Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1856-09-23

hog stature; the Secretary of State Mr. GRAVY
;s4u the Attorney General Geo. b. SmIth) maue
arrangement authorizing W alter II. Besley
t. draw GA the Treasurer for the sum necessary
TO pay the salary of the clerks. Mr. Besley in |
accordance with this arrangement drew his or !
der the Treasury and overdrew the amount !
due TO tho clerks II the sum of nine hundred |
dollars, or thereabouts, (see list marked +" ~
1t would seem from the testimony of Mr.
JANSEN, that this arrangement was made in his
absence, with Mr.. Seaver the assistant treasur-
er, and that the amount overdrawn has never
been refunded to Mr. Besley. 1t is, however
bla right to state that Mr.. Besley denied this
wien before the committee, and stated that be
lad settled his account with the treasurer and
had receipt In full from him, which he prom
ised the committee to produce before them but
he did not do SO. 1t will be seen, moreover,
by the testimony of Messrs. Habich, Seaver and
Ealpin, thai the state officers and clerks were
allowed to take money from the treasury in an
Iicipation of their salaries, leaving no other ey
ldenee of their Indebtedness than slip of pa
Ter upon which was written, :" Good for
dollars, men Joining the amount taken and then
signing their names to it, Mr.. Halpin also tes-
tshes that Seaver has frequently lent him
~ faoTa the treasury, on his duebill. To what
extent this practice has prevailed, your commit
tee have not been able to ascertain. 1t appears
by these statements of Jansen, Seaver, and Mr..
kuehn, the present State treasurer, that aft er
inc ucIalc0tlon OF Jansen was discovered, Gov.
barstow gave Jansen his note or duebill, paya-
bile to Dir. kuehn for seven hundred and lively
and 92-lOO dollars which was received by s'r.
huehn rs cash. and placed to the credit Of Jams
sen. There seems to be some difference of opin-
ion between Jansen and Seaver as to the con-
.ideration of this duebill. Jansen swears that
1t was given for lands purchased by w. III. Glea-
son, but Seaver thinks it was given for money
had on " slips" goods " from the treasury
aud for the payment of money due school
lands, bought In the names of Peter G. Jones
and W. h. Gleason at the November sales of
SO. Gov. Barstow also makes statement in
relation to this transaction, yhich is herewith
submitted.
Subsequently to the first examination ofSea-
Yer before the committee, and after the state
rnent OF Gov. barstow was made to the Commit
tee, Mr. Seaver requested that he might be re-
examined. On the second examination as will
be seen by his affidavit hereto annexed marked
-, he thinks that his duebill was not given for
land purchased by Gleason.
Your committee would also call the attention
OF the Legislature to another reprehensible prac-
tice which prevailed in the treasurer's office in
the acceptance of drafts by the treasurer drawn
by parties either having appropriations or in
anticipation of one. Under this system mis-
takes have doubtless occurred, by the payment
OF both the acceptance and the appropriation n
1t would appear that in this way an overpay =
Tnent was made to Schoeffer & Wendt of eIey-
en- hundred dollars and to Mr.. Fratney of Mil
waukee five hundred and. fifty dollars. Mr. Sea-
yer seems also quite positive that he overpaid
Andrew Proudfit one thousand dollars, but Mr.
froudht as viii be seen by his testimony, is as
confident that Mr.. Seaver is mistaken
The treasurer also paid Beriah Brown three
thousand dollars without any authority of law
on the certificate of the Secretary of State III at
brown had done work to that amount Among
the vouchers In the office of the treasurer the
Committee found an engraved draft and accent
of W fol N
John Warren Hunt. Madison Wis. 23d Oct y,
On the fifteenth of December next, at State
Bank pay to the order of Andrew Proudfit five
hundred and forty EIGHT dollars so, value re-
eeivcd.
JOHN W HUNT.
To Tive State Treasurer of Wisconsin, Nadi-
son, Wis"
Across the face of the draft is written Ac
cepted h. H. Jansen, State Treasurer by d.
NJ Seayer, asst"
The draft is endorsed By Andrew Proudfit in
blank, aud from the fact that it was among the
vouchers In the office the presumption is that if
was paid at the treasury. There Is no amount
on tn; IreaSurers book corresponding with the
amount of the draft, and the committee are sal .
ished that II never was entered on the books
Mr. Proudht stated TO the committee that he
had no recollection OF the circumstances in re-
iatlon TO 1t. Dr. Hunt says in his testimony,
that this draft, with two others of the same kind
In al amounting to about $500, were accepted
As payment for that sum which was due Mr.
halpn on appropriations, and that the sum for
which the drafts were accepted was included
Ia receipt given by Halpin to the Treasurer.
Tor the sum OF $3.50 at the time the drafts
were made.
The testimony of Mr. Habich. who was a
clerk in the Office of the State Treasurer while
Dir Seaver WIS Assistant Treasurer gives some
Idea OF the manner In which the business of the
once was conducted; a d. taken in connection
he G tat of Mr. Hal,
TIN. shows that while Mr. Jansen was absent
from Madison. called home by the sickness of
his family, Mr.. Seaver, who .-as under no bond
for the faithful performance his duty was n, +
only grossly inattentive 10 the duties of the Of
nee, out his habits were such as totally untitled
HIM TO discharge them. 1t seems that he VIZ.
frequently found in the office in a state of in
toAication, with the doors of the vault open-
sometimes persons not connected with the office
were with him-that upon two occasions he
went into the office In the mig ht time and open
ed the vault. That on another occasion he was
found IN the vault with another person looking
at the money, both Of them intoxicated These
things were well known to persons about the
capitol And it seems, moreover that there
was reason to suspect from what was publicly
SAID In the streets, that on one occasion when
Searer went into the vault of the Treasury Mt
night, IN that same night he lest several INN
dred dollars at the gambling table 1t was al
30 known that liquor was kept in the waits 1t
Is matter of utter establishment that such a
state of things should have been permitted 10
continue for day, and the question which nat
urally presents itselft to any person is was there
no one to exercise any authority in this matter?
10 check to the gross and improper conGnct of
one who bad the sole charge of the monies of
the Statef
it seems also to have been known to several
OF the witnesses that Mr. Seaver was in the b,h-
II OF sPeculating in school lands in direct vio
iafion of the law which preciudes the commits
ssoners OF school and university lands from pur
chasing any of said lands. either in their own
name or IN The name Of any other person. (See
sec 81 chap. 24 r. 81
1t may be said that Seaver was not a COM
missioner: yet he acting as commissioner
and the reason and policy mon u. hi.h II . -