It appears that the amount above stated was all the money
collected thereupon. The grant of the relief of these sureties by the
Congress apparently was the same interposed by them to the suit in which
the judgment was recovered.
The present bill directs the Secretary of the Treasury to pay to the
surety Parker the sum of $2,336.95, the entire amount for which his
property was sold, though the Senate committee to which the bill was
referred reported in favor of reducing this sum to $1,793.16, the amount
actually received by the United States upon its indebtedness.
It seems to me that the action of Congress in relieving these sureties
was generous in the extreme, and if money was to be refunded which was
apparently legally recovered and collected it should not exceed the
amount the Government actually received. The Government is in no default
and should be put to no expense in refunding the small sum recovered on
account of the defalcation of its officer whose good conduct this
beneficiary guaranteed. I think it would better subserve public
interests if no further relief should be granted than that already
afforded.
There is another fact reported to me which deprives this surety of any
equitable claim for further relief. It appears from an examination of
this matter that the man who is now attempting to be reimbursed this
money from the Government Treasury commenced a suit against his
cosureties for this identical money on the ground of their liability
with him, and that he actually collected from two of them in such suit
the sum of $1,747.
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