Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-03-19

The gentleman himself has announced that no crs di
TO bs attached TO estimates which favor the policy
'wn position upon him, and ask the House, upon h
Own principle, what credit will you attach to those
estimates which he has submitted and which 90 nice
| lit his "breathirg spelI' poIicy7
But, Mr.. SPEAKER, must press still further the Ell
Quiry into the credit to which the gentleman's es
nates are properly entitled. He himself has told us
that he has repeatedly made out financial estimates
| have examined the records to ascertain what sue
cess has heretofore crowned the efforts of the gentle
man in this lne He has endorsed the financial abl.
rs high compliment an association with that gentle
| man, Other gentlemen on that side have also borne
| testimony to the accuracy of Mr.. aoopEs financial
statements and estimates. The gentleman from Har.
rson was Auditor OF Public Accounts in 1852 and
was then friend of appropriations to internal i'm.
provements. His turnpike policy had not then been
exhausted. He submitted estimates to the Legisla
| ture of 1852 which we're reviewed by Mr.. GooDE in
in bis financial report. The gentleman has told you
| the credit which you ought to give to Mr.. GsoDE g
financial statements. shall, therefore, content my.
self with reading Mr.. GooDEs statement about the
gent'eman's estimates. In his finance report OF
lS52-3 Mr.. GooDE, referring to the Auditors esti-
mates of 1852, says: in those estimates it
presented that $l,433,64l IS would be required for
the endorsements Of the year to close September 3O
1853. and go 99l IS for the year to close Septem
ber 30, 1884, making for the term So O54 62 70 whilst
The report from this COMMITTEES about the same time
same term calling for 81 O4S,766 A." If Mr.. GoobE
was correct the Auditor made mistake of about one
million of dollars in his estimate Of disbursements for
these two years. But sgain In the same report. Mr..
GooDE says: 'He the Audtorl estimate that the
bonded debt of the State on lei January, 1853 would
be 1892, ,S8 3O whereas it has been shown to have
been g J25 80 on that day, being ,2l2 6S more
than The estimates Of the Auditor exhibited on the
10Th of April, 1854"
Here was an estimate of the gentleman from Har
uhrsitt ttod in
period Of about eight months. and the Chairman OF
the Committee Of Finance. Mr.. GooDE, made a re-.
port to the Legislature in 1853 that in the estimates
tor that short period there was little mistake OF
more than million Of dollars.
When the Legislature of 1854 met, the gentle.
man from Harrison was still Auditor Of Public Ac.
counts, and submitted to that Legislature bis usual
estimates Of receipt. and expenditures for the next
two years. The gentleman subsequently resigned
aad was succeed by Mr.. CLUTTER, whom be had ap.
pointed his chief clerk, and who. presume, was
personal friend Of the gentleman. When the Legisla
turs of 1856 met Mr.. CLUTTER in his official report,
made the following statement about The last estimates
Of the gentleman.
late Auditor Of Public Accounts, made to the Gene
raj Assembly, when it convened in December, 1853,
the probable receipts from all sources for two years
were estimated as follows:
Total estimates of receipts for two
years, $i442,00l 3o
Amount received, 3763 1913 81
Receipts less than estimates, $67y,7U7 "a"
Here lot the principal subjects which failed to pro.
duce as much revenue as was anticipated be referred
to:
"lst. Estimate Of amount to be realized
from the profit or surplus Of the fund
for internal Improvement during the
year ending Sept 80, 1854, s572,03 O3
ing Sept. 3Oth, 1856, 63O,s7S SO
Total sum to bs realized from this
source, l.2Oa,s5l 70
Received from internal i'm.
provement fund, during
the the yea. ending Sept. amazon
During the year ending
Sept. Both, 1855, I62,59l w
Sum realized in two
years, a7a,i39 ~
Receipts from the internal
Improvement fund less
than estimate, G29,ol2 81
Cd. Estimates Of the amount
to be realized from tax on
licenses payable In June,
ashland June. 1856, were
set down at $264, 900 each
year, making in two
years, o2o,uUD OU
The sum real
lied fromth
source in
l854 amount.
ID to-see
statement A, 942 G25 OS
The aum real.
lied 10 1855
amounted to
sec stste-
mentAA 2Os.y7O 50
Sum realized
in two years, -- ,S9o bo
Receipts from
June licenses
less than es-
time, 1o,O04 ~
I'd. Estimate of the amount
to bs realized from thein-
terest on the James River
and Ksnawha companys
bond, $l6 llS per snnum,
making 2,236 OO
Payment on said interest, 80 0O
Receipts from James River
and Kanswha companys
bond, less than estimate, 3O.936 OO
4ih. Sales of articles manu-
factured at the penitentia.
ry have failed to pay any
portion of the estimates
Of 1853 for two years, 5000 20
The four subjects just referred to have
fallen short of the estimates. $744,772 W"
Upon these four subjects of the estimates alone,
there is an error of $744,772 g. and the gentleman
under. estimated the receipts from the property tax
and other sources, by come $66 ,0O0 The aggregate
of his errors, in his last official estimates exceed
$500, 900! In bis estimates of receipts from the IL
cense tax for those two years. he missed 1t by $60O0