Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1820-01-20


10 law. The law directs that tie balance Of
thc public money remaining in the irrasurer's
hands, shall be divided and equally deposited
IN the bank OF Nitginia aud the FarmerS
bank. And finding that The direction at the
law had not been fully and property pursued,
your committee have eudeavored To ascertain
what disposition was made OF the sum of
SiOl $50 o. cents, for which the treasurer is
accountable, SITTER giving him credit for
S3i 620 i6 cents, the amount OF his deposit in
the Farmers Bank, To ascertain. il possible,
whether this deficit of SOL SG9 81 cents, re-
manned IN the treasury office on the Both day
of Sept. last, your comAittee applied TO Mr..
Preston Smith, the first clerk in the treasury
Office, TO furnish, il he could .ihe requisite in
formation on the SUBJECT. And your commit
tee were informed that about The Both of Sep
TENDER last. when the fiscal year OF the COM
monweal,h expired, there must have remained
ia the treasury office aboui $4,000 of The pub
lie money. lour committee are enabled To
state upon the same authoriiy, that the trea
surer ha,idisburSed about $1,000 TO public Of
Ulcers IN advance OF the salaries allowed them
by the government, and that for such disburse-
ineDtS the treasurer received credit until
after The close of the fiscal Year. This payment
OF $1,000. in advance TO the public officers may
explain why that sum of money was not IN the
treasury ofsce, or in either OF the banks,
when the fiscal year of the commonwealth
expired. But il is submitted to the Legislature,
whether the practice OF advancing the public
none, to officers of government, i'll anticipl-
ton o! their salaries, is not as unwise and
iueXpedieut as II a. gainst law. The officer
who is thus favored by the treasurer NAV die
or resign, after payment in advance and in
either such case, lie receives compensation for
services which lie has never rendered. and
cannot render in future time. Youi commit.
tee do not refer this practice which they
conceive 10 be highly improper, to any motive
IN Tue treasurer which IL selfish or personal to
himself but they make mention of il, that
the legislature NAY determine whether i, he
nj that the practice shtud continRe any
Inst tn fln
present treasurer requires that YOUR commit
tee should state that he has made another
disbursement of different kind: aud tor
which he received ho credit until the fiscal
Year had expired. Itappears from the minute
book ot the Literary Fund, aud which is now
before the legislature, that the treasurer was
one OF the commissioners appointed by the
president aud directors OF the Literary Fund,
IN 1878, TO purchase stock on their behalf aud
thattO meet the purchases made and eXpeu.
ses incurred by the treasurer on behalf of the
Literary Fund, mp TO the llth day of August
1917. Warrant was granted him on that day
for the sum of S27G,SG2 Ia CENTS leaving due
10 Inc treasurer, on the Both day of August,
lSl9, tor purchases made up To this last pe Rod,
the sum of Si2 .9jf 80 cents a warrant for
WHICH, The treasurer did not obtain from the
auditor until late III December last: as il was
not until tue 22d OF that month, that the pre-
sideni and directors OF the Literary Fund di-
rected the warrant tor tina: sum to he issued
All OF which sufficiently appears by reference
20 the minute book OF the president aud di-
rectors of the Literary Fund. Since the Both
OF August last, the treasurer in his character
OF commissioned for The Literary Fnud made
other purchases of stock for which he was al
lowed on the I'D Of December last d warrant
on the auditor for the SUM OF Sio75 with an
Item III addition, OF dollars, which the trea-
suTe' had paid foi recording deeds tors five
shares of stock in the James River Company
But allowing the treasurer full credit for eve
ny thing that he can claim from the foregoing
statements there stil remains balance of
SOS sol IL cents. which at the end of the
fiscal year was no where deposited that YOUR
committee can discover.
Ii furthermore appears from the account of
balances between the treasurer of the Com
mouweaith and the bank of Virginia. and
which accounts has lately been transmitted to
the legislature under a communication from
the governor, that. OIL The LIST of October last
ihe treasurer by overwhelming stood indebted
10 the bank OF Virginia III the sum OF Is POO 10.
And If this be added, (and Your committee
believe ii should } to the sum of S 6S ,557 II,
ehe unacconnted balance against the treasurer
is SSl ,Si7 81.
Your committee are aware that there is an
act of assembly which requires the executive
council OF the state 10 examine the treasury
ONCE once in Three months at least aud that
Erecent examination therein has been made
Dy mat department and communicated to the
legislature. In addition To this a,select COM
mlfiee has been recently raise I for the purpose
OF making a fall aud extensive examination OF
me treasury department, and aTeuow engaged
consequence of all which, the labors OF this
committee, having been greatly abridged and
superseded, are now submitted TO the cous-
deration OF the legislature.
rms Report was laid upon the table and
ordered 20 be printed
Mr.: Ctump, from the select committee to
EXAMINE the present state of the Treasury
once, made report IA part, which was pub
hsled III the last Enquirer.
On Mr.. Crump's motion, Resolved that the
committee, proceed Jointly with committee
OF the Senate 10 investigate the state OF the
IeaSnfy that they prosecute the examDa-
1Oth INST. and report by bill or otherwise and
that they 'e invested with the power of send
l"g fOr persons Ind papers. Sent TO the Sc
haic tor thriT concurrence.
bill J." concerning the records of the county
rejected
Yaioms other bills were read the 6rst and
second tiHe-.
o. justice vas aiken up, tOT vesting in George
Cr@" .ord the conmonw ealih's right TO certain
Iand 40 the comfy OF Chesterfield belonging
o. we tate Neil buchanan. Agreed 10 by the
House.
Aaoiher report was also read from the same
committee; /. granting the petition of Juni.
Us bnk - Prince Georse who prays the
commonwealth 10 release to him its riqht 10
lot OF land, late Elizabeth Swail's. in tie
'o"m OF PETERSBURG = for changing the name
OF Hehry itil ct Orange 10 Henry New
man. dgTeed 90 BIS the tlOnse.
he Speaker laid before the House the
following communication from the Gov
ernoT enclosing alelier from 1lr. A amS,
Secretary o. STATE:
COUNcIL CHAMBER, JAN. Is, 1920
DIR nave The hOHor To submit 10 The Ge-
neral Assembly the letter enclosed which has
been addressed 70 the Executive Department
OF the Government OF Virginia BY the Secreta-
Fy Of State Of the Government of the
united States, IN obedience to law OF tie
1n'teu states, making IL his duty to procure