Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1858-04-10
or Tive Dollars II, adyaErA,
NUMBER 10.

| Mr. AiASUN. Will ask the sc I'll mln
vile her be undertakes TO sly tAat thsse have
/ heen paid:
! Mr. iErCHER. 7 unlerta'.c t, say
That ba~a H'a.',. iainiry eff twnl Fave fil-
/ len in with this morning both of whom nv
/ they have been raid. | uulert4le to say
further, that this record contains, upon Is
/ face tie receipt Of these parties fl, the ln,-
Iney, md The Secretary of the Treasury a.
vefs that these receipts are Oh file ii the
! Treasury Department
/ Ar. MASON. In opposition to that. ]
liafe t5 say this when I was last in tie
/ Committee Of Accounts there was large
number Of applications from employees Of
the House asking for the payment Of this
'no,'ev. n Difference 70 tpe orlulon OK
I pressed IL the Secretary af the Treasury,
that The claims, we're Illegal. we did not pay
them, Some lad been paid, Tut the Clerk
subsequently deducted the amount paid from
the monthly pay These parties, too, are
}apphcants tor repayment
Mr.. iETCHER WHO are tlley
! AIr. aEASON. l 10 not reccliect Tic
! clcrl; in the Scrgcaut-at- Ans Office was
che. fir. Baek had also been before the
committe for the allowance Of his claim. 1t
was rejected lie fled IN argument for u
reconsilerat;otis but it has not lecn grant
cd. | understand that the Clerk declined
10 raH tffese claims, because he was afraid
that i he did so lie would lose the amount.
Mr LETUHER. What was the amount
Of that Of Mr. Buck?
Mr. MASON. lis was S340. / can
send to the committee room and get that,
and also his argument
Mr.. I.ETCIIER. The gentleman Is az
ter horse Of another color.
MI. MASON. 1t was under a resolu-
ton in the last House, passed on the last
night of the last session.
Nj. LETCilER. ] refer to the receipts
that the Secretary e the Treasury sends
here On page SD, there is a receipt from
Mr. Buck for S43 30, in full Of the above
account; and that is one Of tie suspended
items
Mr.. MAYNARD. What is the date Of
that receipt?
Mr.. Lf.TCHER. The 3lst March, 1857.
Mr. MASON. I'll these men made out
thcir accounts aid sent them to the chief
clerk accompanied with tElcir receipts. 49,
That is the usual way in which tie thing is
done. They do not get the money then
The Clerk waits until they pass the Com
mittec of Accounts. lie did MOI pay these
until that committee acted On them and
he very properly waited for the action Of shat
committee. They have never been indors-
ed, and they remain in that committee yet.
It is considered that the amoi7hts asked for
are not legally Due to these men 1t is ONLY
protezt that the Clerk has paid them, and
will lose the amount paid if this aprropria
ton be not granted
Mr. LETCHER These accounts I have
referred to are certified by the Committee
Of Accounts, and they have heen paid and
| receipted for, if there is any faith to hc
placed in the public documents. Here is
''B. Il. Thurston, chairman of the Com
| nlittec of Accounts" attached to each of
them, showing that they were allowed ~
that committee. They were paid by tho
Clerk after that allowance, and they are now
suspended il the Department because the
Secretary of the Treasury care % the con
clusion that the resolutions under which
they were pail WAS in violation Of previous
act then upon the statute book. They were
| paid under resolution of the House, pass
ed when the gentleman from Tennessee
Mr.. zones and myself were here; and be-
side that, we came into the last Congress,
and neither the gentleman nor anybody
else raised q question about it to stop tic
I payment at that time or TO prohibit the
CFork from getting credit for the amount.
Why is it dat the thing is nor stirred NJ?
1t has been going on ever since have been
here. | have voted against it uniformly.
The money has been appropriated, aud it
has been applied. Why did not these gen
tlemen raise the question then Why is
it raised now when the Secretary Of the
Treasury brings it p here for the purpose
/ Of enabling him to adjust the accounts Of
| one of the parties who has counts out
standing il his Department
| Mr.. JONES, of Tennessee. I wish to
make an inquiry | understand the. gen
tleman to say that these accounts and re-
ceipts have been allowed and are endorsed
BY the Committee Of Accounts. / wish to
ask him this question was there any Ii.
Of Representatives, in exis tnce, or any Com
mittee of Accounts in session in this Capt.
! tol, on the 31st Of March, 1857?
( Mr.. LETCHER There is one allowed
on the 9TH Of March
! MIR. JONES, e Tennessee. Was there
a House then ?
Mr.. LETCHER. There was not.
/ Dir. JONES, Of Tennessee. Was there
a Committee of Accounts
| MI. lETCIIER There was not. Now,
as one good turn deserves another, Let me
ascertain from the gentleman from Tonnes
see whether he has ever known in any pre-
vious Congress, Of allowances being made
by the Com. Of Accounts after the close {?
Mr.. JONES, of Tennessee. do nos
know of any.
DIr. LEFCHER. If they acro moi made
after the close Of the Congress, when were
they made !? Here were the resolutions
passed on the last night Of tile session, when
the very last sands Of an e. pirinc Coaq ess
, were running cut, autboIiziug these pay
ments to be made and if they were not to-
be allowed thon, wAeu' were 9hcy to Be 81
/ lowed
! Mr.. JONES, olTc1nasSoe. am NOT
asking when tn i we're to be allowed
asked the gentleman L t!,are was aug Com
Z sr "