Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1859-03-02
The Stapoaro.
COMMUNICATION

COMMUNICATION
From the President Of the North Carolina Rat
rood in reply to the Report Of the Cha1's'ten 81 Me
Joint Committee on the North Cnroliaa Railroad.
RALEIGH, February 14th, 1859.
Hon, HENRY r. CLARK, SpeetaeT Of the Senate:
SiR:-It is with extreme reluctance that pro-
nose again to trouble the Senate with comnun'c'-
tion referring 10 my official relations with the North
Carolina Railroad but it is required by my position
towards the Directory, the State, and the stock
holders as well as due to myself in justice that
should notice report lately E:adc by Mr. Jonathan
Worth, chairman of committee to examine into
the affairs and condition of this corporation
Early in the month of December last, Mr.. Worth
proposed in the Senate a Resolution to appoint
committee to examine into the condition and affairs
of the North Carolina Railroad Company, upon
which las amended to include other roads, JOINT
committee was raised, and Mr.. Worth was made
chairman.
The first notification to me of its existence and
purpose was by letter from the chairman OF date
December 18th, and received the ed; which letter,
with my reply thereto, is given i'll his report
According to the request OF TINS letlcr, coh'eHeo
to Raleigh from the office of the North-Carollna
Railroad, at the Company shops, all the important
vouchers papers and books of the corporation, and
caused the Treasurer and the Secretary to present
themselves with me in attendance on the committee
in Raleigh at the hour deSignatcd-4 o'clock, r. NJ,
of January 18th last. Then and there stated to
the chairman my readiness to go into this exanlln
tion and reiterated the expressions Of my letter
that it would give me great pleasure to AID HIM by
any means in my power.
At o'clock the chairman and Mr. Mills attended
at nv temporary office in Raleigh-not at the Cover
nors Office which he proposed to use as his commit
tee room-where the papers were deposited, and
remained in conversation perhaps two hours. upon
my inquiry as to his plan of examination ana my
remark that any examination to be satisfactory,
much less Just must be systematic and regular as
well as full; he replied this Was true, and they
would consult OH plan for adoption. lie further
observed seeing the formidable mass OF material,
that it would appear impossible to examine as fully
as was desirable but he wished to make a fair and
impartial examination. My reply was If this is
your sincere purpose although great injustice and
much misapprchension might result from discur-
svc and partial inquiry, and although it had been
my intention to require regular and complete IN
quiry, will allow you to proceed in any mode OF just
examinations here are all the papers o: YOU use,
and the men to explain them-procced as you please
mentioned that the time being the first days OF
the year, was Il very inconvenient and lnuppoltGne
one for this examination, and would greatly hinder
the business of the road unless the otccmen could
have some leisure from il; that to myself
could not possibly remain in personal attendance
there being On raged elsewhere, but IT my attend
ance was at any time desired it should be instantly
given on my being notified that any questions for
information would reach me promptly and should
be instantly replied to- no matter what were my en-
gagcmcnt>
From Mat night 10 tie c7ose Of tbs csamination,
achen tile men aad doohs ~esu dtrhnrged, no singh
question las been at ang tire asked n nc.
The chairman begins rather ominouSy with two
mistakes. He says, page |, "he IL delivered into
the hands of the committee the papers, DC. He
greatly mistook nv action made 30 such de
livery" nor should at any time have so far forgot
ton my duty, in charge of these most valuable re-
cords, as to have delivered" them or
dered them to any hands. He asked my permission
to take to his room certain papers and the Journal
of the Board, which freely accorlc; lat the same
time requesting their careful keepng,) ont Of coar
tesy to his poSition-a courtesy, as appeared later,
which the chairman not able to appreciate.
This was his first error:-the second was that he
seems to have considered all of in his custody.
He says, on my statement 1.-The committee consented
that he attend to his duties the road he ayyteHg
to return" &c. | neither asked his consent to
be absent nor agreed to return; but made the
observations to my duties and attendance exactly
as mentioned by me above. The chairman eXagger-
ated his consequence in this way throughout
These are unmportant things except as showing
his total misapprchcnson of our relative positions,
and particularly Of his proper jurisdiction
On the second week of the chairmans labors,
closely engaged in making out my Report of
January Doth, 10 the Governor, for the information
of the General Asscmbly-and was obliged to have
the aid Of the Secretary, who is book-keeper in
making up my financial statement The chairman
dweils on this as having delayed his examination
How? By lack of my Books of Entry9 What
had he to do with these except for final comparison
to ascertain their correctness Was he to examine
the etiairS of the Road, by my statements2 or was
he to ascertain the by reference to the audited
vouchers of payments-the acknowledged amount
of receipts, and then test the correctness of my
books? The secretary has no connection with these
papers except as bookkecpcr, but the chairman had
in Raleigh, the man through whose hands had
passed every voucher since the first year of the cor
porate operations-the Treasurer who had received
and paid out all monies as his accounts show who
ought to be familiar with every important transac-
tion and able TO lay his hands any desired infor-
nation, if he chose to do so. How then could his
progress lie delayed for want of the secretary, no
great while engaged in the Office and therefore not
cOgnizant Of old transactions?
On Saturday, | went to Raleigh to pay my re-
spects to the chairman, and asked how he was pro-
crossing. He answered, that they had needed the
secretary with his books and by his absence had
been delayed. Ireplied: The secretary has been
necessarily absent i'll giving me some aid from his
statements, but you have had all the papers and
the presence of the treasurer, the oldest officer on
the road, which | thought surely sufficient; the
secretary however, shall return on Monday.
After leaving the city in the evening, | remem
bered an extract from the journal of the Board
Chat as to the location of the shops wanted for my
report and directed the secretary to get the book
and send it up by next train.
On Monday received the letter following from
the chairman
RALEIGH, January 18TH 1859.
Mr.. CHAs F. FISHER:
Leor SIR: The committee investigating the affairs of the
NorthCarona Railroad Company instruct me to say Il
YOU that they have been arrested in the discharge OF hc
duty all this week, by the non-aendance of your book
keeper who should have been here all the week with b
bonks according TO the orders of this committee
The committee require that Your book-keeper with hi.
books attend this Committee without delay and also tina
the person having charge of your shop books attend will
his books by 4 O'Clock r. NJ tn Tueday next
The committee also instruct ask for your persona
attendance before them by p NJ on Wednesday next
Yours respectfully,
T WoDrII