South Branch intelligencer. [volume], June 28, 1834, Image 1

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UTH BRANCH IWTEEMGENCER.
V '*
‘i£5F:
iU $2 per annum m auvance or £
2 50 if not paid within the year. £
EHUs'TFiD & l’YjTilASYliiili jUY
WILLIAM lUlll’Wl, \U> ALY lhY, Ya.
) Auverusernents gl per square lor 3
£ weeks 25 cts. per s. for each cont.
VOLUME V.
SATURDAY, JUSE 28, i834.
no. l. ■
lATfiLLI&ENCfiR.
ROMNEY, JUNE 28, 1834.
A message was transmitted to Congress
yesterday, by the President of the U. States,
communicating official information ofthe un
fortunate accuipnt at Toulon. It appears
that three of the guns of the frigate United
States had been inadvertently left shotted,
all of which were discharged during the sa
lute, and most of them directly into the
French ship of the line Suffren, by which
two men were killed, and two wounded.
The President recommends to Congress that
pensions be authorized for the families of the
unfortunate victims of the accident.—Wash
ington Ini. June 10.
The Locusts.—The Edensburg (Cam
bria county) Sky, says the Locusts never
made their appearance on the mountains.
“The oldest inhabitants of this county
have never seen them here. We know
that in 1832 they were in great numbers
west of the mountains, & none were here.
We do not pretend to explain this singu
lar circumstance. Whether their non ap
pearance here is owing to something pe
culiar in the timber, the soil or climate, is
beyond our means of information. We
merely state the fact, let others speculate
upon the cause.”
O’ The editor of the Winchester Repub
lican moves that the reading of the Declara
tion of Independence be dispensed with, on
the 4th ofJuly,as inappropriate to the times,
and that the report of the Committee on the
Post Office Department be read m lieu of it.
The “lives” of the people, to be sure, are
left—but as to their “fortunes and their sa
cred honor”—say nothing about them at
present.
Riot on the {Fashington Rail Road.
We learn that a very serious riot has ta
ken place amongst the laborers on the
Washington Rail Road, which has alrea
dy resulted in the death of several of the
persons implicated and in the dangerous
. maiming of a considerable number of
\ them.
The disturbance began on the after
neon of Sunday, in the neighborhood of
the Patuxent river, about 18 miles from
Baltimore, & the parties employed them
selves in collecting of arms throughout the
U following night. On itlnmlay morning?,
on application of the civil authority,
Brigadier General C. S. Ridgbly collect
ed a volunteer force and succeeding in
capturing about 30 or 40 of the riottrs.
This measure,executed with great prompt
ness, appeared for a time to have intimi
dated these infatuated people, but they af
1 terward rallied in great force & last eve
,V ning commenced anew their outrages—
' several shantees have been burnt, Si oilier
mischief perpetrated. Their hostility has
so far been confined to each other and no
damage, as far as we have heard, has
been done to the persons or property of
the neighborhood.
The force embodied brfng found by
Gen. Ridgely to be insufficient to restore
order, a requisition was made early this
morning upon the military of Baltimore,
for a reinforcement,when a body of Infan
try and Riflemen was promptly ordered
to the scene of action. Tiny lefuhe city
in the Rail Road Cars about 11 o’clock.
A fine troop of Cavelry hasjalso left the
• city to join the forces under Gen. Ridgely.
Balt. Patriot, June 20.
Important !—The U. S. Telegraph of
Saturday says—The Secretary of the
Seriate, in compliance with a resolution ol
. the 9.I1 inst. presented stateiients made
lup to the 18ih inst. showing the aggre*
’ate numbers of all who have presented
petitions, memorials, &c. for or against
Ihe Executive measure of removing the
public deposites. We give tie result of
Yquiry
|or restoration of the deposites to
'be Bank of the United States
?^or restoration of the deposites and
recharter of the Bank
ryor the recharter of the Bank V
For adopting such measures as will
give r'C.hef
Against restoring the deposites and
against rechartert2<r the Bank
48,020
63,103
16,994
23,ska
17,(£7
A strong disposition is manifested by
t*tt
the English people, and we hope t$>t
they will carry it out, to drive the bishojis
from the house of lords, and divest than
of all seculr.r power. It is high time tint
such a connection between the state aid
“the church” was rent in twain.
