New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-01-28
FROM ALBANY.
MAKING OR TAKING MONEY OUT OF THE
TREASURY.


| sn,oparisn pursuits do not scruple TO put their
bsud, elbow deep, into the strong box. Some
aets ago. YOU hauled overthe Goals the late Secre-
tsrv Headley for several very absurd mistakes and
| Deficiencies in the State Census. Yonr structures
| called forth a defense OF explanation from DR..
| Franklin Il. Hongh who could not confne himself
| 70 yindeation of Mr.. Headey, but swung his
fail around right and left, hitting the Legislature
| that passed the Census law, the indiscreet book
agent who procured a copy Of the list of Marshas
| The Albany Argus that charged the Secretary with
making his office book agency therefor, and the
Marshas, by and large, for general ignorance and
ncompetency.
This ndiscreet and sweeping censure Of Others
10 entirely uDcalled for, has prompted me TO make
some investigation into the past history and pres.
ent employments of this Dr. Hough.
He il the author Of histories OF several counties
in this State-St. Lawrence, Franklin, Jefferson
and Lewis He came down TO Albany from the lat
ter county in 1854, and was favOrably recommend
ed to Mr.. Secretary LeayenwOrth as the proper
man to superntend the taking Of the census and its
publication.
LeayenwOrth took him into his Office in the latter
part Of 1854. HOugh was employed from that time
in getting up and devsng the schedules and tables
for the taking Of the census, in experimenting the
printing of the blanks and forwarding them to the
finally, in condensing and arranging the returns for
publication To aid the Doctor in his ardnous
mathematical labOrs, some fifteen or twenty boys
were collected from the normal and public schools
The work of cOlating, copying and footing the
schedules of the marshals WAS intrusted to these
boys, over whom the Doctor acted as master and
superintendent.
1t may be asked why was not work of this i'm
portance committed to practiced copyists and skill
full reckOners Boys could be hired at less wages,
and economy was weighed against accuracy. The
boys were poor, and to hire them was charitable,
and charity must be an apology for blunders have
not examined the Controllers books to see how
many boys were employed nor how much was paid
them singy or in the aggregate, nor how long they
were engaged in assisting the doctor. The returns
were all sent in by the Marshals before the expra
ton of the year 1850 with, perhaps, few eXcep-
tOns. Under the Doctors nursing care. the work
of compilation was prolonged to the end nearly of
the year 1857.
If two good accountants and ready-reckOners
could not have accomplished the work in six
months, ordinary employer would have discharged
them for sheer laziness.
But, perhaps, there reasons that will explain
this extraordinary delay. During the years 1854
and 1853, the Doctor paid for his services
81 ,42l IL. IN leJ6 and 1857, he was paid at the
rate Of 500 per month for twenty months making
81 GOO. For his labor upon the CENSUS, therefore,
he has received So, 421 Ii.
1t was certainly very comfortable to be in the
receipt of income Of 800 per month, for
two or three years, and in the mean time to have
leisure for several other laborOus undertakings.
In 1854, the Regents of the University obtained
an appropriation of 81, 600 to enable them to pub
lish an abstract of the meteorological observations
taken under their direction for quarter OF CEN
fury past This abstract was made by the Doctor
during the years 1854 and 1855, and the result was
seen in folio book of a thousand pages of solid
rule and figure work. For this the Regents al
lowed him $500 in 1856, and subsequently allowed
him part Of additional appropriation OF 81 900
to complete the publication, and further certified
him 800, which .wassput into that omnibus OF
legislation called Supply bill.
In the year 1855, also, he received from the De-
partment of Public Instruction 800 for certain
services not specified in the warrant.
He got from the State, therefore, for part
the year 1854, and the whole of 1855, the hand
some sum of 80 2S7 IL.
In 1850 also appeared book entitled the New
York Civil List compiled as the title page asserts,
by DR.. L. b. Hough. II is a book of $50 pages,
comprising the names of all the men who have held
office in the Stste from IFS organization down to
1850. The whole Of it is copied from the rolls and
records in the office of the Secretary of State. IL
was, probably, done during the intervals of the
harder work upon the census-a mere interlude to
the principal play. For this work, he receives
certain per cenage upon the copies sold by the pub
fishers, the chief reliance being upon an annual
order from each Legislatures reliance which JUS
titles stereotyping of the book.
From these sales for three years there musthave
been received not less than $500.
But do not imagine that this relation comprises
the whole of the Doctors labOrs and rewards. La
the last annual volume of the Maine Historical So
ciety, he is credited with the discovery of valua-
be documents relating to the history of the State
of Maine. in the New-YOrk Secretary OF States
Office and il said 10 have been paid 500 for get
ting up small edition of the same. These disc0y-
cries are mostly papers included in the Br0dhesd
documents few being taken from the Council
minutes. Ii s not known how many other dlscoy-
cries of like nature he has made for equally lg-
noraut people.
But all this does not show the whole extent OF the
Doctors actual labOrs during the past three years
He has in press work on Indian affairs and Indian
| treaties, ali copied aud extracted from the records
| in the Secretsrys Office. He has evidently made
| the best OF his time. The Secretarys office has
been mine of wealth to him. Ills man aooI mas
| been the Census, and his Meteorology, his Civil
List and Indlau reates and Affairs, have been only
rerreatCns.
Ii may be truthiully said of him that he has been
| labOrions man, il not diligent servant.
II is not strange that the Census should drag, III
| the charge of one so laborousy plodding through
the musty records of the Office, selecting and copy
ing the material for three four statistical works.
1t is questionable, perhaps whether any other
clerk, in all the Departments, has turned his time
| and opportunities 10 20 profitable account. lie
has drawn from the State, directly and incidentally
money equal 10 the salaries Of two State officers
BY his own extraordinary diligence, and by the help
of score or less Of boys, he may have copied from
the old records aud papers matter for half dozen
more volumes.
II will be- We'll to be- on our guard against the
passage OF resolutions in the Senate and Assembly