BY JAS. CLARK.
Gen. (:ass's Extra Pay, $64,565 46 :
Proved by Official Documents--
Certified and Appended.
SPEECH OF TILE
HON, A. STEWART ,
OF PENNSYLVANIA,
Delivered in the house of Representatives,
U. S., Ilugust 3, 1848.
The House being in Committee of the
Whole on the state of the Union, Mr.
Stewart rose at 11 o'clock, P. M., the
House having been in session thirteen
hours, and said, late as was the hour he
had some few remarks to make which
he would make now, with the indulgence
of the committee. He said, I rise, prin
cipally, to settle a small account with a
gentleman from Michigan, (Mr. Mc-
CLELLANDO and it is with no little re
gret that I perceive the gentleman is
not in his seat, for I prefer saying in his
presence that which I am about to utter.
However, I have no alternative, at this'
late period of the session, but to proceed
at once, or in all human probability leave
matters unexplained which I feel my- •
self imperiously called upon to main
tain and justify. I hope, however, soon
to see the gentleman in his scat.
It will be recollected that some time
ago, in the course of some remarks
which I made on this floor, I took occa
sion to animadvert on the public official
conduct of Governor Cass, while Gov
ernor of Michigan Territory, and ex
officio Superintendent of Indian affairs.
That was a proper subject of examina
tion by a Representative of the people,
especially as the then Governor is now
a candidate for the highest office in the
gift of the people of this entire Union.
Some time after the delivery of that
speech, I had occasion to leave this city
on a visit to my family, and during my
absence the gentleman from Michigan
undertook to answer what I had said;
and this he did, as it appears from his
printed speech, with some severity.—
He characterized my speech as a villifi
tatlon of Governor Cass. He said I had
been, guilty of traducing that distin
guished man, of whom the gentleman
from Michigan is understood to be the
immediate representative. He charged
the with having been guilty of making
reckless charges" in regard to the ex
tra pay which Governor Cass had recei
ved, Will it then be deemed strange
if 1, even at this late hour of the night,
avail myself of the opportunity now
presented to take a befitting notice of
that gentleman's speech. It is due to
myself that I should not allow it to pass
unnoticed ; but I assure the committee
that I shall not follow that gentleman's
example ; I will not enter into competi- '
tion with the gentleman from Michigan
in the use of abusive epithets. It would
not become me nor the place where I
stand, nor will it serve the cause of
truth. This is no theatre for such dis
plays.
I would do injustice to no man ; and
of Governor Cass I have said no more
than unquestioned documents warrant ;
but called upon as I have been by the
speech of the gentleman from Michigan,
1 feel constrained to repeat some of the
statements wide!' I have heretofore
made, and to add others of even a worse
character, of which I was then ignorant.
For these statements I rely on public
official doculnents. If, then, I err, Ido
so relying on official statements emana
ting from the political and personal
friends of Gen. (:ass himself, and which
I have never heard doubted. And on
these documents I still rely to sustain
the statements which I have before made
and others which I shall now submit to
the committee and to the country.
On the occasion to which I have re
ferred 1 stated the fact that Gen. Cass,
whilst Governor and ex-officio Superin
tendent of Indian affairs for the Terri
tory of Michigan, charged and received
from this Government $60,412 as extra
compensation over and above his regu
lar and legal salary. I now repeat the
statement, and I have not only official
documents here to prove its truth to the
extent of every dollar, and much more
as will soon appear, but I have the
speech of the gentleman from Michigan
(Mr. MCCLELLAND) himself, in which he
admits distinctly the truth of that state
ment. He admits that Governor Case
received $60,412 over and above his
salary, and he enumerates the sums
which make up that amount. He admits
it, every dollar, as stated by me, and
then he undertakes to explain it. Sir,
he says among other things that it is
not all extra pay, but partly expenses
which he had incurred at various tunes.