The Correspondent of the Uni^d
States Gazette at Washington, states tipi
Mr. Tyler advocates the confirmation of
Mr. Stevenson, while Mr. Leigh is oppis
ed to it, and that to this difference of tp>
inion between the Virginia Senators ire
owing the uncertainty and embarrassmmt
which attend the result. The report of
the Committee of Foreign Relation,
(Messrs Wilkins, Fotsyth, Clay, Min
jgum, and Sprague) is understood to In
unfavorable to Mr. S. The two first re*
commending and the three last opposing
his confirmation. The writer above
mentioned hopes that the diversity belwen
Messrs. Leigh and Tyler on this occasion,
will be productive of no coolnessi Why
should it?—Rich. IVhig.
A blacksmith named Thomas Staple,
at Henry Court-House, in Virginia, has
invented a machine for striking, and ob
tained a patent for, which he soys not
only enables blacksmith’s to dispense with
the cost of a striker, but is capable of do
ing morethan double the work of the
(Test striker. It is thrown and kept in ac
tion with the motion of the foot, like to er
ordinary turning lathe, and is armed with
a lever, which gives a sledge of ordinary
size morS than double the velocity and
power which an ordinary striker cun ex
ert, with Ittie or no fatigue to the Smith.
Another signal advantage is that the
Smith can himself direct its action, and
thus avoid he exertion, & injury to work,
occasioned by the awkwardness ofa care
less striker.—Hagerstown Courier.
—4—s
New Intention—We have examined
the drawinr of a machine to gather grain
as it standstin the fi Id without cutting. It
is called th4 Locomotive Thresher, inten
ded to be moved l:y horse power, and
with the assistance of three mpn or boys
of fifteen years of age, is calculated to go
over ten acres of wheat or other grain per
day, and gather say two hundred bushels,
leaving the straw standing on the ground
threshed as clean as is generally done in
the ordinary way, thereby saving all the
expense of harvesting, and by ploughing
in or burning the straw, it is supposed
the ground may be tilled ad infinitum
without diminishing its fertility. Should
this invention succeedsit will afford anoth
er inducement lor farmers to inhabit arid
cultivate those beautiful prairies which a
bound in the fir West. The ingenious
inventor is Mr, John TiVail, of La Por
te,*Indiar,a, formerly of this town.—Rah
way Advertiser.
O’ In the Post Office Debate, Isaac
Hill read a speech, and tsked Me. Clay
ton of Delaware, what rnhedy he propos
ed for certain things ? 'A> which Mr. C.
replied : Trmottiy Upturn's remedy for
base calumniators, who bade scurrility
their trade.” “Perhaps, lominued Mr.
C. the member is able toj judge of the
efficacy of this remedyMr. Upharn
some years ago, hotse whipped the Sena
tor from New Hampshire! for charging
him with smuggling m the war.
O' We gave last veek a sample of the
proceedings of the Poit Office Department
with favorite mail conVactors. Wo presume
no such favoritism has 'loon extended to this
quarter. — Capt. Nixon for instance, who
is a mail contractor, orsub-contractor, for
carrying the mail from ickhari’s lo Moore
field, gets no extra ULowANCEs : nor
does Mr Kuykendall, wh. is also a contract
or, or sub-contractor, for tarrying the mail
from Uomuey to Clarksbng. These gentle
men have to perform thoioontracts without
any further aid from the Vry liberal officers
oftho Post Office Departrant at Washing
ton notv controlled by fllnjo Parry.
Below we give a sample othe great liber
ality of the same departmer. towards cer
tain editors of newspapers. 1 this we would
have liked to have participate! ourself, pro
vided it could have baeii die fairly. But
we are not of that fortunate piss recognised
at the General Post-Office Department.
The resolution of Congas to enable
the Secretary of State to county with it,
enjoins it upon the “several uads of de
partments, directing or incufing the ex
pense, to cause the lists, andthe matter
(hi,shy required to be added,o the De
partment of State.” The doefysnt in the
Blue Book”(page 182, 3, 4,) eflu led “List!
of all printers employed by lb Post Of
fice Department, between ti> 30th of
September, 1831, and the 30a of Sep»
teniber, 1833, with the comptsalion o!
each,” is the official paper fuilffied in o
bedience to this resolution, anils ihe first
publication of any portion of th> inciden
tal expenses that has ever hem, made in
obedience-to the requisitions if
Tne object of the resolutioi «as to in
terpose the check of public ojinrpn to ar
rest the abuse of ofiicial jnironage to
printers, no other check haviig been pro
vided. To the end, also, thatthis patron
age might not be abused, ivitmut detec
tion by employing the ownerf f the press,
in any other way than in ptnting, it is
provided, thut the list to b furnished
should embrace all printers any way
employed with the compensator! to each,'
no matter for what allowed. If a printer
‘be wailccattacior, it was iuttided by the
I
I
resolutibs that the-fact should appear.—
If any kne of those who control the f blit
press, ^ijoys for years a monopoly in sup
plying;1^ department with articles to the
great [ft. fit of the contractor, the fact was
designed to be shown, in older that the
public plight judge of the extent and in
fluencaof the Executive patronage over
the press so controlled. But so far from
accom||!shing this, or any other proper
object pf this part of the resolution, it has
been (lit means of eliciting a report from
the PoslOffice Department precisely cal
culated^ mislead the public in rtflerence
to the vtitole subject.
