The Washington union., 1857-08-18
ton o. the rst lesIature unaer the new cOnsltuton

and its organization by the partiaty of my colleagues
elected chairman OF the finance committee The ses-
sion commenced the I'd Of January 1854 and ON the
18th OF that month again introduced the BILL which
then took its place the calendar as NO TO- Inc Dill
had its first and second readings las referred TO the COM
mttee OF the whole senate considered and the 26h
of January reported back with slight amendments and
my motion referred TO the committee ON finance On
the Sth March II reported back, with sundy amend
ments and made the special order OF the day for each
day until disposed Of On the next day it was consid
ered and fnally-by vote OF eighteen yeas 10 elght
naysordered to be engrossed for its third reading and
final passage the next day those voting in the aim
atiye all democrats and six wings, with two free-soilers
in the negative The next day the bill passed by the fol-
lowing vote
YKAs-Messrs Anderson, Atkinson Bartlett, Convers
Creght, Davis Follett Hockenbery Latin, Lee, Morris
Pendleton Riblet Schiff Shideler Smith of Athens
Stokes, Taylor and Williams of Columbiana-l9 AH
delaOcTas
NAYs-Messrs. Allen, Barere, Foote, Sherman Smith
of Madison, Townsend, Upson and Wright-S.
Messrs, Sherman and Townsend then known as free-
soiles and the balance of those voting in the negative
wings. Senate Journal, session 1854, page 214l
The bill to the house and returned to the
senate have the house journal before me- but my
recollection is that it referred to the committee on
finance and for considerable period OF time, remained
its possession 1t was however finally reported back
and also bill from portion of the committee but
whether from the majority minority, do not now re-
member. Neither of the bills, think, to
direct test vote in the house At all events neither OF
them passed. and of course, the senate bill failed.
Considering further efforts with reference to any gene
system reorganization of the treasury utterly hope
less at that session felt there still last resort
The appropriation bills had not yet passed The bill ma
king appropriations for general purposes for 1854
and 1855 originated in the house When 1t to the
senate it referred to the committee finance and
the 10Th of April two days before the time liked for
adjournment by direction of the committee, reported
it back to the senate with sundry amendments, among
which section as follows
q 1t shall not be lawful for the treasurer of State
any other officer charged with the safekeep
lul tnf lltr halp
ing to the State and appropriated by this other
act to convert to his usc in any way whatever,
to loan with without interest to any company
poraton individual, to deposte with any bank,
with any company corpoation or individual any of the
public moneys appropriated and every violation of
the provisions of this section shall be deemed and adj
judged an embezzlement of so much of said moneys as
shall be converted loaned deposited which is here
by declared to be misdemeanor and, upon conviction
thereof before any court having competent jurisdiction
such officer person shall be declared to have forfeited
his Office, and shall be fined in not less than the
amount of money embezzled And every bank
banking company corporation individual to whom
any of the said moneys belonging to the State shall be
loaned aforesaid receiving them on depose, as
aforesaid knowing them to be SUCH shall be liable to the
State in action for the recovery of all the benefit adj
vantage which would by the terms of the contract
agreement under which said moneys loaned
deposited have accrued to the officer person loanng
aforesaid and payment to any such officer person
oaning deposng aforesaid shall not protect
such bank banking company corporation indvid-
ual against the action brought by the State
The senate agreed to this amendment and the bill
sent to the house.
The house disagreed to several of the amendments and
the result committee of conference. The commit
tee unable to agree with respect to the particular
amendment the senate committee insisting, the house
committee dsagreeng The house still insisting its
disagreement second committee of conference APP
pointed, consisting of Messr McCausln and Taylor
the part of the senate and Mesrs Metcaf Paine, and
Lester Taylor the part of the house That committee
reported that the senate should recede from the amend
ment in controversy NO 45 and that the house should
reccde from two of its amendments Nos so and ST. Mr.
Taylor, of the senate committee, dissenting.
The report of the majority agreed to, and the
ate receded from its amendmenstw democrats, two
-soe, and six wings voting i'm the affirmative and
democrats in the negative Senate Journal page
635l This the last vote taken in the senate Even
before it completed the hour of adjournment arrived
Thus passed away the last hope preventing improper
of the public funds that when the last demo-
cratic legislature adjourned the laws prescribing the du
ties of the treasurer of State and regulating the safe
keeping and disbursement of the public money left
exactly as the whg party n its days of powe had pro-
vided them.
In each of those legislatures large majority of the
democratic members exceedingly anxious to adopt
some measure for the protection of the treasury but
they defeated time and again by the entire vote of
the opposition (whgs and free-soers) with few demo-
Gratis The last effort, that of engafting paragraph
the appropriation BILL desperate one, and of
could only be justified in of such extreme necess
ty 1t abandoned, however, because if the senate
had persisted against the house the result would have been
failure of the regular appropriation bill.
have already extended this letter much beyond what
intended Were it not for this might be tempted
refer somewhat to the adverse influences which were
brought to bear not only against the bills herein referred
to- but against every proposition from what
it might which looked to throwing additional guards and
restrictions around the treasury At the very outset the
composition of the committee finance in the senate
remarkable 1t was, perhaps the only committee in the
senate which there not majority of democrats
But that committeethe very committee of all others
at that time where majority of sound, reliable demo-
Gratis should have been placed there but known
ciassed democrats, Joel W. Wilson and myself two
known eesoilers and one whig During the second
session the finance committee of the senate unit
so far as the democratic members concerned but
unfortunately in the house there conflicting views
and interests Still, all these difficulties might have been
obvated sumouned had it not been for the extraor
dnay influence brought to BEAR from interested sources
few democrats Moreover, the motives Of the friends
of the bill assailed They charged with being
acuated alone by feelings of personal hostility and cnn
ty toward the treasurer of State.
All these untoward influences had their weight in d
yiding and dstractng democratic councils while the
of the Legislature was every OCCASION thrown directly
against and every proposition to organize the treasury
independent basis to provide against improper
use being made of the public funds Far be from me-
however to mpue corrupt motives wilful disregard
of public duty to those who did not perceive at that
time the necessity for such legislation proposed
They were assured that all right that no harm
would bcal the State and had they dreamed that such
developments as now being made would to pass
do not doubt but they would heartily have concrred
almost anything that seemed likely to avert such ca