The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-12-24
THE SUB-TRE ASURY.
me FIRST VINE YEARS OF ITS OPERATION.

7yee,ei Hoport of VIM. M. Gouge, Agent Ofth
Treasury Department. t. tho Secretary of
WAssrseroS CRY, Nov. a, 1854.
SR-In compliance with the instructions con-
tanned in yodf letter OF May 20, l have examined
the treasury Repositories at Little Rock Arkansas
Nashville, Tennessee St. Louis, Missouri; Dubuque,
Iowa; Chicago, Illinois; Jacksonville, Indiana
Cincinnati, Ohio; Baltimore, Maryland; Philadelphia
and Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; New York city and
Bufa!o New York; Detroit, Michigan and ,stou,
Massachusetts,.
From each of these places addressed letter TO
you. giving particular statement Of the condition
OF the depository there situated. have not yes
had time to visit the repositories in the Southern
States; but as these have examined contain the
far greater portion Of the p1blc funds and az they
in me- "a the session OF Cou yress appro aching, to
give the general resut OF mJ inquiries 81 called Tor
Ia the last paragraph OF your letter.
The hrst point was sisec'sd 10 inquire INTO Was
"lst. Whether the safells against fire, thieves
and burglars are suffcieit In the several deposit
tories"
When the constitutional treasury system was
advantages. In but few q. the places where public
funds are kept had the government buildings Of ts
own and where Il ha' buildings, in but few Of
them we're suitable provisions for the safe-kee ping
of the public funds. In the whole valley of the
Ohio rich and populous as IL isthe United States
had not building or vault in which 70 de post q
dollar or paper. In those parts Of the country in
which government had buildings Of it's own, few Of
Even in the mint az philadel there was but one
money vault-oIe being all that, at the time that
editce was constructed VAS dsened necessary.
Under thtse circumstances, the Treasury Dapart
meat appears to have sde such arrangements as 1t
could for the SAFE keeping Of the public moneys.
But the uuds at its disposal for this purpose were
very limited and in not few cases, the officers OF
She repositories hal out OF t5eir private means to
provide for the safety CT the public money entrust
Cd to their care. The securities they adopted were
such AZ circumstances forced upon them, and we're
sometimes quite original ia their character. One
depository in the Western country that visited in
7849 reminded me more strongly OF what Robinson
@s &c eSsr e have
since. sholt description OF IL will be proper for
Che benefit Of posteriss, IL not for the enlightenment
of the present generation.
believed to AiArd the best security, and an apart
ment adjoining the barre m was made q depository
Of the measure Of the United States Immediate &C
cess from the barroom TO the depository was shut
of by cl lsiDg the door or communication, and, as
further security, the partition wall was lined with
boards but as the glass ligats in the communicating
door wese left uncovered, In order tnat tho keeper
of the public treasure might when In the barroom,
zee into his own aDartme Mt, determined burglar
could in few minutes, have forced his way in.
The entrance into the depository was through
attempted to enter had % ssoop Till he Was almost
double. and then he found his further progress OBJ
structed by great do n, fastened by an iren cham
In such way that it could NOS be opened except by
main fosoe with the o,Dssnt Of the sub treasurer
When in the depository, the citizen who had bust.
ness ths 70 found 1t divided into two apartments by
temporary partition. One Of these was lighted by
. single window, defended by iron CRATES Of no
great strength. In this division OF the room the
officer kept the CHIEF part Of HE silver in boxes
screening the boxes themseves as well as he could
from public view, BY covering them witha wooden
casing, somewhat resembling In form joined coffin.
In tho other division Of the room, being that to
which there was entrance under the stair way, there
was an iron safe in which the depodtary kept his
~~cl1 al rfI-ns - 1ntNu
Around this apartment ran low gallery, construct
Cd BY the dep0sitary expressly that. in of At
tack, he might II in danger Of being overpowered
6ecx retire soays and shower dom upon ne a.
Of which he bad provided an abundant store.
He slept in this room, and guns, pistols and pixies
oompletsi his assortment Of weapons offensive and
In this Antastical for:iRcation was kept for years
in succession, Ddreds Of thousands Of dollars Of
the Ucited State, money, simply because Congress
had made no appropriation to provide anything
better. This was not in an obscure part Of the
ssSls.sy opposite LousVs' sns largest city IN
In my special reports have given An exac. de-
scrpsioa OF each depository that have visited.
That at Boston is the only one With all the strength
when il is intended 70 be place for the peima-
nent safe keeping CT millions Of the public moHey.
At the other chief deposit0res the provisions for
safety msy be said TO be good. though such as to
would be OF o costly character can be deferred sid
the TINA comes for altering the public buildings in
those places, or 70. erecting new ones in their
stead.
II has been resolved to build number Of new Gus
tom houses Fin each Of these adequate pre- vision be
made for the safe keeping of such funds as may DO
there collected and brought there from other places
. moderate appropriation by Congress will enAble
the department to make ell the necessary arrange
menz for the proper keeping Of the public money in
the present deposftories.
in tina TREASURY Offices, at least, as good provision
ahould be made for the safe keeping OF the public
moaey a. brokers and bankers deem necessary for
the funds in their possession. At present our
twenty four public repositories contain about half
rs much specie az our twelve hundred banks; but
there are in some of the depostores less adequate
provisions for the safe kee ling OF large sums Of gold
and silver than the banks deem necessary for the
safe keeping of relatively small sums.
"2d. Whether the books, accounts aud returns are
kept in that accurate and uniform manner which the
Law prescfibes"
In the Treasury ofices the business OF ac,,unt
keeping is much more sim Die than it is in large
mercantile establishments. The repositories have
nothing to do with profit and ST. and other ta,ti-
tious accounts. All their main books are in reality
80 many cash books, in which the daily receipts
entered on one page, and the daily payments on
the page opposite In the large deposltares, where
there several cash receive 8, cash keepers and
cash payers, several cash books are required and
these are all 80 arranged as 70 serve as checks On
one another. In the smaller dep ,sit0ries, whore
theIe "a bus one officer, and wnere The transactions
are ANAL, single cash book is all that is necss
saSy.
Besides these cash books the officers keep letter
books, registers of drafts drawn them, receipt
bcoka. &C.; but all these are mere auxiliaries to
their cash books or records of receipts and pay
ueats.
Throughout the repositories ons principle Is ad-
hered 10 in keeping the accounts, though the mum
Der OF books kept necessarily varies vito the extent
and nature Of the business dope at EACH In all that
waited found the books and retusns KEEP. In such
o way ss TO make their trsnsac lions easily under
stood though in some OF the $50 aller ones tie ac-
counts and moneys Of ths offlcsr as treasury de-
pcsitary, were not kept distinct they ought 10
have been from his accounts and moneys az 4 {, lec
tor Of customs. or as laod office receiver.
In the large depositories the cash is balanced
daily; in the smaller. generally about once .
week.
H3d Whether the examinations which the l9.h