This was the explanation of the gentle
man from Michigan, but I am prepared
to show that all his expenses, and all
the sums he advanced for "provisions"
and "presents" to the Indians, for every
pound of iron, steel, and every thing
else, has been charged to, and repaid by,
the Government, and that the sum of
( J4n - tinobon
$60,412 constitutes no part of those i
charges, but is an amount which went
into Governor Cass's private pocket.—
Were these not extras, then 1 There
were but two kinds of pay to the officers
of this Government, regular and extra.
Governor Cass's regular pay was 2,000
per annum, and these sums, which
amount to $60,412, were extras, over
and above his regular salary ; add his
regular salary, $36,000, and the sum
received would be $96,412. But I have
not only the admission of the gentleman
from Michigan, but the official docu
ments which expressly declared this
$60,4.12 to be " extra allowances."—
The resolutions of Congress which
brought to light these enormous and un
precedented extras called on the War
Department for " extra allowances," and
extra allowances alone. Is it not then
manifest, that the suggestion of the gen
tleman, that a portion of this admitted
payment of $60,412 were not extras, is
utterly unfounded ; is it not an attempt
to conceal the truth, and deceive the
people as to the real character of these
extraordinary charges ?
Here, sir, is the resolution itself, adop
ted the 28th of February, 1842, calling
upon the Secretary of War to commu
nicate to this House " the names of such
officers of the N% ar Department and of
the army, including paymasters and
governors of territories, who have re
ceived extra allowance, the time when
received, the amount of extra allowance
paid to each ; the service for which the
extra allowance was claimed, and the
authority under which it was made."—
These are the very words of the call.—
Two reports were accordingly made in
answer to this resolution; one by the
2nd, and the other by the 3rd Auditor
of the Treasury. To show the care be
stowed in the preparation of these doc
uments, I may here observe, that clerks
were regularly employed for two years
on one, and one year on the other, of
these reports ; and that in making up
the smallest of the two they examined
30,000 accounts and vouchers. These
reports, then, are authority en which I
rely for the truth of the statement that
Gen. Cass received $60,412 as extra al
lowances: Yet, in the face of these offi
, cial facts; the representative of General
Cass on this floor has the hardihood to
say that these are not " extra allowan-
I ces," and to charge me in my absence
with " wilful" misstatements: with vil
lifying and traducing General Cass by
so representing them. I submit, sir,
who is guilty of wilful misrepresenta
tions I
Mr. COBB, of Georgia. When were
those reports model
Mr. STEWART. One was made the 13th
of December, 1812, and the other the
16th of December, 1843, in answer to
a resolution of the 28th February, 1842:
They were reports made by officers of
the Treasury Department in obedience
to a resolution which called for nothing
but " extra allowances," and they show
that General Cass received for extra
charges the enormous sum of $60,412!
more than was paid to all the Governors
of all the Territories of the United
States since the foundation of our Gov
ernment up to this hour. Let gentle
men be patient—this is not all. I was
myself ignorant of much the worst part
of this case when I spoke before. I have
some further developements to make,
before I take my seat, that will startle
gentlemen over the way, their candidate,
and the country—transactions which, 1
venture to say, no honest man would
stand up and justify, here or elsewhere.
But, before proceeding to this matter, I
have a few words more to say to the
gentleman from Michigan. That gen
tleman admits the receipt, by Governor
Cass, of the $60,412 over and above his
regular salary. Now, hear his explana
tions as to the first item, $6,610, for ru
rims. In the first place, what are the
factsl Governor Cass, in October, 1821,
came to this city to settle his accounts,
and, in addition to an extra allowance
of $l, 500 per year over and above his
legal salary of $2,000, he charged ten
rations a day, at 20 cents each, for ev
ery day from the date of his appoint
ment, in 1813, to 1821, (7 or 8 years,)
amounting to $730 a year, for the whole
period. This was a charge of money
made for rations to which Governor Cass
was never entitled. The Governor of a
Territory has no right to rations ; but
Governor Cass, who never drew a ration,
drew this amount of money as a sum to
which lie alleged he was entitled. I re
peat, that the Governor of a Territory
is not entitled to rations ; but, if he were,
was it likely that Governor Cass would
not have drawn them through a period
of 7 or 8 years'! He was not entitled
to them, and he did not draw them ; but,
at the end of 7 or 8 years, he makes up
an account ch.rging ten rations a day,
at 20 cents each, for the whole time,l
amounting to $6,610. This charge the
gentleman from Michigan admits, (and
HUNTINGDON, PA., TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1848.
who can deny it 1) but he interpolates
the words "for supporting the Indians."
