Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1842-03-01
REPORT


Investigate the conduct OF the present and late fund
commissioners, the agent OF the State Bark ia
gotatIons for loans OF money for State stock IN said
bank, and the present and late members OF the board
OF internal Improvement, have discharged the du-
ties imposed them by said resolution. and
specially report That your committee, IN enter
ing upon the discharge of these duties, were I'M
pressed with the belief that the Senate designed
that their examination into the matters embraced
IN said resolution should be OF the most thorough
and scrutInizlng character. and that every rumor
touching the mlconGnct and neg gence OF said off
GERS and the causes Of the losses sustained by the
State IN consequence of the neg gcnce. fraud, or
ilcOnduct OF all, any 81 those To- whom such high
trusts committed by law, should be fully
certaned, 10 the end that each OF SAID officers,
should bear just of public cen-ure, be-
icved from the InGIscrlnIuate condemnation which
an ignorance of the true state OF facts bv the public,
might attach with equal seventy 10 the innocent
and guilty, the most exemplary and the most aban-
doned OF the public fGHctIOnares. The IuvestIga-
ton alike due % the public and The officers
unjustIy Implicated by public oplnion in the official
maeasance al others.
Your committee accordingly have given the wild
est range TO their enquiries, allowable by TIE most
liberal construction Of the resolution under which
they acted, aud have pursued their enquiries into
all the alleged abuses winch have m any way come
TO their know ledge, with dIligent and close "a
scrutiny possible IN the time allowed them.
Tue testimony, which they have gathered from an
examination OF the officers themselves and OF those
witnesses. whose attendance they were e nabed 10
procure, herewith submitted IN continuous record
This testimony your committee believe. discusses
the whole of the transactions of tue public iuuc-
tiOnares named IN the resolution, fully and is
fairly as can ever be done. This body OF testimo-
ny contains al once the Incu pltng charges of the
accusing witnesses, the cNcu patOry denIal- and
explanations OF the accused, and the testimony sus-
tanning, excuslng, or reiuting these charges. FIX
cept by regular legal issues, submitted To the SIT
at nd ia
can conceive OF method Of examination. better
calculated To elicit the truth Every officer aud
witness sworn 10 testify the truth. the whole
truth. and nothing bat the truth touching the
tiers under investigation, and the questions pro-
pounded were de-, gned TO cover the whole ground.
Your committee acting upon the belief ;hat facts
disclosed by their examination all that can be
known about the matters under Investigation. come
TO the dltiicUlt and delicate part OF their
duties. The Judgment which they pronounce
these facts has not been ttle embarrassed BY the
difficulty of distinguishing between those evils which
are properly attributable 10 the legislation under
which these officers have acted, and the consequent
ces of their negligence or maconduct.
Your committee, believe, however IL will lie
seen, that they have been unmudful Of their
duty, IN making this JIst discrimination. They
have been careful. far as their powers of dts-
elimination extended to attribute TO the law the bad
consequences which had their orig IN legal enact
ments. But while regard To justice has induced
examination. tins distinction, they have not tailei
to note those acts of the officers whose conduct has
been under investigation, as manIestly not
sanctioned by law.
MR.. ALEXANDER L MORRISON.
This gentleman a member OF the ard of IN
ternal Improvement, and acting Commissioner on
the northern DIVISION of the central canal. during
the time between the 1t ct September 1889, and
the lst of March lsiO being little less than SIX
months
In order that Just conclusion may be arrived AZ,
with regard hls conduct, It IL proper 10 state the
arrangement made by tie board of Internal I'm
provement, for DIVISION OF It's abors. Each mem
Der of the board appointed acting Co.amission-
the work near which he resided with very
ample aud Ill-dehned powers. lie made lettings,
disbursed funds and exercised general supervise
~ control over the work committed 10 ms charge.
Indeed he was invested by the board with It's en-
tire powers, far the work committed To him
was concerned subject only to the restrictions Inn
posed by the orders and resolutions ct the board at
their stated meetings. These orders and resOlu-
tons usually prescribed the amount of the contracts,
which he allowed To make WITHIN a given pc
rod OF time. and restriction was land upon HIM
10 territorial limits. II obvious that the GEN
eral power of conducting the system MAS conferred
by law on the whole board, aud whenever, IN the
discharge OF their duties, any portion of their au
thorlty was delegated 10 single member 10 must
be exercised ~ conformity with the terms. and
der the restrictions dictated by the board 10 per-
init departure from this rule. would De- attended
with consequences the most serious. II would
able single member of the board TO commit the
State 10 contractors. for larger amounts % money
than the means OF paying. at the command ot the
State. would discharge. L. would eulble any mem
Der Of the board countcract the plan Of operations
adopted by the whole. Its tendency would be u
embarrass and prevent any concentration OF the
public means upon a given work. even although
the Legislature. the board OF Internal Improve
ment should afterwards Cesire ii. And lastly the
assumption OF authority not delegated. and a viola
tOn OF law. \ our comm ttee conceive that the ov-
GREETINGS which they shall hereafter notice. greatly
aggravated the evils OF the system OF Internal I'm
provemcnt. These overetungs increased the
amount OF Indebtedness OF the state To contractors
AT the time when the means OF payment faded. ln
the year 1910. which "a as the same year Mr. Nor
mons term Of service expired. l. increased the
amount of the treasury note emission. winch y like
ly Ia remain as permanent mortgage OF the tax
ing power OF the State, Tor years 10 come. render
ing the whole process Of collecting and dis5urs NJ
the revenue. nothing than the dlsbursn No OF
large amount of money TO revenue agents. TO gather
State scrip, which We burn when received. Viola
tions of law and breaches of public duty, attended
with consequences like these. your committee can
not look : trivial. The next question l.. did
MIR. Morrison over.et, and - what amount : We
quote his words on this head. Mr. MORRISON SAYS
Large lettings were advertised 10 take place by
my predecessor, some Of which were postponed by
him. To take place after his term Of Office expired
and | proceeded TO make said lettings, together
with such other sections Of the Inc required TO
be commenced, IN order that the work the dis
trict let. might be I'm shed simultaneously. Several
sections OF the line below the feeder dam at Broad