Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-07-16

lner aoln'nlHratlon, they are at the lam
tine duplicating their friends: 70, !, ls ''is
not be contended, ] prefume, that il l,s WY ~
committee iay) no authority exiaed sasg
this expenditure, the precedent Of ,bs 80 10y
mer Administration could iuaifv tho wi vi
vance, made By the prefent fecIe,arv. avs
The next important Object which X.
report has noticed, is the accounts y y, .ns:
warand navy departments. U0on , sas
fubjea the committee fay there rename ,n =
the war department., mole than three mil
lions .of dollars, unacrounted for J. 40.
yet iettled,' and in the department &C ,ha
navy more than four millions, IAN unsc-
counted for orunlettied balance
This fatcment, although it does co-
contain any explicit charge sgaina ,bo,s.
departments, yet il is 70 exprellsd a, ,n
countenance thofe infamous talGbood.
which have appeared in certain new,p,
pers, charging the departments with Irf.
embezzlement of public money. A charas
which the committee, certainly did n ot
intend to coun tenance. The report ouob,
to have been more explicit upon hi, I
point the committee, ought to have ex'
planned what they intended by balance,
unaccopnted for sor unie;sled.' / tax.
the liberty Of declaring, thar although in
point offorn, it may be true, tha, thele
fans remain unaccounted for, yet in faa,
nothing comparable to it exits. The
mode in which buGnefs is tranfaaed in the
offices OF the accountants Of the war ard
navy, | underaand to be this whenever
ism Of money is advanced to an indivi.
dual, he is Immediately charged with it,
and although it may have been advanced
tor iefvices actually rendered, or fupplies
furnlhcd, yet nothing is paaed 10 bis ere.
dit, until a voucher is produced, for every
item in the account, and the account al.
though nothing is due upon it, remains
unfettled, and in the fenfe of the committee
a balance unaccounted for. In this man.
ner thefe millions mentioned by the COM
mittee are principally made up. For in.
Aance, in the war department, the account
of the Quarter Matter General, remains
unlet.led to the amount Of nearly nlne
hundred thoufand dollars; his account
however has been rendered, accompanied
as underaood by vouchers which cover
the whole amount, but in confequence OF
fome difpute, or uncertainty. reipeaiDg a
part of the account, it remains open, and
the whole of this large fun has gone in to
make part ofthe balance unaccoun'ed tor
in the war department.. Other accounts are
in the fame Gtua,ion and it IS from iach
facts, that the committee have thor them
felves jaaided in declaring that theie Da-
lances remain unaccounted for.
In the department of the navy, sltho'
from the caufes which / have mentioned,
there remains great number OF open az; ac-
counts amounting TO more than tour nl'li-
ons Of dqllars, yet the accountant declar,
ed TO the committee, that vouchers mac
been tranfmitted to the Office, covering
the whole fun, except FIVE hundred thou
fand dollars, but the accounts were not
iettied, nor the vouchers carried TO '9 NJ
credit Of tie particular accounts, became
the mode of fettlemsnt, did not warrant
the entry Of any credit, until every item
was covered by voucher. The a'a a.
tans further declared, that this fun OF nvs
hundred thouiaad dollars, confRed Pria-
cipally of rsaonies'recently advanced Tor 'ns
current fervice, for which voucher: were "
conaantly coming in, and that on w'na'na
up the whole account Of that department !;
he was perfuaded that government Souiu
not fuaain loTes to exceed ten OF twelve
thoufand dollars.
Under fuch circumstances, can II DC EN- iins =
gioed, that the committee were jui'lnsa !,
in talking about millions unaceoanfeo a, -,
or if they thought proper to do it, iho ana
they omit to explain in more ample s''u
satisfactory Mariner, their meaning =
,nobt nor the facts which ] have lilen !,