WRITINGS OF 5AM HOUSTON, 1853
389
seen by the Comptroller of the Treasury until after he had performed his important mission. It appears, though, that instead of receiving the money at the Treasury, by the express order of the Secretary of the Interior, Mr. Williamson, disbursing clerk of the Department of the Interior, was ordered to pay him ~1,750, for the expenses of his journey to London and throughout Europe. On his return he presented himself at the Comptroller's Office, presenting, not, the Secretary says in his communication, vouchers strictly to be considered as vouchers, but a memorandum of the bills of his expenses at the various points at which he touched; but Mr. Kennedy's account was not passed to his credit. It was objected to, and what was the consequence?· Why, Mr. Kennedy promised that he would get vouchers. The gentle- man who is the First Comptroller of the Treasury, we all know, is a little pertinacious and particular about the adjustment of accounts. He likes immensely to have vouchers for all he does, that he may be backed up. Well, sir, in these times of general carelessness, to say the least of it, I think it is very well to have a remembrancer now and then to assist a man-I grant it is unfashionable, but that does not lessen the necessity of good vouchers. He did not pass Mr. Kennedy's accounts; but Mr. Kennedy had received the money by order of Mr. Stuart, the Secretary of the Interior, without law or authority of any kind. He received it on the mere dictum of Mr. Stuart, and Mr. Kennedy had the money in his pocket. He was independent of the Comptroller, but the Comptroller went on to make his calcula- tions; he called upon Mr. Kennedy for his vouchers, and Mr. Kennedy said he could procure them, and that he would do so. That was perhaps early in April-I do not know exactly the time-but several months after no voucher was furnished. In August there was none. The Comptroller, so Argus-eyed as he is, and such a bug-bear and terror to honest men, no doubt, sometimes-I do not know how often-thought he would start upon the hunt himself, and he set out. There were two little items at the outset for expenses to the great fair of nations. One item was for expenses from here to London. That headed the account. It was concluded for an item embracing all the charges from London to Washington city again. That concluded the . account. There were no vouchers for these charges. The Comp- troller wanted them, but he could not obtain them; so he wrote to Mr. Collins, as it was on board of one of Mr. Collins's gallant steamships that Mr. Kennedy visited Europe, and I think he
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