Western Sun, Volume 8, Number 40, Vincennes, Knox County, 6 September 1817 — Page 5

AY RSI ' E K N SU N, EXTR I

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Vincennes, September 6. TO MAJOR AM R ROS 12 WIIITLOCK District Paymaster, c. No 3. I feel not the least rcmctancc in acknow lodging that 1 was under a misapprehension with regard to tne amount of money, that had been transmitted to you In the winter and spring of last year, and although I have in vain applied for, and endeavoured to obtain certain documents w ich probably would account for it, I have no hesitation i.i admitting, that from the letters of the Paymaster iicneia!, it is probable that i must have misunderstood him. As soon however as I discovered that t e mistake existed I immediately pub isjied ti.e documents, a hich were calculated to correct it ; and to show the true amount of money which had hern placed at your disposal. And in now declaring that the en or, if committed by me, was unintentional) t have not such a pochr opinion of my character for veracity as to fear that any one honest, nan who knows me, will doubt the sincerity of ray declaration And let me ask you. whether you do not know, and the public prints of the day do not showthat other delegates left congress at the same time, under very erroneous impressions, relative to the payment of their conttitueHi t Did net many members of congress at the preceding session, return with impressions infinitely more erroneous ? And-have you not admitted) and do not the newspapers prove, that even at the last session of congress, the delegates and representatives from your district were mislead into an opinion that you had received double the amount of money that had been transmitted to you ? by then select me, as the peculiar object of your spite ? As there is no single circumstance to justify your insinuation that in my offer to pay the troops of this territory without any compensation for my trouble, I "v as governed by a desire to dei ivc some pi cuniary advantage from getting the public funds into my hands And as the manner, in which 1 promptly disposed ofthe money with which I was intrusted for thai pm pose, is proof sufficient to repel the insinuation. 1 might with propriety remind vou of an old proverb, very applied) e to vour case but I will eontent myself With barely remarking, that BUch motives w ould scarcely be suspected by any man, vv .se ottrfl heart did not suggest to him, that he himself would hoi be proof against their influence under similar circumstances. And

really sir, if you had never derived any advantages from tne public funds, that nave been placed in your nanus, beyond the iega monthly pay ol a Distiici Paymaster 1 can nardiy suppose ou would be so ready to can tne attention of the public to tne contrast between 4 my situation ana circumstances," and vour own or tnat you woukI have so often wnhi.eid payment under friviious pretexts, requiring that muster roils should be cnanged into k alphabetical form," and enueavouring to convince the Paymaster General, tliat the discharged rangers unu maiitia would be less uissatlslieu tnat seventy thousand dollars siiouid remain in your hands for months together, than with a partial payment of tnat much to themselves at a time w hen tne instalments tor the lands they had purchased of tne government, were constantly becoming one Look at the document you nave published u it is to the point." Never having wished to injure you, or to inter te re with you in any w ay whatever, fu riner than has been demanded by ntie saiy sell ochi.ie or the duty 1 ow co my constituents, i have no desire M to be informed of the time, and place of the pioposed investigation of your conduct, before a proper tribunal" nor can I discover any magnanimity in the offer, without you having previously furnished me with the documents neces saiytoafujl investigation, as you well know that 1 could not otherwise procure them. If I could only be so fortunate as to escape your misrepresentations most gladly would 1 abstain from all, Sc every act calcinated in the least degree, to interrupt 1 your peaceful retirement " But although 1 do not intend to be your accuser before the proposed " tribunal" yet as you have thought it necessary to quote " the ruies and articles of war," that relates to false muster rolls 1 beg leave to remind you that there is immediately preceding it a similar -4 rule k article," that relates to false pay r'lls, w hich, if 1 am to judge from your conduct, you seem to have totally forgotten. As Distaict Paymaster, your duties w ere plainly defined, and prescribed bylaw these duties, you had not the pow er to transfer to any other person the law Sc common sense equally forbade it You have the credit of Inning made such representations to the Pa master General, as to induce him to require the obnoxious oath., that has been the subject of so much recent discussion and you state yourself that you had been strictly enjoined by your insti uctions, M to guard by all possible means against impostors, fraudulent claims Sec." therefore it ou had the power, you ought not to have transferee! your duties. Yet notwithstanding the solemn injunctions of the law and cf the ! aymaster Genera "perfectly inattentive to, and careless of our duty" you did in a variety of instances, place your pay roils

in the hands of irresponsible' individuals', (some ol w hom, if you are to be believed w ere unw orthy of confidence,) you trust ed to them to pet form your ow n duties they, in some cases, trusted to other agents, of their own creation. And did you not return the men on those roils, as paid by yourself without ever having seen one of them ? Oh 1 low treacherous must have been your memory when you declared" that you dared not, nor did not vary one ioto from your instructions " ! ! ! But this is not all you did at different times, and places permit, & invite, certain indin,uals to sign other men's names to your pay rolls, without any authority written or verbal and vcu returned men as paid by you, wl o had never received a cent of their pay f.om you nor had authorised any other person to receive it for them were not all rhee faint return ? ! charge vou with no

bad motives you are welcome to assign good ones. ' ou may allege if you please, that your object was to have the men paid St that you had not time to perfoim that duty yourself and as proof of your sincerity, you may state the whole length of time, that you have gi en to the discharge of your duties in this territory, since the first commencement of ti e war or you may show if vou can that vou w ere not as much bound to attend to your duties in this part of your district as in Indiana ; merely state t: e facts which can be established (in a con or justice, if you please, Ivy a multituc e of w itnesses ! ut let me ask, was not such conduct contrary to law contrary to your instructioncontrary to your duty and in direct violation of your oath of office ? o not such facts constitute ' serious charges against an officer of your 1 ;g standing?' and are they i ot sufficient to show tl at you are one of the last men in the world who ought to have impugned the motives of others, or exhibited unjust charge? against them, concerning falsi roth ? Every disinterested and impartial reader of this reply, to your address, will see that I have "only returned your own assault" and " I am now done wit! vou." At parting however, peimit me to express a hope, that you w ill not forget, the calm spirit of conscious rectitude, and dignity that ought to prevail in all discussions " k that you will remember that abusing of others is the poorest way in the world, to acouit yourself I have set you no bad example for if I ha e in a single instance, used harsh, indecorous or intemperate language, it w ill be found to be merely, as a quotation from your own publication BENJAMIN' STi PHENSON. PRINTING. BOOKS. PAMPHLETS CARDS, HANDBILLS AND ALL k f ? US Of Bianks printed at this Office.