Daily American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1852, 1852-05-24
Communicated.
The Third Auditors Once.

MEssRs. EDIToRs A few weeks since. in
making extract from the speech of Senator
Hunter, confusion" in the affairs of the Third
Auditors Office was apparently ntimated. By
reference to that gentleman's speech again, find
nothing to justify the inference that he desired to
be 80 understood
can only say that there exists neither "noise"
nor confusion" but, on the contrary, order,
system, industry, and energy.
The fact that tLere was an immense accumula-
t'on Of business, during the period of the Mexican
War, in some branches of the office, beyond
the control Of either the late or the present
Auditor, is all that can be admitted or sustained
Congress sometimes, by single resolution Of
inquiry, cuts out work enough to employ six or
eight Of the best clerks in the office for ,csehs
tosethsr- And, ths Legislation of the last three
years has added material amount of business to
the previous heavy duties of what may Justly be
termed the "Omnbus Bureau" of the govern
ment
But let the following extract from the speech Of
the Hon. JAMES A. PEARcE, of Maryland, state
the case fairly and frankly:
1T seems to be thought great evil that the
accounts in the Third Auditors Office should be
SO much behind; and so it certainly is. But let
us see the cause Of these arrears.
lin October, 1S46, several months after the
commencement of our war with Mexico, the busi-
ness Of this Office had necessarily accumulated
so much that the then Third Auditor, Mr. Hag-
ner, warned the Secretary of the Treasury of the
danger of large arrears of unsettled accounts.
In about year more (November, 1847) the ac-
counts of disbursing officers had swelled from
two hundred and seventeen to two thousand one
hundred and nine and relief again asked
but not given. Nor was it till April, 1S48 near
ly two years after the war, that ten additional
clerks were given. Afterwards two more clerks
were allowed; but in 1849 six of the twelve were
dropped by Congress. Experienced accountants
are very necessary in this Office; but in 1845 and
1916, six of the most practised clerks were re-
moved. In February, 1850, nine clerks were
aided by law But then the mischief ,cas done, and
The had become too formidable 10 be speedily
reduced because Of the immense mass Of ,oar
counts W,th Which the office Uas encunabered.
1.-The Senate will remember that, during the war;
we had ten regiments of regulars and more
than seventy thousand volunteers added to the
army. and that the disbursements and accounts
were therefore largely and perhaps proportion
atey increased Besides which, the inexperience
Of many volunteer officers, not acquainted pre-
viously with army accounts, made these accounts
more difficult of settlement. Besides all this
postponement Of the settlement Of the accounts
OF the regular disbursing officers rendered
inevitable by the necessity of first settling those
of officers going out of the army believe, sir,
that this experience is similar to that which the
war of 1872 taught us; and considering all the
difficulties under which he has labored, / think
the Third Auditor deserves credit for reducing
the mass of accounts as he has done. He is, as
the Senator from Virginia said, hard working
and Industrious man, and think good officer y
AN OBSERVER.
Our understanding of the matter accords with
the views of our correspondent; and our quo
tation from Mr.. Hunter did not impress US as
in disparagement Of that officer. Were it neces-
sary, we could add our testimony in proof of the
signal ability and industry evinced by the esti-
mablc gentleman who there presides Ed Tel. I