Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1842-03-08
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MIR. SAMUEL HALL.
This gentleman served a member Of the Board
Of Internal lmproy ement. and acting commits sioncr
the Central Canal, for eight nine months.
Daring this time. he engaged iu active service,
attending To- all the arduous dutes imposed on mem
bers OF the Board a. Internal inprov that
Pell0d The act OF l~36 allowed to members oi the
Board compensation OF = per day, aud reason
able expenses. BY somewhat liberal c0nstruc
lion OF the act. and ~ the opinion If the committee
onIIstl fable the Botrd construed this -
allow them - per day for the entire year, AS ap-
pears from the testimony Of MIR. y andes Gen. Long
and others, the entire pay would amount, at this
rate, to $3.50.
Not being able to keep small accounts Of expend-
itures with convenience, by cqullly liberal con-
stHctiOn of the act the Board fixed the rate of their
daily expenditure at Il ~ per day for the entire
gear, makIug total allowance for expenses the sum
of SJl7 81. ly tins arrangement. the ANIMAL sal
airy Of each member Of the Board was raised to the
sum Of : ,217 -. u bat lu,t 10 remark, that
one member OF the Board jastiies his allowance by
the usage established by members Of the Legisla-
tnre under similar act, IN tlking their per diem
Tor holidays and sundays during the session. 80
far the holidays concerned, your committee
think that the fully N point. and that those
members who vote for adjournment Christmas
and Newycars days. should by means charge the
per diem for that time. We admonished by
this instance, in which abuse is justified by
other, to set better examples the future. Mr. Hall,
IN this matter, stands on high ground ne perform
ed-dEtles equal nearly 80. 10 those of any other
member of the boara OF Igternal Improvement, and
= received has pend em'for the time actually engaged
in the pubc~ssrvIce, charging no more than actual
expenses, making total for e. GIT months service,
81 little more than SO. We lind charge against
hun Whatever.
MR. DAVID BURR.
Tins gentleman served as commissioner the
Wabash aud Erie Canal aud proved a def,1tcr 10
a large arrasIA. The circumstances attending that
deia cation have long been made known To the pub
lie. The balance found due from Nr. Burr has
been paid INTO the Treasury. lie has spread long
defence the journals % the committee, by which
he accounts for defacatiou. lis defence is that
he IN the habit OF making large advances 10
contractors. II vbich he kept no account, which
were forgotten tine settlement. He proves 10y
several witnesses circumstances tending 10 sustain
rms Ut the matter. One witness testihes to
hls having made a lu1n at one tune 1T the SUN OF
sldO, of winch be subsequently lad recollection
whatcvcr. Il seems not Improbablc. that with hls
careless habits, and The practice winch he fell into
Of making frequent advances To contractors, the de-
facaions ensued from the winch he suggests.
lie has paid the b1ancc found against hts, aud
therefore your committee recommend No legal action
ia his case. lis answer - somewhat remarkable
for iabored defence of the system OF Internal Im
proycmcn's enbodying all the authorizations which
governe1 ,hs I,ob,ic uuud at thar day.
Against Mr. \ ANDES. We lind no charges
Against Mr.. GRAHAM commissioner the
Je6ersonvllle and CraWtordsvllic road, aud the
southern division 81 tks Centrai Canal. We hnd
charge has been made Of purchasing the estimates
of contractors AT discount. lie was prevented
from attending before the committee by sickness,
and has not been heard p lis defence. On his case
We pronounce judgment.
Against Col. BLAKE, there have been no charg
es preferred
The same Eay be said of Mr. LEWIS.
AIR JESSE l.. WILLIAMS.
We viii notice TIE conduct ct this gentleman
chief Engineer We fluid no charges egainst hun OF
specializing connIvng at speculation by others
of the engineer corps TIE lines. Nor do they
charge hlm with oyerestmates To contractors or al
connleing at such conduct in others. There is
charge against HIM OF reta mag T. VI. Bcckwlth ia.
office. after OF his misconduct had been made
known to said W illams. The misconduct com.
planned Of TO Mr.. Williams on which this charge
was based, was that Beckwjth had made an CHROME.
Gus profile OF the ground, and false estimates OF
work done section \o.2 OF the Madison railroad,
whereby Hendricks had sustained great loss. Mt
Abram Hendricks and Joseph II. Hendricks the
contractors, and William Hendricks sen. appear to
have united In their complaints against ReckWlth
on this matter. Ia tie winter u leie, hr ). IL.
Hendricks visited Nr. " .lliams and requested hlm
20 have his work rc-mcasured. lie says thit MI
Williams promised to come down and measure the
section himself, bat did not come down Tor some
months afterwards, aEd he then got Beckwtth 10
make profile 10 satisfy Mr.. HendrieNs lhiS
was presented To Mr. Hendricks by Mr.. W Iliams,
bat he re,.eted lt without examination. several
letters appear L. I'VE been written 10 Mt iilams
subsequent 40 tins time by the Messrs- hendricks
aud Nr. Nm. lleadricts Sch. COM Y OF ti'
same matters, and rejecting upon Mf. BtcEN'th
very severely Tie committee vii remark that
the OF these complaints suc a 10 RAISE NJ
rery strong impression on Mr. NiIiamss mtnd,
that Beck Nth vas dishonest They were mede by
Disconnected contractor. aud las immediate con
lectlons end friends, who complained al the res
dent eng necr tor Under estimates. Had there been
complaint OF overestiula'e by third persons, the
case would have been q1lte different Mf. W.
!lam~'S confidence ia BeckWlth such case. mlghi
have been shaken and IL would haze been his dl;g
TO have SET on foot r,gid enquiry INTO the facts.
But II Ll4st be borne mind that Mr.. BeckwIth
had been introduced tC Nr. Williams, with the hlga-
esi TESTIMONIALS OF private and professional charac-
ter that the charges made against b m were 81
common character, Snca rs every eng aecr Who
did his duty. was daily subject to- from contractors
who had made losing bargains. Mr. Williams
might well DC Sow - give up confidence placed
IN Mr.. Beckwith and long cherished, on such weak
and improbable grounds. The nature OF Mr.. Will
in various paris OF the safe, n sht well excuse his
not going Madison sooner than he did and the
high opinion which he entertained of the character
of the resident engineer, sufficiently accounts for It's
not evincng any suspicious Of him. In order 10
satisfy Mr Hendricks Mr. Williams required Mr..
Beckwith 20 make out profile ct the ground on the
second section. which Mr. Hendricks rejected with.
OF examination. THIS conduct the part OF Mr..
Hendricks was calculated to strengthen Mr. VIII
Iams's preconceiyed opinion OF the complaint and
Uendrick : violent dcnunciatons OF Beck~lth we're
calculated 10 induce the belief that he was amnat-
ed by somewhat OF personal luminosity towards
hun. IL no part OF Nr. " lllIauis's duty as
Chief Engineer, 10 make estimates IN person