Rations for supporting the Indians ! !
No, the gentleman knows that no rations
were ever drawn by Governor Cass " for
supporting Indians," or any body else.
No, sir ; he knows it was a money
charge; and, as far as truth is concern
ed, the gentleman from Michigan might
as well have said that they were drawn
to support the starving Irish, as that
they were drawn to support the Indians.
Were the 10 rations a day, charged by
Governor Cass for 208 days, (nearly 7
months,) while settling his own accounts
in this city—were these also drawn to
support the Indians But here is the
gentleman's speech, in which he quotes
from the official report this charge of
$6,610 for rations, where he interpolates
these words, " for supporting the In
dians." Why is this done 1 Is it not
to deceive the people and screen Gover
nor Cass from merited popular indigna
tion? I ask again, who then is guilty,
to use the language of the gentleman, of
" wilful error and misrepresentation 1"
Mr. Conn, of Georgia. Will the gen
tleman from Pennsylvania permit me to
ask, whether he intends to charge that
Governor Cass ever drew one dollar
from the public treasury dishonestly or
improperly 7
Mr. S. I shall not attempt to character
ize the conduct of Governor Cass. I shall
give facts from public official documents
with the dates and pages, and I shall then
leave it to the country to characterize his
conduct ns they may think the facts
warrant. My business is with facts;
and I here adduce facts; which I defy
gentlemen to • invalidate or disapprove.
They may promise to answer, as they
have done on other occasion, but they
will again fail to do so; the less said the
better. I will give gentlemen the doc
ument and page for every fact I state
and every dollar I charge—documents
accessible to them, which can be seen
at any moment; and there can be no
escape, therefore, if the charges are
not promptly explained or disapproved.
Mr. COBB. Will the gentleman ex
cuse me, I wish to have a clear under
standing on this point. I desire to
know whether the gentleman from Penn
sylvania intends to charge, or desires
to make the impression on the mind of
this country, that Governer Cass has,
contrary to law, or contrary to good
morals, drawn one dollar from the Trea
sury of the United States 1
Mr. STEWART. If the gentleman
wants my opinion he shall have it. In
my opinion he did. He was legally en
titled to nothing but his salary of two
thousand per annum. But, sir, 1 will
not be drawn from my purpose by per
mitting myself to be catechised. My
object is a simple statement of facts,
drafrn from efficial sources. Those
filets tilll speak tor theinselVes ; and I
shall not perMit myself to be diverted
from the duty I have undertaken to dis
charge in the short space of one hour,
which is allotted me ; by any false issue
which the gentleman may Wish to raise.
I shall state facts, and prove them from
the official records, and then I shalt call
upon gentlemen, the friends of Govern
or Cass, to deny or justify them if they
can. I repeat, for lam very desirous
to bedistinctly understood, that I charge
Governor Cass with having drawn $6O,
412 as extra allowances over and above
his legal salary of $2,000; and I shall
soon preceed to make and prove other
statements of worse character than even
this, which will tax all the ingenuity of
gentleman to answer or evade.
