Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-10-01

been been questioned before. Regarding Hen, as / do,
~ - , as an attempt ON the part of majority
roeanyes Of the Mayor, feel il to be INV duty to
withhold my approval from the bill
Respectfully W. B. MAGRUDER,
To the Bo1rd of Cinnamon d5s.acix "Ayor'
The President laid before the Board comm,,;.
cation from the Commissioners of the Wssbington
Asylum, which, on motion OF Mr. Kennedy was
ordered TO be published with the proceedings:
WAsnseros, September "a, 1855.
TO the Board Of Ahle,rusa and
board Of Common Council:
GEsrLsAEs: The undersigned Commissioners Of
sue "hsnng.on hsy mm, feel compelled by sense of
justice TO themselves to nstce the report Of The Com
mitiee ON te Asylum, as made 10 the Board of Com
mon Council on the 10th instant aud published in
the National lntelligencer Of the lsh,.1s \.
In answering resolution of the Board OF Com
mon Council OF the 18th ultimo the com,o;sson.rs
IN the discharge OF what they consdertd their duty
communicated statement showing the deficiency In
!is .ns appropriation for support Of poor, aged and
lnnrm Ior the year ending 30th JUNE $685. and in
view OF the urgency of the creditors asking an on
preparation 70 enable them TO meet these demands
In doing so they made no charges against any one.
they merely stated tn facts as fhey existed
On entering upon the discharge Of their duties
ana examining the books of the late board the com
mssloners found the balances as contained in their
satenent M heretofore submitted and marked "No l."
They discovered no transfer on the LEDGER from ono
head OF appropriation to another and in making their
statement they were bound to regard these balances
as belonging to the funds for which they were annrn
priaaeu. Inc ledger further showed thatthe account
Tor support OF poor, aged, and iniirln" was over
drawn " considerable amount They found G,r
ther outstanding claims against the same appronr
aon amounting so far as ascertaincd at the date of
thelr report TO $4,000 10, In order then TO ascer
tain the deficiency for the wear lust closed Far which
an appropriation should be asked they added to the
amount appropriated by the Councils the sum demos
ited IN the Bank OF WASHINGTON by the Intendant of
Ctrnn tha Ln1 -
amount thus obtained and the expenditures and La
biiues incurred during the year. This was the plain
simple, and only mode of correctly ascertainng the
true state Of the account. The deficiency thus as
certained was, as heretofore stated s205l al
The first intimation the present commissioners
had mat these creot balances" had been stsed" TO
pay tne current expenses of the house, with view
to their permanent application to that purpose, was
rom MIR. Lloyd, one Of the committee who signed
the report. Some weeks since Mr. LLOYD called mon
1ne commissioners to ascertain why the bill of Mr.
Joseph W. DAVIS had not been paid and when the
large amount Of deficiency was stated 70 him he ey
pressed ms SUI prise that the commissioners did not
continue the use of these balances as made by the
late board and requested the present commissioners
so sanction the course of their predecessors by SUBJ
mitting report omittDg all mention of these bal
ances, and merging them, without any authority of
law under the head Of appropriation for support of
positively refused to do rs such report would not
be correct one, because it would exhibit the def
cheney less by the amount of these balances 1o75
70 than 1t actually was, and consequently show the
expenditures account Of .'poor, aged and in6rmI'
less than they really were to the same amount
Gould the commissioners have been justified in pur-
suing such courseS Would il not rather have sub
Jeced them to the just censure and condemnation OF
the Councils and Of their fellow citizens upon whom
such deception should be attemptedp
The report fun ther says, in reference 10 these bal
ances the commissioners having disbufsed the sums
they deemed sufficient from tho respective appropri
atons for which they were made used the balances
to defray the general expenses ofthe institution viz;
support OF the poor eyed, and iniirm. There being
for the support funatics the balance OF thai apnro
prlation was used in the same Manner
The statements in this extract arc not correct but
are IN direct conflict with the facts, The commits
soners who made the expenditures referred to never
applied one cent of their appropriations to any other
objects than those for which they were appropriated
and no attempt to use them otherwise was ever made
until was done by the late retiring Board of Com
missioners The predecessors of the late board, in
the last report made by them, stated these balances
as they stood to the credit of their respective appro
priations on the 3oth June 1854. Justice to them
requires this statement from u.s. @ME
The committee further say: " Without attemnt;np
TO excuse former commissioners we cannot acknow,
ledge the proprety or right of the present Board of
Sca J, mons. % Jake an made spec
support of the poor, aged and infirn and use any
portion thereof towards making good credits to other
appropriations. The present Board of Commission
This we deny, and say g tile present Board of Com
missioners have" not $50 acted and for proof that
they have not they have only 10 refer To The state
ments heretofore submitted and to the ledger of the
late Board of Commissioner kept by the gentleman
whose name is first signed to the report we are no.
ticng, and which stands now just as It did when il
passed from the possession of the late Board into
ours. The cash account Of the commissioners is kent
In the Bank of Washington. without dstinpa,ishinp
between the different objects of appropriation. and
they can only ascertain the condition of tire various
objects Tor which appropriations are made bya refer
Epp IN Ia Afr n
was Secretary to the late Board Of Commissioners.
and knows that ther, are monthly payments to be
made for the support INDECENT lunotcs ard yet in
estimating the deficiency for the past year he takcs
the balance it stood 10 the credit OF this fund "a
the 18th June last, without any allowance for the
amount then due and payable, or the amount that
mas SINCE accrued. Should the proposition of the
committee, as embodied in an act which has passed
the Board of Common Council, become d Inv. the
Councils will be called upon to make an appronria
ton OF sz40 to pay these objects of their benevoencc
1r tne current year. or repeal the acts which require
the commissioners 10 provide this support for ind
gent lunatics" -e t - ~
In conclusion, the commissioners can only sav
that, II the Councils deem il cxpedient 10 pass the
bill referred to- they will faithfully carry out its pro-
visions; but in order that the whole amount of de.
hciency for the last year, far ascertained may
be met they request that the proposed appropriation
may be increased s167, viz
Amount of deficiency, as heretofore sta
Henry Tiomass BILL not included. .. s1Vo5 % %
s2,o54 81
ported. ed.......-..........$l,07 ,075 2ox
Less payments on account of @Gl ta
lunahcs,. . 90 8
1Ol1 90
Amount required Al oaa II
The undersigned respectfully reauest hat tbis
communication may be published With your proceed
ings. Your obedient servants,
I~TTI nrrr,