On tlilhst of printers in the olue Boo!;,
T-no & (recti proprietors end p, inter.- of the
Boston Satesaiun, are thus stated to be em
ployed :
True & Green, fur printing blanks, 6,692 72
For adveitisirig proposals, 206 60
Total cfihpensation reported in the
Blue Ijiook, i 6,699 26
But tlia exhibit;now made by the account
of the department, hereto appended', shows
that thoj have tfeen employed during the
whole tijne, (as tlte present Postmaster Gen
eral hadjii! fact, hr years before employed
them,) if fumishfsr paper, printed blanks &
twine, tnthe am|unt of 29,907 75
See t|ie ainoupl of the following items ;
1822j Januiry 25. True and Greene’s
compensation f# furnishing blanks, paper &
twine, lo varioifc post offices in New York
and elsewhere,from 1st October to 31st De
3,944 10
2,824 10
2,455 05
cumber, 1831, iefusive,
May 9. Tne & Greene’s corn
pensution for finishing paper and
twine, &c., fripi 1st of January to
the 31st of Mach, 1832, inclusive, 2,144 35
August27. true &. Greene, do.
for blanks, pi j?r and twine, from
30th June, 1^2,
Dec. 15. True & Greene, do.
for blanks, ptjnr and twine, from
1st of July tclhe30th September,
1832,
1833. Mitch 23. True and
Greene, do. Ifr blanks, paper and
twine,from it. Oct. 1832, to 31st
December, 1.32,
.April 23 True & Greene, do.
for blanks, pper and twine, from
1st October, J832, to 15th April,
1833,
July 24. True & Greene, for
paper, blank and twine, from 1st
Oct. 1832, tf30tn Sept., 1833, 3,022 12
Oct. 16. froe & Greene, for
blanks, pape.and twine, from 1st
April to 1st tetober, 1833,
2,164 85
3,727 S3
9,625
Real compesntion, 29,907 75
So that the printers of “the Boston
Siatesmanp thus employed by the de
partment, peeked compensation for the
articles whjli they were employed to fur
nish, withit the period named in the res
olution, etreeriing by $23,008 50, the
sums publjlied by the department in the
Blue Book
And fror) an accurate examination of the
original vdichors for thesepayments to them,
the followihg facts appear ; •
First, tint the real sum paid for “the
pritved banks,” (including the press work,
type setting, and the paper oil which the
blanks were actually printed.) was, 16,463 25
And that the real sum paid for
wrapping paper and twine, was 13,444 50
Sc that the sum paid for the
prinje d blanks alone exceeds the
sums published in the Blue Book
26,907 7c
by
9,564 00
Secondly, It appears that the only cv*
idonceupon which these large sums were
paid isthe cirtiflcate of Nathaniel Greene,
the postmaster at Boston. He is the
brother of Charles Greene, of the firm of
True tv: Greene. He undertaltes to certi
fy, in all cases, that blanks, paper, and
twine, were furnished to the various post'
masters in “New York and elsewhere” to
the precise amount stated in all the vouch
ers. He is the same person who edited
‘‘the Boston Statesman” before that press
was transferred to its present proprietors ;
and, from the information we have had,
it appears to us that the postmaster him
self was interested in it at the lime of
granting his certificates.
This is but one of a class of cases pre
sented by “the incidental expenses,” and
we think it proper to remaik that, profita
ble as sdeh contracts are, there is no com
petition admitted for them 5 no advertise
ment or other notice invites other persons
to enter the lists in rivalry with the favor
ed newspaper editor upon whom such
compensation is to be bestowed. Estab
lished in a city where its patronage from
other sources than Executive favor was
probably not very ereat, the press of “the
Boston Statesman” appears by the vouch
ers and receipis to have been sustained in
the year 1832, when the last Presidential
election occurred, by the employment o!
its proprietors in rendering services to the
amount of nearly sixteen thousand dollars,
which was paid out of the revenues of
this department.
