True American. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1835-18??, 1839-05-16
THE TRUE AM ERICAN.
EDITED Bv JOsaN GIBSON.
FAITHFuI, AND BOLD,
NE w OR MS:
THURSDAY, MAY l6, 1889.

NEW OR LEANS:
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 1889.
Maurice Cannon entered upon the duties Of the office
o which he had been appointed viz: Receiver Of Pub
ic Monies for the district Of lands subject to sale at
New Orleans, on the 29th day Of September, 1885, He
continued to administer them the satisfaction Of the
government up to April H. 1886, when the Examiner
for the Department Of the Land Office made the follow.
ing certificate upon the books Of the said Cannon
I certify having carefully examined this Reg lister Of
Receipts from No. 10 to No. $50 inclusive, and have
found the number Of acres and sums correct with the
exception Of few discrepancies which have been cor
rected. New Orleans, April Il, 1886. Sgned-V NJ.
GAREscHE, Examiner" In the course Of the same
month. Mr.. Cannon resigned the Office Of Receiver
The Government permitted him to remain in office up
to the 18th Of October, 1885, when Mr.. Carter took his
place. 1t will be perceived that Mr. Garesche the
18th Of April, 1885, perfectly satisfied with Mr..
Cannon's accounts. On the date of his certificate to
that effect. the whole amount that had been paid and
deposited by MIR. Cannon from his entry into Officer
was $49,38l,42 and the whole amount Of sales Of pub
lie lands was s49072,16, leaving balance in favor OF
the Receiver of $3O9,26. On the 18th of June, 1886,
the law authorizing the entry Of certain lands in Lou
aiana, by virtue ofspecIed prescription rights expired.
There then legal receiver Of public monies, MIR.
Cannon having resigned Hundreds Of persons
in the city of New Orleans, prepared to pay for the
lands in question. convention Of the Commission
ers for the sales Of these lands, called by Mr. Can
non. They were OF opinion that book should be
opened for the entry of the purchasers names, lands,
SC, and that the money should be received by the
actng receiver, soon the Register should certify
TO the titles, they to bear date from the 10Th of June
From these sales, the payments for which continued to
be made for the space Of nearly four months, Mr.. Can
received the sum OF 1888, 1892 The Oeparr ent
continued recognize Mr.. Cannon as the receiver of
monies after his resignation, appears from orders is
sued to him from the General Land Office to dsburss
sundry monies. On the Sd Of September 1886, Ethan
a. Brown, Commissioner, commanded Mr.. Cannon to
pay the proprietor Of the Bee for advertising the
Of 1911.
Mr.. Cannon wishing to discharge himself of the
possibility to the Government of holding its monies,
the department that he ready to pay over
all the funds in his hands his accounts were
properly audited and approved. His nest
piled with. VIZ His accounts all audited and
approved and on the l7th Of December, MIR. Cannon
paid into the Commsrcl,l Bank of New Orleans to the
order of John Campbell, Treasurer the U. Ssates the
"uOia udluICe Ill HIS IdtuS UtiHS ana
took receipts of Mr.. Duplesss the Cashier in uipl-
cate. Thus terminated, as Mr.. Cannon thought his
connection with the Government, satisfactorily to his
| employers
But they who the corrupt administration, now in
power should remember that they junta of un,
p'incipled men, whose sole Objects to faten upon the
pablo purse and punish those who having received
appointments, do cry huzza for their masters. In
the of ha Oft,
the authority of the Madsonian, Mr. Cannon is set
down deauIter for $27S840,83, the exsct amour,
fthe balance paid by him to the Government, in
December 1886. The Madisonian published Mr. Cans
non de:auer to this amount. Mr.. Cannon dis
proved the statement at the time, and the Madsonia
published his reply. Nothing further was dons until
the 28th January, 1889, when there emaaaled from he
General Land Office, statement of the differences oc>
curing in the adjustment Of The accounts Of Maurice
Cannon late receiver of public money at New Orleans
from the 2lst November 1888 to the 3Otn June 1886
Had room, We would give copy Of this stntemen,
furnishing specimen ofihe bungling mode in which
accounts kept Washington. Nearly all the items
charged against Mr.. Cannon in this statement bea.
date previous to the certificate Of Mr. Garesche. Mr.
Cannon received from Mr. Garesche an assurance thn
the report the Examiner had been duly made to The
after the examination Mr.. Garescht. Nor is this all
The department adjusted Mr.. Cannon's accounts up to
the time he resigned the seals into Mr.. Carriers hands
and in virtue of,hs adjustment he paid the balance he
held over to the Commercial Bank. What must b.
the mode of djusting accounts at Washington, when
discovered than year afterwards in the
settlement, Here is a sample of the mode by which
our mers and their under officers do their du, to the
appontees of the Government.
The statement of the difference is avowed to be
up the 3o, of June 1885, and yet in that statement
there is charge made against Mr.. Cannon for bill Of
$3l paid, in September, 1885, the proprietor of the
Bee, the plea that voucher had been transmitted
to Washington. New, would you believe il, reader
when tell you that the date of The bill made out BY
Mr.. Bayon against the land Office here ia the 9th July
1885, and that the date of Ethan Browns order to nav
is 3rd September 1885, while the date of the receipt
the money by MIR. Bayon's is September Oath, 1886
Yet we have the document lying before US certifying
these facts!
The amount of The balances against Mr.. Cannon i.
$4l7s8 AZ. The department then ded.cts from tb.
amount nearly all the items charged nguinst him. max
ing 1889 10. Thus balance of $259 % is brouph
against Mr. Cannon, to which, with interest from
the Both Of June. 1886, petition was filed on the 1911
Of February, 1885, by the u 5. District Attorney in III,
Disrc, Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
against said Cannon and his suri,es, praying that the
defendants be cited, and after due proceedings be con
demned to pay the plaintiffs the sum aforesaid Som.
time since report Of this appeared in the True
American. Mr.. Cannon produced vouchers for ever,
enhroug,t against him, and for once an honest mar
prevailed against corrupt government.
In the Globe Of May is jesui,icul article upon h
Cannon case. 1t AYERS that in Wsodbury's report
made in January. 1898, document IL. page 90 the bal
against MIR. Cannon is stated 1896. How ,her
is the discrepancy to be accounted for between thi.
! statement AMI That dated General Land Office 2G,h o
January, 1889 In the latter the government claims
balance of $l259 2S-in the former balance OF 8 376
Will the Globe explain 1t cannot. l, IS only par
Of The wre,ci,ed system prevailing Washington in tho
mode OF keeping accounts. But the Globe says that the
suits these of small balances have been ns,i,u
ted to test whe lher the dues nominal or real
That is, the government settles The account of one O
IT'S officers, and then, when it discovers what it believes
to be errors occasioned by its own negligence, it har
rasses the late officer by suit, discover whether il
has properly performed its duties or whether the Office
in question has been honest. And when it finds that il
has had to deal wi an honest man. its surprise is SO
greut that the merest shutting apologies resored to
for the purpose of escaping public odium. We have
not done with this subject. The facts are now before
the public, md they damning to the government.
Let every man read and ponder.
MARINE Recommendations Waterman reports
that about the LIST instant, the schooner Albert of Eg.
Harbor, plying between this city and Ma,amoras, was
cd bor nf