what two high-minded and honora
ble men say of it._ Col. Davis of the 'Senate, in .
his letter, says :
" The censure cast upon Gen. Cass. on account of a
bill which was reported from the Military Committee of
the Senate, during the present session. to provide cloth
ing for vote tears in the service of the United States. is
in every se se unjust."
Adjut t General Jones, (an honest whig, who in
the, discharge of his official ditties knows no party,)
says, in a letter to Gov. Fetch and myself :
" It is certainly unjust' to attribute to Gen. Cuss any
agency in construing the last act of Congress in any way
prejudicial to the volunteers ; and I may add, I well know
that his views are always liberal, and that he would be
' ADJUTANT GIGNIZRAL'S OFFICE, 1
Washington. Juno 14, 1848.
Elm : In reply to your note of the 12th inst., I have
to inform you. that the allowance for clothing to volnn
teers,tut at present fixed, has not been diminished from
former rates, but is the same ($3 60 Or month.) as was
allowed before the passage of the act of Jan. 26, 1848. and
more than one dollar per month greater than is allowed
to soldiers of the regular army.
Very respectfully. wR. JONES. Adjutant Gen.
HON. &ruses nun,
- Senate U. S., iVashin_ ton, D. C."
the last to advocate any measure which had for its object
Ow reduction of their pay and allorcancm."
. I
Sir, I close this part of my remarks with COM-
Mending the course of the latter !gentleman, one of
his own party, to the attention of the member' front
Pennsylvania, and advise him hereafter to imitate it.
The gentleman from Pennsylvania charges that,
the expenses of the Government under Mr. Polk,
have run up to $60,000,000 a year ; intending to
convey the idea that such has been and would be the
annual expenditures of the Government under the
present Administration. Now, 'sir, what are the
facts ? The expenditures for the fiscal year ending
June 30. 1845; were, exclusive off the publick debt,
only $21,895,369 61 ; those of 1845.6, $26,418;459
59 ; those of 1846-7, (during the war,) $53,801,-
569 37; and now that the war is ver, they will not
probably exceed $25.000,000 an ually. How ca n
r ir
it be possible, then, that he'shoul gravely state to
this House, in another portion of Ihis remarks, that
~ the President and his party could take sixty mil
lions of dollars a year into!Mexico r, Does he not
know that the ordinary expenditures of the Govern
ment during a war could not be less than $25,000,
000, and that of the balance of the largest appro- '
priation made, ($53,801, 569 37,) at least one-third,
and perhaps one-half, was expended in thiscountry?'
This call be ascertained to', a common certainty by
application to the proper 'sources of information;
but my estimate I believe closely approximates to
the true amounts expended, here and there.
Again he says, "Mr. Polk had found some $17,-
000,000 of debt, and had now run it up to $lOO,OOO
or over." Now, sir, if lam correctly informed, the
national debt, at the expiration of the fiscal year
ending June 30, 1848, did not exCeed but a fraction
over $65,000,000, and of the 816 7 900,000 loan not
one cent fins been expended, and it is altogether
probable that it will cover nearly] (if not all) the
contingencies of the war. But % by does the gen
tleman object so strongly to a naional debt? Is,, it,
I
not the opinion of his party that "national debt is
a national blessing?" We certMnly should judge
so from their legislative conduct and from the ten
dency of their measures.
The gentleman from Pennsylvania has made
some remarks_ against this Ad Ministration in re
gard to the nunber of:collection districts, and has
run a parallel between the receipts and expenditures
of those districts, to , which I desire to advert.—
This charge was made against Ilklr. Van Buren's
administration, in the famous canvass of 1840; and,
when the Whig's got into power they appear to have
forgotten that it had been mentioned during the
cainciaign ' for . so far as I can learn, they never
attempted to remedy the evil, (if it was an -evi!,)
but permitted it to remain untotighed. This shows
one of two things, either that they did not see the
same corruption in the systerit_ of collecting the
rvenues of the Goveinment after aS before the elec
tion, or they were willing to give it countenance to
`r,iiiiserte party purposes. The (collection districts
to which the gentleman alluded vere all, I believe,
in existence at that tithe, and pehaps that gentle
man could give some good reasot for their retention.
Those who make this Charge lip ear nut to bo aware
of t I fact, that some of our coil ctiun districts in
w-1• I,bot little revenue is colle ted, are important
i l ,
to le Government in protecting the revenue froth
fraud, suppressing smuggling. a id giving facilitieS
to our coasting trade, and tho ominerce between
the States. But, sir, is it not at ange that the gen
tlemati from Pennsylvania, who his been here for
the last two terms, should not aye brought this
subject before to our attention, and more especially
when his party has the ascendeticy in this House,
and the Committee of Commerceh to which it appro:-
priately belongs, is composed of five Whigs apd
lour Democrats, and judging from the character of
its members, would most cheerfully consider and
proposition that might be referred to them? I would
appeal to the gentleman from Massachusetts, [Mr.