And now it algo appears that Hill and
Abbott, (printers of the New Hampshire
Patriot,) were allowed, during the satin
period when True and Green were em
ployedj #7,548 26 for “blinjss, pper &
twine,” of which $4,238 83 was for prin -
ting blanks, though the sums appearing in
the Blue Book, as paid to then), amount
only to $1,494 36.
Horatio Hill also had mail contracts
for which he received $6,272,with “news
paper. privilege,” as we have seen, though
the Blue BoT>k does hot notice the fact in
the list of printers ; and Hill and Abbott
appear also on the list of mail contractors,
both for MaineandNew Hampshire, will)
Hill and Morse, T. S. Abbott and Co.,
Hill and Ctane, and Babbitt and Hill.
During the same period, Shndrach Penn,
who is the printer and proprietor of the
Louisville Public Advertiser, was employ
ed to furnish blanks, paper, and (wine, to
the amount of $9,566 36, although in the
Blue Book his name appears on the list of
printers as in any way employed by the
department only for the sum of 2,297 91
Other sums were paid within the same
period to other persons, for “the paper
and twine,” amounting to 24,562 Gl.
The sums allowed during these two years,
as appears by the vouchers & accounts
for printed blanks, paper'and twine, [not
including the large sums paid to other
editors for printing “mail proposes,”]
amount to more than $70,000.
The account now exhibited bv the de
partment shows that Fraricis P. Blair, edi
tor of the Globe, received from the 30th
of December, 1831, to the 26th of Octo
ber, 1833, inclusive, the sum of $21,634
90. He appears on the Blue Book for
only $14,371 57- But as the department,
on the application of the committee, sen'
us only a part of the vouchers for this ac
count, and deferred sending the rest until
it is now loo late to examine them in time
lor this report, we cannot say how far the
official- statement in the Register is correct
or incorrect. The rales at which tbis
printer is employed are enormous, and, in
our opinion, are not to be justified by ref*
erence to any thing which has occurred in
the past history of this department. We
herewith submit a specimen of the rates
paid him for advertising ; and accompa
nying the same is a statement of the rates
and sums allowed for printing advertise
ments in July, 1 830. The sum allowed!
for printing these advertisements is, it will
be seen, about four times the amount then
paid for them. See the statements mark,
ed X.
During the interesting period between
tile 1st of July & tiie 30th of Dec., 1832,
the “incidental expenses” were $22,
958 07. Within that time $13,673 31
was paid for printing, to the editors and
printers of newspapers, besides $5,166 16
for other articles by them supplied. Of
the sums so paid to printers, Francis P.
Blair received $8,376 50 “fur printing
proposals for carrying the mail from the
20;h of July, 1832, to the 11th of Octo
ber, 1832,” a period of two months and
twenty-two days. The period immedi
ately preceding the Presidential election
was the time selected for paying from this
department to this single editor about one
•uindred and sixteen dollars for every day
his paper issued from the press. At the
same lime “the mail proposals” appeared
not only in the city prints, and others
having extensive circulation in different
parts ol the country, but in the most ob
scure country papers, some of which, ha
ving consumed the ailiment they fed on,
have since perished for the want of it. We
present a few examples, and inquire what
possible purpose except that of supporting
a party press, while an excired political
canvass was proceeding in the State ol
New York, were the following expendi
tures made.
1832. Mack & Andrews, for pub
lishing proposals for carrying the
United States’ mail in New York,
31st October, 1832, • 355,25
Bryan &Lesph &. Co., for do. in
N. York, 10th September, 1832, 441 90
James Stryker, for do. in N. .Y.
29lh November, 1832, *’ 416 10
James W right, for 'publishing in
‘•Sandy Hill Herald.” N. Y.,
proposals the mail in New York
12th July, till September, 1832,’ 413 10
- _ $1,036 35
It will be seen by reference to the ac
count now furnished by the department,
that while the Globe weekly, semi-week
ly, and daily, was publishing these very
“mail proposals” for the whole Union ;
and while the Albany Argus, aud the
Courier and Enquirer were publishing
the same for the State of New York, and
transmitting them to every part of the
State from which a bid could be expecte:,,
these four papers, some of them scarcely
circulating through a single county in the
interior, and published two or ib:ee limes
a week, were kept up at an •' xpease of
$1,636 35 for two months’ printing of the
mail proposals for the whole Slate. Fot
these and other similar expenditures now
brought to light by the document annex
ed, we can perceive no precedents in the
former history of the department.