Mr. McLaNn. Were not those charges
of extra allowances allowed by some of
ficer of the Government 1
Mr. STEWART. He got the money,
and of course they have been allowed
in some way or other. But he would
tell the gentleman something about the
"modes operandi" after awhile. He
begged gentlemen however, to be patient
and if they could not be patient, to be
as patient as they could. I have been
much abused by the party press of the
country for making these charges ; but
so long as 1 ant sustained by official
documents, 1 will disregard the out cry
of the party organs. I speak of the of
ficial conduct of Governor Cass. I speak
of him as a public officer. I speak of
him now, when ho is a candidate for
the office of President of the United
States, and I maintain that I, or any oth
er citizen of the United States, have
the right to submit his conduct to the
most rigid examination ; for if he could
be false to his trust as an inferior offi
cer--if he has done that which cannot
bo justified as the Governor of Territo
ry, what may he not do,. if he should be
elected President of the United States 1
If he has taken 1160,000 or $70,000 as
extra pay while he.was Governor of the
Territory of Michigan, what may he not
do when entrusted the management of
thirty or forty millions of dollars 1 That
is a question of groat moment, from an
examination of which l will not shrink
or be deterred by any thing that can
be said or done here or else
where. I defy and despise the abuse of
a corrupt and venal press and of the
foulmouthed slanderer. I have a duty
to discharge—a duty 1 owe to my coun
try, to save it if I can from falling into
the hands of the spoilers ;" to defend
it to the extent of my ability against
the utterly ruinous , consequences which
in my conscience I believe, must follow
another administration under the Cass
and Polk system of policy, in both its
foreign and domestic influences,
General Cass is the candidate of one
party in this country for the highest of
fice to which he can aspire, and the pro
priety of placing him in that office may
be determined by his official conduct
in the offices to which he has been ap
pointed. The gentlemen from Mlchi ,
gan, in his defence of General Cass, in
sinuated and suggested that Gen. Tay
lor, the candidate of the Whig party,
had received more extra pay than Gen.
Cass ever received. It appears to me
that the gentleman from Michigan is
very unfortunate in his line of defence
of General Cass. If Gen. Taylor has
received a greater amount of extra pay
than Gen. Cass, it may show that Gen.
Taylor has been guilty of preying on
this government, and plunging his arm
as deep as possible into the public trea
sury ; but if true is that any excuse for
Governor Cass doing the same thing 1
But the gentleman is no more fortunate
in his facts than in his line of defence.
Gen. Taylor received more extra pay
than Gen. Cass ! Why, sir, lam pre
pared to prove, and will prove, to the
satisfaction of the gentleman and of
the world, from official records, that, du•
ring a space of forty years—and 1 call
upon gentlemen to mark it—Gen. Tay
lor has not contaminated his fingers with
a single dollar of extra pay. This is
shown by official reports made in an
swer to a call for a statement of all ex
tra pay of all the officers of the army,
from the foundation of the Government
to the year 1812, when these reports
were made. Here are the reports, sir,
which were made after two years care
full
examination of more than 30,000 !
accounts, showing every dollar of extra
pay to every officer, from an ensign to a
major general, from $1 to $lO,OO ; show
ing, too, that almost every officer of our
army, at one time or another, has re
ceived
extra allowances amounting to
hundreds of thousands of dollars, and
yet, sir, it is shown that Gen. Taylor
has never touched a dollar of extra pay.
Now, sir, let Gen. Cass and Gen. Taylor
stand before the country together, and ,
let the country " look upon this picture
and then upon that."
In the one, we se that which " gives,
the world assurance of a man"—" an
honest man, the noblest work of God."
But what shall be said of the other 1
The man who has taken inure extra pay I
while lie we's Governor of the territory
of Michigan, and cx officio superintend-
ant of Indian all:lira, than all the Gov- i
ernors of all the Territories, and all the
Secretaries acting as Governors, from
the foundation of the Government to
the present hour ; and it must not be
forgotten, that twelve or thirteen of the
States of this Union have been Territo
ries
before they were admitted as States
into this Union. Startling as this state
ment may be, it is clearly shown to be
true by the official documents which
have been published by order of Con
gress. I have those documents before ,
me, respecting which I intend that there l
shall bo no mistake ; and, therefore,
invite to them the particular attention I
of this committee and of the country.
The first document is No. 6, of the 3d
session of the 27th Congress. From ,
wbjch documents it appeared that the
whole of the extra allowances received
by all the Governors, and Secretaries
acting as Governors, amounted to but
$19,400 ; while Governor Cass alone re
teceived $61,865,46 ! ! This embra
ces an omitted item of $875. See doe.
