Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1839-03-20
PART ". DEFALCATloNS AMONG REcE,TcE
CT PUBLIC MONEYS.

PART ". DEFALcATloIs AMONG RECEIVERS
CT PUBLIC MONEYS.
The Committee, in fulflment OF tina! por.
lion Of the duy assigned them, by which
they were directed 10 inquire into ''any dc.
(alcaiioEs amors receivers, &r. which
may now exist" report TO The House,
that the limited period which they had for
thorough investigation Of the subjects
with which they were charged, and the time
necessarily consumed in the examination OF
the cases Of the late collector and d trlct
attorney Of New York, nave prevented a
minute investigation Of llie extent, nature.
and causes the oefaicalions Of receivers OF
public moneys, arising from the sales OF
public lands. The Communicative, however,
prepared, from reports made by the Sec
rotary of the Treasury at the last and pre-.
sent session of Congress, a tabular safe.
| men,, Of the names Of such deiaulters, the
amount due from each, when due, md the
penalties of their official bonds, respective
! fy; also, the correspondence had Derweeh
The Treasury Department and fi,etn ofthc
individuals whose names appear OH said
sta.cment--.Iie Committee having called
for, aud been furnished by the Department.
with the answers OF the receivers % tic let,
ters ofthe Secretary oflho Treasury, as con.
:ained in House document No. 2o7. These
fifteen cases are reported specially, SO ex.
amplcs merely of the manne. III which the
President Of the United States and The Sec
re;ary of the Treasury have executed the
laws in respect TO the public money and oh.
er property oflhe United States in the hand!
of this class ofpublic officers, ard in respect
{ to their official duty.
! The law provides for the appointment by
! The Executive, with the concurrence Of the
Senate, ola receiver Of public moneys at
each ofhc places respectively where The
public and private sales Of the lands ale to
be made, who shall give bond, with appro.
ycd security, for the faithful discharge of his
trust who shalt transmit, within thirty days,
in case Of public sale, and quarterly in case
Of private sale, any account Of all the pub.
lie moneys by him received, 10 the Secrs-
tary ofthe Treasury and to the reg stcrs Of
the land Offices, as the case may be. He
is allowed 4 salary Of five hundred dollars
per annum, and commiss On OF one per
cen,um on tho moneys received bu, his sal.
ary for any one year shall not exceed S3,-
O00. The Secretary Of hrsTreasury may
allow to the several receivers ofthc public
money at .hc several laad Offices, reason-
able compensation for transporting to and
deposllins such moneys in any bank or amy
other place Of deposile that may from time
to time be designated by the SecI c'ary Of
the Treasury for that purpose. Tic is also
authorized topreseribe su,h further rfgula.
tions in the manner Of keeping books and
accounts by the several officers in tile land
offices, as 10 hin, may appear necessary and
proper. |: is made his duty, al least once
in every year, to cause the books Of ths
officers of the land Offices TO bc examined,
and the balance of public moneys in the
hands Of the several receivers 10 be aScer.
tained.
Tnc foregoing synopsis Of the law rela.
tive 10 land receivers, and the correspondence
with portion Of those who have proved de-
faul,c1s and fai!hess 10 their trusts, are sub
mi,teJ, without further comment than that
the facts and circumstances here exhibited
show such derelicton Of duty on lbe part
of,I Q Executive department as calls loudly
for searching examination mo this brunch
ofthe public service, and for a thorough re-
form.
The practice which the foregoing corrs-
pondance EXHIBITS, ofreIaiang men IN o'"tc !,
after gross and repeated violations otl1H =: |.
keeping and using the public moneys il;
priya,o speculation. and the character s: IL.
correspondence itself, but too Clearly l'e,nt
70 the inference that such officers WIRE re.
tanned in place because they possessed ex-
ensve political influence, and @ere useful, /!
md ctive parlisans. Whether such mal.ad.
minis ratol consti t's of.cIU corruption in |
hose superior officers oftp. Executive dc.
,a.:r,cnts Who kpew 5 and nerr,i,,r,, y !