GIIINNE Ltd titan Whom no man lin this - House is
more thoroughly acquainted with commercial affairs,
and inquire of him whether he believes any of these
custom-houses, &c., can be properly dispensed with?
Mr. Grinnell made no reply. 1
Sir. McCLELL-AND procee ed. If the com
plaint of the gentleman from Perinsylvania be well
founded, why has not the committee taken charge
of the subject, and introduced a bill totlispense with
such iris were superfluous? ' On the contrary, they
have introduced bills for several new collection
districts, which I predict will not yield one farthing
for ten that the treasury will have to supply to sup l .
port them. No salutary retrenchment can be made
until our laws relating to commerce and navigation
are revised, modified ; and the entire system remodel:-
ed; and I tell the gentleman from Pennsylvania, -
this is not the work of a day. With this view, I
introduced, during the kit Congress, a resolution,
which was submitted to the CoMmittee on Com-,
!tierce, and reported upon favorably; but after it had
passed, it=was, upon-motion of my friend from Phil
adelphia,[Mr. J. It. INGE:mom., without any intem !
lion oq his part to defeat it,] reconsidered, in order
to permit him to amend so as to CoVer a revision of
all our laws, and the resolution was then, on account
of the magnitude of the design, unfortunately laid
on the table, "to sleep the sleep that - knows no
waking." When I was a member of the Corn=
mitten on Commerce, I intrcidtimid a bill regulating
the compensation of collectors and other officers of
the customs, which became a law, and which has
saved the Government annually some fifty thousand
dollars. My friend from North 'Carolina [Mr. Mc-
KAY] has, for several years; been laboring to reduce
- the expenses of collecting' the revenue. And Mr.
1 Walker, (Secikery of the Treasitry,) at this ses
sion, recommended a reduction.-I His suggestions,
and those of my friend from North Carolina, were
adopted by the Committee of Ways and Means, and
the aggregate amount has been reduced from $2,-
—'
.059.617 86, in 18467, and $2,090,916 in 1847-8
to $1,570,000 in 1848—'9. DueS this look like. a
disposition in the Democratic party to throw any
obstacles in the way of salutary retrenchment and
,reform? Will the gentleman please show any such
indication on his side of the House, unless it is just
More some important election?
ide by officers of
f volunteers for
egulars receive.
received at the
Aioutenant. Ash
,nt Kinney, and
inia volunteers,
of Mr Virginia
te sn peri ntend
ging the depart
ogress as speedi
e actually stiffer
:e, was much in-
limn., the Adjti
noblest motives,
)epartment, and)
it in this st roily
tdution in my last
in kind for volun
resenl paid to them
'the past year has
The clothing pro
both in kind and
service, and often
ring in an enemy's
.rdinary sources of
mlost or worn out,
ch of the suffering
troops mity ho at
! If authority were
anner provided for
uld be bettor cloth
o the Government.
•ratood, that if such
of the quartermas
to supplying cloth
pply to the voluo-
Gentlemen had complained ofi the extravagance
of this Administration, but in all cases fail to give
itivhe items. It is an easy thing to make sweep
iirdeclarations and naked assertions, but far more
difficult tri i spedify and particplarize. The gentle
man 'fiom'PennsylVania takes us back to the Presi
dency of John Quincy Adams, arid, %ithout making
any anuwance - for the growth of our .country; its
territuries, its_ trade, commerce, business of all de
scriptions; without reflecting that it has become one
of the greatest nations, in all respects, in the wprld
censures Mr. 'Polk and the Democratic party for pot
reducing all 'Our national expenditures to those of
Mr. Adams's administration. Sir, if your party is
sincere. in these complaints, and, if you are - really
hottest in your professions,(when you talk as the
gentleinan from Pennsylvania dries,) let me ask why
yon did nut apply. the knife in 1841—'42, when you
had the power? Why did you ' increase them far
beyond those of Mr. Adams's administration and of
subsequent Administrations?
In 1811, the expenditure; (exclusive of the public debt)
were $26.196,840 29
In 1841 1 24,381,336 50
You then were hurled from power, and the Dem
ocratic party succeeded: mid look at the difference,
on so short a period! .11
The expenditures (the time of commencing the fiscal
year having been changed from Ist January to Ist July)
were, for six months in 1 . 813 it 1A1,256,508 69
In 1843-'ll , 20,659,108 01
In 181-1-'45
21,895,369 61
Ts it not, then, really amusing, hire, where we
know each other, and where the;course of each i lls
clearly observed, to hear the Whigs lecture upon
retrenchment and reform?' Doe's not your party, as
a party, vote, almost invariably, for the largest
appropriations, whether in public or private bills?
Aro you not for a splendid governMent, conducted
on the most magnificent scale? I No man can come
[CONCLUDED ON FVUa7H rAur.]
S
NUMBER 11.