112, 3 seas. 25th Congress, page 15. I
I now come said Mr. S., to the new
accounts in my indictment against Gov.
Cass, based on facts discovered since I
my former speech, and to which I call
the special attention of gentlemen over
the way.
Ist, then, I charge that Governor
Cass, while in the receipt of his
legal salary of $2,000, and two extra
allowances, one of $1,500 and time other}
of $730 per atmum, and also $8 per
day and 4.0 cents per mile travel, actu
ally charged and received, in addition
to all this, the pay of an " assistant
deputy quarter master general," nt the
rate of $l,OOl 80 per annum, and " time
pay and emoluments of a captain" in
the army for four years (from 1817 to
1821 ) $2,576 66, increasing his extru
pay to $64,865 46. In support of this
charge, I refer gentleman to document.
id\'ol4furittitk.
No. 18, Ist Ses,ion, 28th Congress,
page 25.
2d. I charge that Governor Cass,
while receiving his regular salary of $2
000, two extra allowances of 441,500
each and $S per day, and 10 cents per
mile for travel, amounting to $25 and
sometimes $3O per day, permitted Itlr.
oodbridge, the secretary who acted
for him in his absense, to charge and re
ceive a third extra allowance of :141,500
for three years and twenty five days,
thus charging the Government $3,000
per annum for clerk hire, office'rent, &c.
+then I believe there is no evidence nor
even an allegation, that a dollar had
ever been paid by Governor Cass for
either the one or the other; to support
this charge, I refer to document 112, 3d
Session 25th Congress ; page Who
can be found to justify or defend this?
These, 1 repeat ; ore facts derived
from official sources.
A MEMBER. flow much did General
Harrison receive while Governor of the
Northwest territory 1.
Mr. STEWART. I tun reminded that
Gen. Harrison was the Governor of a
territory in the Northwest, and I will
tell the gentleman how much he receiv
ed. The whole amount of Gen. Harri
son's extra pay during the whole time
he was Governor of Indiana and the
Northwestern territory, and for all the
' treaties he negothiated—(as numerous
and important, perhaps, as those of Gov.
Cass)—was $3,201, instead of $64,865
the amount received by this great and
extraordinary hero and patriot, Govern
or Cass. No; Harrison was an honest
man—and like nn honest man he neither
charged nor received one cent for rations
office rent, clerk hire, or fuel, or for ex
tra territorial services, for which Gov
ernor Cass charged and received $3,730
per annum extra. Here is the difference
between Harrison and Cass—any more
questions? if not I will proceed to anoth
er
Mr. MeLANI, Does the gentleman mean to
say that lie obtained these payments without
vouchers
Mr. STEWART. I can say that Gen. Case's
letters, which arc published with these reports,
I do not assert that he ever employed a clerk or
rented an office of any kind. But, to specify ,
something to sustain the charge, this was adopt
ed es the most convenient and plausible pretext
to get the money. But the gentleman from Ma
ryland asks if Gen. Cass obtained these pay
ments without vouchers? I answer, I do be
lieve, he did; but to ascertain the fact with cer
tainty, I went yesterday, first to the third Aud
itors office at the Treasury Department, and
there I w,es told that the vouchers were filed in
the office of the Second Auditor. I then pro
ceeded to the office of the Sec and Auditor, Mr.
