Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1844-04-27

DREWS, late Clerk ofthe House of Re.
presentatiueS.
Mr. CoNNoR from the Committee of Accounts
TO whom were referred two certain preambles
and resolutions of the House of Representatives
instructng said Committee to make inquiry for
what purpose the item of ST. $50 22. inserted in
the account of pay and mileage Of members of
the last Legislature, on page of the Journal s57,
second volume, had been expended or appropriat
ed and further TO make report of the facts con-
uected herewith to the House, made report
That your committee, in pursuance of authori
" given, entered upon the discharge Of their du-
ty, and caused subpGnas to be issued and served
upon such persons as would be most likely to af.
ford information respecting this extraordinary
item, which constituted the principal subject of
the inquiry with which your committee were
charged From the evidence herewith reported,
il appears that large bill was contracted upon
credit with DR., NJ Pherson, during the last ses-
sion, by VIM. J h. Andrews, then Clerk of the
House, and by other officers and members. From
the evidence of DR.. M'Pherson, il appears that
this bill consisted of candles, sealing wax, waters,
steel pens, snuff, segars cammomile flowers,
zors, washing SOAP hair brushes, clothes brushes,
shaving brushes, shaving soap, razor strops pen.
knives, ivory folders, tooth brushes, hat brushes
medicine, articles Of jewelry, pcrfumery and
canes
From copy furnished by this witness, the bill
for the above articles amounted to So 600 26,
and was kept by this witness in a most extraor-
dinary manner, for any one who had any just
pvctensions to proprety in keeping his books of
accounts. 1t is, indeed, on the face of it, cover
Cd with suspicion, and kept in manner so IT.
regular that it could not have been enforced IN a
court of justice. 1t is made up of Jumping charg.
cs, under vague and general heads of "sundry
merchandise each charge amounting TO large
sums some of them fifty dollars, some seventy
dollars and some one hundred and fifty dollars.
and so on; SO that it was only from the tcstimo.
ny ofDr. M'Pherson, that your committee could
ascertain any information to the kind of items
that composed this account, charged to the House
of Representatives, and respecting the persons
who had been the recipients OF that merchandise
Your committee will forbear comment upon the
state Of facts here disclosed in relation TO this ac-
count, and leave them for the approval or con.
demnation Of an impartial public Thus much
to this account which will be found from a
careful examination of all the facts, TO constitute
part of that large item respecting which yonr
committee are on search.
This large item Of 81, $50 90, it must be re.
membered was inserted in the account of the
mil. ,ho hn,
Accounts due for receipts on the 18th April
1si3 and that at this date the House had no
power to draw warrant the Treasury, ex.
cept for the pay and mileage of members. Still
il appears from the warrants in the Auditor
Generals Office, that this date the Speaker OF
the House drew two warrants, one in favor of DR.
MPherson for 81 ,s6s "a, and another in favol
of VIM. J B. Andrews for s3,lll %. Thes,
sums added together, make up exactly the amoun
of the item Sl,9sO % and thus forces you
committee to the conclusion, that these two war
rants were thus drawn without authority of law
and against positive enactment contained in tn,
Act to reduce the expenses of the government
and that this course OF illegal procedure had beer
resorted TO by that Clerk, and others, TO hell
themselves out of the difficulty in which they
We're placed in relation TO the payment of th
shameful account; and the wear and tear Of re
putation which threatened them into its exposur
to the Judgment of honest men. The Chairman
of the Committee of Accounts, Mr. Packer, VIII
reported this account of pay and mileage ofmem
bers, can i've no satisfactory information respect
ing the insertion of this item into that account
and your committee are forced 10 the conclusion
that this item was inserted by Vim. J. B. Al
drews without the knowledge of that committee
The evidence of Mr.. Jack states il as his belle
that the insertion is in the hand writing Of Wn
J. B. Andrews while the whole of the report fo
pay and mileage of members, is in the han
writing of that witness. But this abuse of draw
ing warrants Illegally upon the Treasury, do
not stop here On the same date with the wa
rants already referred 10, three other warran
are drawn by the same Speaker, ii B. Wrgh
Esq, in favor of VIM J. b Andrews; one 4
So 900 one for So, COZ 80, and third for So so
The second of these warrants, although Illegal
drawn, has, for its mitigation, resolution of q
House authorizing the Speaker TO draw the sam
but the other two have not even this color of a
thority to mitigate the circumstances und
which the same were drawn. II is impossit
10 review the conduct of these public officers
these transactions, without placing upon IT I
strongest brand of condemnation These sun
thus drawn on the 18th April, lsi3, added
gethcr make the sum Of Sl3, ,0s7 52-and fro
this snrn daduct the amount of the warrant