The Arkansas banner., 1845-01-01

cofnmotlon shall roll up the great pillows of passion, and the CONSTITUTION shall be driy. ln, like ian unanchored bark. at the mercy of the winds The voice of Masonry will he heard above the hoarse howling of the tenn pest, saying in magic accents-peacel-n De stlu And like all ANGEL breeding over the DARK SPIRIT of. the ruinous FLOOD. she will extend the OLIVE BRANCH, and plead for her COUNTRY.
 REPORT
 0f the Joint Committee of the Senate and Hopse of
 Representatives, on the .4udilors and Tre9sayer;g
 Bo0ts, s-ss'' e' .
 MR. SPEAKER: The joint committee to whom has been referred the examination of the Auditors and Treasurer's books. have performed that duty, and beg leave to report .
 That their examination was extended to the flscal term embracing the period interve- nlng between the Both of September, 1S42, and the lst of October, 1844. And after iull examination of the books, accounts. vouchers, and other official dockuments of the Auditor and Treasurer, and comparing the same with the reports of the Auditor and Treasurer, accompanying the Governors Message, to this General Assembly, with the tabular statements affixed to said reports,-- they Ind the same to be correct.
 Your Committee take great pleasure in bearing testimony to the fidelity and official ability of the Auditor and present Treasurer in regard to the order and manner of keeping the books, vouchers, &sc., of their respective oilces. our committee regret to find that the late Treasurer became delaulter, to the sum ot S4,O25 37; an account of wEich, your Committee will state as briefly as possible n In pursuance of an act, approved the Sd of February, l843, appropriating a sufficient portion of the surplus revenue to liquidate the demands upon the Treasury, the Audi tor ot public accounts, on the lst of March. l043, by letter of that date, required the Fi- nancal Receiver of the Bank of the State of Arkansas, to adjust the accounts of the State Treasurer with the Bank, and place 10 lis credit Tn Bank, the sum of S61,679 09;- which sum was necessary to meet and dis charge warrants, drawn during the months. ending with the 3lst day of March, 1913, over and above the ordinary revenue in the State Treasury.
 And upon such adjustment of the ac- counts of the State Treasurer with the Bank. It was discovered that said Treasurer was in default to the sum of $4,012 94, on the 3l day of March, l843; and pending the nves- tlgation of the Treasurer's accounts with the l7th of April, 1843, he received S15 43 not yet accounted for, which added to lhe S4,- 0l2 94, makes the tai amount of his defal- cation to the State, S4,028 37, up to the time he resigned, on the 20th April, 1843,- notincluCing the $500 over-drawn by said Treasurer, at the Btanch of the Bank at Fay- etteeille.
 This dedication was concealed, by the in- correct Statements in the quarterly reports of said Treasurer, of the amounts of money in the Treasury; as also in his biennial reports to the Governor, as the Treasurer reported the precise amounts to be in the Treasury with which he was chaged in the Auditors office; bVt at the same time, as has since been discovered, had not the proper amounts to his credit in Bank And this default had escaped the attention of two committees who examined the books of the Treasurer one Tn l840, and the other in l842 and two committees of the Legislature, appointed to examine the State Bank, one in 1S40, and the other in 1872
 This is to be accounted for from the lack that each set of committees had confined their inquiries to the special duties assigned them; the one in examining the books of the Treasurer, and the other in examining the books of the Bank; and this wos only de- tected by the Auditor, in carrying into effect the 2nd section of the act approved the Sd of February, lS43, and affords another exam pie of the evils resulting from the want of rigid, prompt, and efficient system of ac- counlability in regard to public officers, hav- ing the custody and disbursement of public funds. Had 1t been made the duty of the Auditor of public accounts, on the receipt of the quarterly reports of the Treasurer, to compare those reports with the accounts of the Treasurer in Bank, or lad he been authorised to examine the accounts of the Treasurer with the Bank, or had the Cash fer been required to make quarterly reports to the Auditor, of his accounts with the Treasurer, your Committee feel assured that this dedication would not have escaped the scrutiny of that most vigilant and faithful officer
 Your committee have also examined the accounts of receipts, and expenditures in the Auditors and Treasurer's department, from the 1st of October, 1914, to the 10th Dec, lS44, inclusive, and find the receipts during this period to have been S26,722 19 cents, and the warrants drawn and redeemed in the same period, amounting to S9,506 81, lea ving a balance in the State Treasury on the 18th of December, 1914, of S17,215 38.
 Your Committee counted the money in the hands of the Treasurer, on the said 16th of December, and find the total amount in his hands on that day, to be $17,2l5 3S.
 For further information, your Committee would refer to the various tabular statements accompanying the Auditors and Treasurer's Report.
 IL is the opinion of your Committee that the revenue laws should be so amended as to permit non~residents to pay their taxes into the State Treasury. It would relieve them of great burthern; and less land
 I | T I all