Calla, and told him that I wished to see the
vouchers of Gen. Cass for the payments that
had been made to him, and what was the answer
I received ? The Auditor told nee he could not
attend to it. Sir," I said, “can you give me
the assistance of a clerk ?" No," was the
answer, t , my clerks are all busy—come
Immo other time." I said I should not consume
much time e but I was thus denied any means
and all assistance ter examine whether there
were vouchers or nut by the Second Auditor of
the Treasury. TIT gentleman from Michigan,
however, has shown that he could get all the
documents that he wanted. He has got an ac
count of all Gen. Taylor's, regular pity, and
doubtless he leas weight for Gen. Taylor's extra
Nay; but lie Ices not been able to find any,
be
'Fame. as appears by the tecorels, he his never
reeeive. .1 a dollar; nevertheless, the gentleman
from Michigan has not hesitated to insinuate,
and to send It to the country, that Gen. Taylor
has received more extra pay then Gem Cass, in
the face of these documents, Which show con- •
I elusively that he never received a cent of extra
' pay dttring a service of forty years, in the
course of Which he was doubtless often entitled
to it, as it appears nearly all other officers of the
! army have been. Yet the gentleman from Ali
' deb,. insinuates that Gen. Taylor received ex
tra pity ; for what he culls, ca the formal routine
of light military duty, at comparatively unim
portant posts." Sir, Gen. Taylor has spent
much of leis titne in the service on the western
frontier ; beet is the frontier service light mil
-1 itary duty 1" Were there no hardships and
privations to endure there t Let the Western
members of this House answer. I undertake
tee assert that the frontier service is the most
discomfortable, the most undesirable that all
officer, who preferred personal ease to the hard
ditties of camp, could be subjected to. But
'len. Taylor has always been ready to serve
his country wherever his services were requir
ed, how arduous socver they might be ; and so
Inr frotn having received more extra pay than
Governor Cass, asinsinuatell, I defy the gentle- 1
man to show that he has ever charged one dol
lor for extra pay. Here is the document which
shows the sums paid to officers of all grades for
extra allowances from the foundation of the
Govermnent. It is at tine service of the gentle
man from Michigan, or any other gentleman,
and I chaHange them to find the 'tome of Gen.
Taylor once as the recipient of an extra dollar..
But Gen. Cass received between $60,006 and
$70,000 for sitting in his splendid and comfor
table mansion in the city of Detroit, enjoying
his champaign, with every luxury, and the so
ciety of family and friends, while Gen. Taylor
was enduring hardships on the Western frontier.
'fleece are the two men now placed before the
country for the Presidency. Which will the
people prefer 1 The man who never contami
nated leis lingers with tlee extra perquisites of
office, or the Mall who leas become ride by such
means, having received more than all the offi
cers of like grade in the Government 1 If Gen.
Cass shall be elected President of the United
States, how can he refuse to others similar allow
ances, under the designation of extrapay, which
he has himself clalmed and rec,ivell, without
hesitation, tend without stintl And to what
plunder would not the Treasury of the country
be then exposed 1
We have me instance of this on record. It
will lee seen in this document, No. that
VUL. XIII, NO,
Geo. A. Porter, Mr. Cass's successor as
nor of Michigan, actually charge', and r
by order of Governor Cassi then Secre
War, $B,lOO for similar extra allowance
ly equal to doe half of the whole amour* .
ed to all the other territorial governors
gether. How could Governor Cass
How could he deny to others that which
so freely taken for himself /
anotherlint t ere is fict to which I
call the attention of the committee. Ge
come to Washington in Mt to settle
counts ; remained here during a whole
of Congress, 208 days ; obtained sllt,
extra allowances, and charged the Gore
$l,llB for this time, while receiving hi
salary of sunn, and extra allowances of
with $1 500 extra paid the territorial se
for attending to his liwiness at home !
spent another wild., here in the sam
helping to make an Indian Code," al
tioneering for the War Departm,nt, for
he charged $1,520 in addition to all his s
increased by new cents 10 $2,000 pf 4
and Os usual $1,500 extra to his secretar
But there is another matter to whichl
to call attention: It is this. On the;
October, MI, when Governor Cass ram
settle his account,, the principal pros
which he based his extra claims was the
provision in Detroit in Ibl4, 'ln, and '1
he sent "a schedule of the prices" of Ai
441 ts the "articles of lit r e" wi th his letter
War, Departmenf, and said if the Depa
Would allow.
