New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-10-22
NUMBER 1876.
DrxocaAr1c KxrRAvAeANcEg.


or Of Public Accounts is through the Advocate {
eigning to notice his Communications We feel fat
cred that Notwithstanding what is pronounced sense
ess eamor, has had the effect to put these gentlemen
lpon the defensive. n si.a, r sgs. n 81
Your correspondent viii notice the prominent
points Of the articles Of the Advocate and Auditor Of
Public Accounts II
The Advocate says that in 1858 there was the
enormous ercess Of 1903 ,o24 IS over expenditures
Candor required that this should have been explained
As the Advocate and Auditor Marks have not told Fl
how this happened, / will do so. The Treasury had
been bankrupted, as have already shown and IN +
1853 the sum Of s750000 was borrowed on State
bonds and Sl00 Of the State Bank and went into
the general fund of the Treasury and constituted tie
enormous ereess of receipts oper expenditures IN
1853. For proof Of this see page Of the Auditor
report Of January, 1854.
The excess ofexpenditures in 1854 is explained by
saying that there $474 900 of extraordinary ap-
preparations yet, he enumerates the appropriations
for Public Schools and charitable institutions as in this
list, when he, the Auditor, well knew that it has
been for SO many years shat the memory Of man was
not to the contrary" and nairely says that If these
appropriations are deducted, there Is small differ
only bet,ceen the gears 1854 and 1852, ,rhen the
bphigs had the Legislature.
The expenses Of 1854 were 81 ,s49t552 62 in 1852,
$l,09s,9ll 38; the extraordinary appropriations Of
1854 equal $750641 "a, and not as stated above by
Auditor Marks.
The Advocate says that the expenses exceeded
receipts in 1856, and that the sum expended was less
than in 1854 by $i61 ASA and that if deductions are
made Of the extraordinary appropriations the expen
Of 1855 are less than in 1852 ia Of the ertra-
ordinary and useless expenditures that we are COM
planning, and not Of the necessary and proper expen
ditures. ,a lesszatS5ls fts 4 u 8g$ss y
The expenditures Of the year1s55 ssssose 50
Of 1882 (whig Loaseil So a
Excess of Democratic. ............. 5s9ls7 81
We are told that in 1856 the receipts exceeded
largely s27o,ols SO, and that in 1857 they will be
equally great! and triumphantly referred to the
quarterly expenditures made to lst October last.
This report, as published in the Advocate, shows
balance Of 1881 1888 Al Of which s47,202 &C Of gene
raj funds, and 1904 750 81 trust and special funds
and not applicable to the ordinary expenses of the
State. Assuming that the receipts are of the Gene
raj Fund.- iIKroportion to the receipts Of the three
quarters referred to there will be to the credit Of this
fund at the end of the year 1857, $59,OO3 80, and
there is an admitted Indebtedness to "the School
Fund of 100000. See Finance Committee Special
Report and Act 1s2 of 1857 authorizing the issuing
of State bonds for auidating this debt in proof ot
this charge. - es
The petty items given in the Advocate as the ex-
penses of the Internal Improvement service will not
regard. Ihe7game is not ,corth the candle" As
nothing has been done in this department of any
Importance, it is not necessary for my present pur
pose to regard these small sums but fly at larger game
We will proceed to the salaries and fees Of the great
officers of the State.
Ist. The Governor has $4,000. This is fifty per
cent than the salary of any other in the Union
and he has contingent fund of IS 900 annually,
I'd. The Advocate says that the Treasurer had
$4,000 in 1852, and has now only $500 salary and
contingent fund of 81 900.
We will see how the account stands. The Appro
priation bill No. $50 of 1857, gives a
Ess1s E. hs T1sf IT Rsesys1 ssl9fy q 5s and :s
The salary Of Clerk 200
to the Receiver rasart out Of the Lsves
commssons out Of General Fund Act $50 Of 1855 81
Total. s., 25t
The Treasurer, as Receiver, charges the sum of g.
for each entry of land. There is not less than 5OO
600 acres of land sold in 1857 and assuming thai
the average size of the lots sold to be l6O acres the
number of land receipts would be 3l25, at g. gives
$G25Ogiving the Treasurer in salaries and fees the
sum of $l4,5O0 am told that this is believed not
to be too high an estimate.
The Treasurer of Louisiana is nothing more than
receirins and paying teller in co,nt,ysbank. He
receives and pays upon the warrant of the Auditor
of Public Accounts The duties of this Office are
principally done by the Clerk, who is paid s., ,OoC
salary for performing the duties of the Treasurer.
The salary of the Auditor of Public Accounts is
$4,000; Chief Clerk $4,000; contingent expenses
$3,00O--total $4,000. The Clerk of this Office who
receives salary of So 900, notorousy performs tn.
duties of the office and would doubtless be found
more grated to act as chief than clerk of this off
Ger. The compensation allowed the Auditor fo
registering the bills of the free banks and other It'll
charges made, will no doubt add $4,000 to IS 900
year to the receipts-say S. O0O and we have tota
of $14 ,OOO This, I am told, is not too high fgur,
for the receipts of this department of the Govern
ment. r- f's-t
Your correspondent could give you some items o
the extravagant sums paid other officers about tn
capital. He will not do So as he has already ex
posed the enormous sums received by the Land OF
fcer, and Treasurer, and Auditor His figures art
below the mark, Notwithstanding what appears il
the Advocate and doubtless furnished from the Trea
sury officers. .-r--
Ilearn that distinguished gentleman of the Dem
ocratic party-a candidate without opposition-in
tends to spread himself on the subject of ertrauo
gance, and he will doubtless clean the Augean stable
and in doing SO, will prove au fond the iniquities Q
Democratic administration in Louisiana. There |
ample field for display of patriotism and eloquenc
by the Democratic gentleman who, am told, is t
, reform the State. g-." @
The Advocate says " one word upon the extrav.
gance of the public printing-that the usual apprt
pration was $4,000 a year. Your correspondent
has shown that the cost of printing in 1855 wa
$72,249 70; that it eighteen times as great
1855 as it was in lS43.
1t is true that Offices have been multiplied and sa
aries have been increased and outrageous and extral
agant fees are paid by the people, But can the Al
vocate and the officers of the Treasury show how th
people of Louisiana better served? 1t is motor
GUS that deputies perform the duties, whilst th
Chiefs of Bureaus about, making speeches in fl
! !. vor Of the Sdell candidate-Green Davidson-an
his gallant opponent, Sgur.
l. The Advocate says that to deny that expenses a
increased necessarily, would be to deny advanceme
d in population and wealth. The expenses are nc
more than double in proportion to population al
} wealth than they were a few years'ago.
u u The Advocate is mistaken in imaginiMg tEat t
e people-the Know-Nothings, if it please" are CT
s,imetllp blind to all calculations and erery na,if