William Loughton Smith to Tobias Lear, 19 February 1791
William Loughton Smith to Tobias Lear
Philada feby 19th [17]91
Dr Sir
As the Revenue Bill now under consideration contemplates a Supervisor of the Revenue in each State, I beg to recommend to the President Mr Daniel Stevens, as a very proper person for that Office. He is the gentleman whom I formerly recommended as Marshall of the District & as my Letter on that occasion enumeratd the qualifications & pretensions of that gentleman I will not here repeat them, only observing that I firmly beleive He will be fully competent to the Duties required by the Law & that he will execute the office with honor & integrity & in a manner satisfactory to the Citizens of So. Cara.1
For the subordinate offices of Inspectors, Mr Peter Bounetheau, Mr Edward Trenot & Col. John Mitchell appear duly qualified & have applied to me on the subject.2 I am Dr Sir with esteem Your ob. Sert
Wm Smith
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. Daniel Stevens was appointed supervisor of the excise for South Carolina (see Executive Order, 15 Mar. 1791). Smith had earlier recommended Smith, as well as Bounetheau, Trenot, and Mitchell, for federal appointments in a letter to GW of 17 July 1790.
2. Smith wrote again to Lear on 5 Mar. 1791, enclosing two letters from Peter Bounetheau to Smith, seeking Smith’s assistance in obtaining a post as excise inspector for Charleston. The first of these letters, dated 12 Feb. 1791, reads in part: “The Excise Bill submitted to your House of Representative⟨s⟩ by the Secretary of the Treasury in their last Session I have read with attention, and can only say that should I be Honored with an appointment no exertions Shall be wanteing on my part to fulfil the duties of an Inspector, as Specified in the said Bill, with integrity and Honor—Your recomendation therefore to the President will add to the obligations I am already under to you.” Bounetheau’s second letter to Smith, dated 20 Feb. 1791, makes substantially the same request (Smith to Lear, 5 Mar 1791 and both enclosures, DLC:GW). Neither Bounetheau, Trenot, nor Mitchell received excise appointments from GW.