• The jeap 188.2, was nlavt dUijttguisaed
by the amount cf expanse incurred for the
services of sundry agents and secret emi
saries who were put in motion at an ex«
pense of nearly ten thousand dollars for
that year. These trips of investigation do
not all appear on the face ol the account.
The sum of $6,005 is credited for sums
paid to S. Gouverneur, the postmaster at
New York. From an endorsement on one
of the vouchers to support this charge it
appears that lie has received credit ore
the books of the department for that a"
mount, by him paid, for the incidental
expenses of bis office, from which we infer
that, by the direction of the department,
lie made these payments, and was allow
ed them on settlement for postages, fvlr.
Gouverneur is not responsible for thesn
payments ordered by the department.—
Among the receipts is onenfP. L. Lough
borough, travelling agent, for one hundred
dollars paid him the 4th day of June,
1852 ; and seven of Barnabas Bates, a*
neither traveller, for 1,253 cash paid him
as “ special agent,” between the 1st of'
August and the 12th of December, 1832,
inclusive.
Mr. Barnabas Bates, in October, 1833,
presented an account, of which the follow-,
mg is. a literal copy :
“General Poet Office,
"To P. Bates, Special Agent, Dr.
“1833. April 30.
To aervicea from July 1, 1832, to
date, 304 days, at 3 per diem 912 G(J
Do do expenses during the
same, $2 60, 760 00
Do do steamboat and stage
fare.
Do do p 60, 184 00
§1,856 CO
So that Mr. Barnabas Bates seta good
price on his travels, and although, by an
endorsement, it appears that Mr. C. K.
Gardner, the 1st Assistant Postmater Gen
eral, doubted about the allowance of 50
cents of the $2 50 per diem for “expen*
ses,” in addition to the “per diem for ser
vices,” & the “steamboat & stage fare
yet, on putting the question endorser]
on the voucher—“shall the additional 50
cents be allowed underthecirccmstances,”
the Postmaster General underwiites—
“allowed ;” and on the 15th of October,
1833, Mr. Bates gives a receipt for a ere*
dit allowed him on account for the whola
dir.o-j-.il of $1,856. The most curious
part of this matter, however, iSa^hat tha
department has directed Mr. Gouverneur
to pay these agents for travelling, as it
appears they did, as “special agents,” ire
New York and New England, and there
covered and concealed the charges under
the name of "incidental expenses of tin
Post Ojjice at the city of New York
By the returns for the first quarter for
1833, it also appears that P. S. Loughbo*
rough, who receives an annual salary from
the Treasury of the United States of six*
teen;hundred dollars aa “general agent,”
of the Post Office Department,was paid ire
addition thereto the sum of 2,467 66 as,
“special agent,”for expenses in travelling
in Virginia, N. Y. & the Western States,,
per order the Postmaster General,front 1st
Nov. 1831, to 31st December,1832, mak
ing the whole sum paid that officer during
that period, 4,067 66. During the sains
period, it will be seen from the account
• hat ether agents received 4,099 40,
which, with the payment to Bates niuria
by Gouverneur, make 9,510 66 for trav.
elling agents in about one year. It is ev*
ider.ee before the committee, by O. B.
Brown, that Mr. Loughborough starteo ore
another trip of investigation about four
weeks ago.
r inally, the incidental expenses from
the 1st of July, 1829, to the 1st of July,
1834, by the returns made for the foul?
first years, and the Postmaster General’?,
estimates for the last, amounts to the suy»
of 357,579 04 ; thus exceeding the inr.i
dental expenses of the five years prev> tuff
to the 1st January, 1S29, by the st-.n of
one hundred and sixty thousand five hun*
dred and forty-one dollars. The necessi«
ty for legal restraint in this matter, we
think, too apparent to tequire further
comment ; and we now dismiss this part
of the subject.
Ou the whole, your committee have
found the affairs of the department ^in a
state of utter derangement, resulting,' a3 it
is believed, from the uncontrolled discre
tion exercised by its officers over its con*
tracts and its funds j and their habitus!
evasion, in some instances their total dir*
regard of the laws which have been pro
vided for their restraint. And your co,o
mittee see no means within the power of
Congress of extricating it from its present
condition, and restoring it to a I;a .‘thy
aad efficient action, without providi g by
low a more strict system (or its gi vern«
mem ; prescribing toils officers m espe
cial mies for the performance of their sav*
-tal duties ; taking from them, a far as
possible, all discretion, when the accep*
lance of a contract, or the disbu>-etnerit of
money is concerned ; establishing a more
strict system of accountability, and enforc
ing an obsetvar.ee of the iaws by pe>,al