Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1830-01-26
TREASURY DEPARTMENT,
irH AUDITOR. OrrIcE. ,
pusl, N~v....t.- toln Z

irH AUDITOR. OrrIcE,p
| 3Oth November, 1929
SIR: Your letter Of the 10Th inst prop ,un ing
me certain inquiries rel,,ive to the accounts OF III
Navy department, has b err considered with the at
ten'ion due TO u Importance OF the subject Viii
the application have bestowed upon the duties of ihi
Office, cannot yet speak with entire confidence Of il
cond ion which wsuid justify important changes. with
GU further high s. The results OF my observation
the opinions have frme |, will, however, DO com
uu ell TO you with the utmost irankne.s
Money is the sinews Of power, and the source o
corruption. English liberty has been considere,
sale only so long as the power Of granting supplies tt
the king resides In the OF the peopie
Our institutions hive gone further Here, the re-
preseniauves OF the PeoPi, no, only grant supplies
ou' prrSc ibe the o jects TO which they sh, he APP
kept,
ia safe, anil think. correct principle, that the
Executive cannot righttuily increase dimn sh the
emoiu,nents OF public OH whose compensation ha,
been liked by law. When they are subjected to unu.
sui exp n'es In the public service, h. may grant
them allowances sufficient to cover tios. expenses,
but no more. He caunot rightful,y, u,der pretsncs
OF paying their expe under of c!nnua.
ton or any other device, increase their lawful eoiu-
ine"'s Yet, the pay aud emouments Of our naval Of.
hceis are chiefly OF Executive creation, and where tn
representatives Of the people have fixed them by law
TIE executive has, by vsrous 1uch ncrsa,
ed them.
In former report, stated to you, il detail. the
course which bad been pursusd iu relation to the Ma.
ihe Corps. To that crniIuunic alton refer You Tor
al! could new say in relation to that branch OF the
subject.
But Executive legislation in relation TO the navy
proper has been ever more extensive, and 10 in
violation, as conceive, OF the principles OF our
&c" ernmen,.
An act OF Congress, passed February 25th i799 fl
es The pay and emoinments Of Captains commanding
ships OF 81 guns AMI upwards, at SlV0 par month,
and eight racns per day, aud allows the oil
sqadio OIL eight 'a'ions in ajd ion The ration has
been conmui.d at 20 cents. Hence the lawful allow
ance OF comarder OF squadron is 81 $50 per year.
To increase tn income, the executive formerly al
lowed them commission OF l-2 per cent all bill.
drawn for III support ct their SOU drons, and
ceu'ly 1000 dollars per year in lieu Of commissions.
with 30 dollars Per month, 360 dollars per year. for
cabin furniture. Here $3.50 allowed by law and
$500 dollars by the i've ikrg hi whole mo.
limen,s d"ducting on what they uay pay for fur
niitte, 1880 doa's 1 do not say this is too much,
considering the expenses they necessarily incur in sup
porting The honor OF our navy in distant aud TO-
reign port; Tut mis- not the Elk cutive, with equal
right, Increase tito $40 900! Would not be better
would not the commanders feel, better in receiving it,
and the Executive ia paying il; il an allow ance
mad by law? The Communication price Of the officers
ratons il twenty five cents; the price over
mt Tue commut ton is rot fixed by law. but by
the Executive will. In speaking OF rstions, the law
knows 10 sinciioa between the seaman's ration aud
the officers ration. Yet, by Executive reguia ions
The Off er is ii owed 6j per cent Tor his ton
than the value of the seamgn's ration The money
paid the officer Tor 6 raons, would purcha,e 26
mems raons. Und color of communications there FORE
the Executive allows the Off than hi. lawful
ration aud thus inci his emoluments. Those re-
mar ks apply to every officer OF the Navy.
The Executive allows a Captain commanding a
line OF battle ship IS dollars per manth, 300 dol.
lars per year. for furniture; Captain comm anding
riga,e, 20 dollars 2IO dollars per wear; Master
Commdnhant commanding 5 oop of War Is doIIsr.,
or $50 dollars per ye ar; and Lieutenant anding
the zane sum. These allowances are unques-
tonably designed 10 increase the emoumens OF ioss
o1iccrs
AS strange a. |, ms seem, there l. no at Of en-
gress giving any compensation Whatever to Captains
If the Navy when shore, whether unempoy ed OF
Stationed at ,hs v.rors Navy Ya,d>; excepting only
the Navy Yard at w ASKING ton. The act of 1899 on
w provides monthly pay for Captain, 1nding
shipS-"ope hundred dollars per inOnh and eight
tons per day 10 captains commanding ships f 30
gums and upwards and "seventy ave dol per
mon h. and six rsons day" to cap aims comm and
ng ships 20 m under 80 guns Al the pay and
monuments Of Captains shore and at sh st atoms
originated in Executive lcgsla oa On iu Tough The v
allowed hail the highest gride Of pay; under o,
drrs waiting orders, they have full pay But the
most extensive Executive legislation in reia ion TO
them consists in the pay and emoumen's allowed the
at the Navy rd.. In Phiiadephi, f'r in.tance, the
Captain il allowed s 100 month, 10 ra;ions per day,
500 dollars oue rsnt IS doliars for candle so cords
oi Mood, committed al dollars per cord, and hrre
servants dollars per month; amour tin in all, TO
$4,000 10 cents. With the exception OF the monthly
pay AID ra'ions Of few of the off cers, all tho allow
made, all those stationed at and employ ed
Navy Yard5 Of Executive creation. Take, TO- in
same the estimates of the last year, for the Navy
Yad at Norfolk, 10 which all the lowing items are
apfhorzrd o'v nv Exec"'ive regulation