US Presidency
1823

The actual state of the public accounts furnishes additional evidence of the efficiency of the present system of accountability in relation to the public expenditure. Of the moneys drawn from the Treasury since [ 1817 - 03 - 04 ], the sum remaining unaccounted for on the 30th of September last is more than $ 1.5 M less than on the 30th of September preceding; and during the same period a reduction of nearly $ 1 M has been made in the amount of the unsettled accounts for moneys advanced previously to [ 1817 - 03 - 04 ]. It will be obvious that in proportion as the mass of accounts of the latter description is diminished by settlement the difficulty of settling the residue is increased from the consideration that in many instances it can be obtained only by legal process. For more precise details on this subject I refer to a report from the first Comptroller of the Treasury.