The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1854-04-14

Inc expenses of clerks ana sergeant-et-
Arms for 1850 were not given, but Under
stand that they were fully equal if not larger
than they were in ls49. ....
call the attention of your readers to this
table. ssk them to look at the expenses
for the year IS44, AS, '46 and '47, four years
when the Wings had control of both depart
ments. Compare them with the expenses
that followed after~ard, when the Locofoco
party succeeded in securing again the majori-
ty. The expenses since 1850 have not been
published, but we have q few items that will
tend to show bow they compare with the days
of Whig rule. A special report from the
Auditor Of State called out by resolution Of
Mr.. Bsrfere, Of the Senate, shows the ex-
penses for clerks for the two sessions since
the new constitution. Your readers will re-
member that for these two sessions Chas. B.
Flood was clerk of the Senate. and Mahlon
H. Medary was clerk of the House. The
clerk hire of the Senate for the first session,
being the winter of 1852, cost of the
State the sum of e5,244, and the same in the
House cost 6,o64, making q total for that
session Sil,4os. Compare that sum with
the cost for clerks under the Wing rule. The
second session, being the winter of 1923,
cost as follows: Senate S3,9l7, House $3,.
1871; total for that session, 81, 7,654.
The expenses in the other departments
have been proportionally increased, but there
has been no official communication Of them
to the people. am not sure that it is of
any use to set forth these facts, but there
may possibly be some honest inquirers who
really desire to know about these things, &
who are willing when they know the truth,
to apply the remedy.
Before I close, let me refer to other mat
| ter Of some. interest. There was paid to
Chas. B. Flood, for ssrviees as clerk for the
last sessioni the sum of $l,57s,4o.. Upon
an investigation, it also appeared that a dep
dty Ct his had also been paid $500. And
these matters were explained by showing
large sums paid to them for "bringing up the
records after the adjournment. There is 4
law of 1859, which prohibits the payment of
any sums 10 the Clerk for services after the
adjournment, except for making an index to
the journals, and for this he is to be paid four
dollars per day for the time actually employ
ed. But. by some adroit management, at the
| ClUo0 vi IlC bCosiOu VI loOct q " 40
inserted in the appropriation bill allowing
the Secretary Of State to pay for bringing up
the journals after the adjournment. This
was directly in the face of positive law,
but Attorney Gen. Pugh decided that it was
valid, and suspended the law for that session
and on the siren 9Th of this clause the State
has paid an extra sum of tloelve hundred and
6te dollars and forty centss that being the sum
allowed by the Secretary Of, State, for bring
ing up the records, work that should have
been done during the session.
| But this is not the most curious feature,
under this clause in the appropriation bill
Flood set TO work. and brought up the records
of the session of 1872. And the testi-
mony of Trevitt, Secretary Of State, shows
that for this work the sum of four hundred d
sirty-seucn dollars was paid. Let your read
ers remember this was paid for copying of
into blank book, the journal, which had
been printed for year in volume, and dis
tributed over the State.
The question arises, why was not this work
done during the session of ls5l-'52. Were
there not enough clerks' Lot us see The
record furnished BY the Auditor Of State
shows that the following persons were clerks,
and each OF them drew $3.50 for their services,
viz: Chas. B. Flood, John B. Price, Henry
B. Smeltzer, T. p. Morton, e. B. Eshslmsn,
Asa G. Dimmock, and G., w. Hamer. The
record also shows that J. Ferrell was employ
ed and paid for fol days, H. e. Frink and
James George for 81 days each; n. J. .Atkin-
son for II days, and F. 8. Cable for 81 days;
Joseph Dondall for II days, and Chas. M.
Riley for days. We thus see that there
were seven clerks engaged and under pay the
entire session, and that there were sevea 9TH
ers employed for times varying from iol to
days. And yet, with this force, the journals
were permitted to get behind. to such an ex-
tsnt that il has cost tho stato the sum of