.hin, Vl,OOO for these three
($6,000 in all,) he would be satisfied ; or,
his own words, these three years comp
the petiod to which I urn willing this alit
should be restricted, and within which the
of every article was most extravagant"
basing his claiin expressly on the ground
rise in the price of provisions, of chickei
eggs, pigs and potatoes, and, perhaps, "
na Sausages," which, if a good reason fo
ing his, would be equallygood for raising
other salary in the country. But what i
astonishing is this : 'Twelve days after 11
of this letter " restricting" his claim to
having got new views on the subject, he
another letter, dated the 29th of the same
increasing his claim from $6,000 to $1
that is, from $2,000 extra for three y,
52,230—n0t for three years, but for the
period of his service from ls.ll to 1821,
he received. Now, what will be thought
man's conscience, who says $6,000 is ,
one day, and claims $lO,OOO the next, fi
cisely the same services? I leave gen
to explain. But there was another trait
letter even worse than this. In reply to
gestion of the President, that the mode
out by Governor Cass for covering his
could not be justified by lam or usage.
nor Cass suggests that there was no limit
lowa tires out of the contingent—yes, fO2ll
—,ppropriation
of th for the Indian departme
"Mc discretion e Ex& Wire;" and 1
coal the true character of the transacti
makes this suggestion to the Secretary of
I quote his words. He says the ex
tore of the appropriation for the Indian i
most is entirely discretionary with the G
ment ; it is applied to such objects, and i
manner, as the Government may deem
conducive to the public interest—there
limitation but the discretion of the Exec
I do not ask the sum I have stated as a
nual allowance, but an a fair estimate
claim under the authority of Goverms
I do not ask it to be paid to mu. I r
it may be allowed in my account r
as an item of expenditure to which I was li
' Nut to be paid to him on his private ac
but to be put in his public official "acme,
rent as an expenditure to whirl: he was li
And here Gen: Cass's attorney, the get
from Michigan, mi,,tht very well stick it
refs supporting the Indians," to be tat
of the " Indian cslitingent fund," over
Governor Cass says " the Executive has
iced discretion." Sir, I cannot, I will n
tempt to characterize this suggestion, th
to deceive the public, but will leave gent
here, and the people at large, 1,, charaete
as they think proper. Is it saseeptible of d
trr It on; I wis,vm g
hear it:
But there is another curious thing abo
matter. It appears that in all his sett'.
Governor Cass never charged but one
extra allowance at a time. One time Is
ged $1,500 for office rent, &c., and th
time he brought up the other $1,500 rho
ereSsing the territorial line; thus, appa
charging but one $1,500 extra allowances,
in fart, he was receiving two. And the
themselves seem to have been deceived, fi
several times state that he got but $1
year extra. But when the Governor is
pointed Secretary of War, and conic tt
his final account, he was obliged to char;
did charge, for both his $1,50 . 0 extra alto ,
up to the date of his appointment. Set
No. 112, 3d sets., 2311, Congress, page
after getting the money by a requisition
Treasury, he then suspended the settleme
big himself at the time Secretary of Wi
it remained suspended till he was apt
minister to France, when he got the 2d
to close it up. Thus, it appears, that, 1
purpose of receiving the balance, the a
was considered settled ; but then, being I
Secretary of War, the settlement was su
ed—a very curious, but convenient arrang
But, sir, there is another thing which I.
by far the worst feature in the whole m,
worse than all the extras. 13y referring
final settlement of Governor Cass's acco
Governor of Michigan, and ex-officio S'
tendent of Italian afibirs, (see hue. No.
secs., 25th Congress, page 10,) where its
that, about a year after Governor Cain
pointed Secretary of War, he drew up
count against the Government for money
to have been advanced Mr the Governmen
years before, in his official capacity, I
right, ought to have been, and it is to be
toed would have been, nettled in his qui
accounts, and paid by the Government.
charges for over myruents to Win.. a
of annuities, preseatks, contingencies, &el.
ring back in some instances ten and
years, brought the Government in h a il deb
075, for which he got a requisition (No.
ou the Treasury, dated the 21st August,
(a year after his appointment as Secret
War) in full of the alleged balance ; and
having got the money, he suspended the
meta or this account, and it rethained sus
some four or five years, till he Was Whitt
ing as Minister to France, when dkrgot th
ter closed by his friend, William B. Len
t•4l Auditor of the Treasury.
Now, wb , will believe., for ene. momei