, 1859-02-08

missionar's Office.
Correspondents Of The Pres and Tribunal
- - .6Rnuosn1D. Feb. q 1850.
: The topic In Ill circles u ths Great Fraud which
has been pracsised- upo1 the ststs through the
Fund COMMISSIONER od1ee, n which x-Governor
Aatseson's name ngurea 50 frequently. Public
expectation is on fip.t toe, and while w1se and
Thoughtful men shake thels heads with doubt, the
tongues Of the censohous wag in the utterance OF
charges grave enough 70 dataa any man alive. Il
whatever Light considered this il an affair Of the
first importance to the State and the good name Of
its government; and there now seems to be no
doubt that It will be thoroughly investigated. The
Conm1ttee having it In charge al good and reli-
able men, and appear to be anxious, without re-
gard to purity. to its bottom. It is unfortunate
that the time between this and the day Of adjourn
ment Is 20 short; but il no more evidence comes
in, a report viii soon be made and the Legislature
can oct.
The manner In which the fraud WIS committed
may appear inexplieabls to the readers Of the
PREss AND TRIBUNE; but It is capable Of m easy
demonstration The Governor is erebicio Fund
Commissioner and employs clerk who discharges
The duties Of ths place. Since 1910 this Clerk has
been Enoeh Aoore,-be1eved by all to be q
thoroughly honest and upright though by no
means an able man. The peculiarity Of bis figure
and the lowness Of his stature will rec all him to
the mind OF thousands rho hare had business at
the capital within the last twenty years. He has
desk in the Executiy. Chamber, aud to him are
contdsd all the duties consequent upon the care
nff In Aabf pa En7u nfT
finances than any living man. His charater for
honesty and caretnlness has always placed him
above suspicion Of fraud Or even error. He has
been trusted in such way that his integrity is q
thing proved. With the various forms Of canal
debt be is 1ess acquainted than with our inter
nal improvement stock and interest bonds; hence.
when Gov, Matteson, while in the executive chair,
handed him bundle Of canal checks and directed
him to Issue bonds therefor, his confidence in the
Governor, and his want Of recollection Of the facts
In regard to that kind Of Indebtedness. made him
comply without hesitation. The precedent once
established, second error was easier than the
first. Error followed error until he finds that his
misplaced confidence and treacherous memory
bare cost the State more than $235 ,000i
The business Of t'funding," }" Is as all know sim-
ply the aggregation Of g1nall SUMS into SUMS of
greater and uniform magnitude, and the issuance
therefor Of other evidences Of indebtedness. 4
holder Of cana! or interest scrip for instance, pre-.
sents to Ir- Moore, dozen or twenty pieces,
amounting In the aggregate to thousand dollars
in one or the other form. He calculates the
amount due, and, il an even thousand, issues
bond, cancels and files away bis scrip, makes the
proper entries in his books and the transaction
is ended His fault in the case under discussion
was in not laying these checks-of which he has
received so many during B1ssE1L's administration
before the Governor for his sanction Of the pro-
posed funding. But when We remember his re1a-
tion to Gov. Matteson, his entire reliance upon
that gentleman's integrity, and his {Matteson's)
former official action, that fault may be readily
pardoned.
The attempt to stias investigation and make
case for the courts, indicated By Matteson's letter
to the chairman Of the Committee, passes for
naught. The digging will 60 On until the bottom
is seen; aud though the Committee may perhaps
be compelled by sanction Of the Senate to sit after
adjournment, light must be thrown upon this trc-
It need not be said that boxes supposed to con-
tain these checks, about which all the noise Is
made, have been traced directly to Matteson's
hands; and that he will be compelled BY the facts
already developed to prove that the checks fund
eli bT him came honestly into his possession. The
theory Of his friends is that the checks we're
stolen {no doubt about thatD when, where Or by
whom, no one knows that Matteson was buying
State Indebtedness largely for conversion into
bonds to deposit IS security for the notes Of bis
numerous bauks; that the thieves offered him q
small part Of the stolen property at first as bait;
that though once aware that all these checks were
redeemed, be had forgotten the fact, aud pnrchas-
ed without hesitation that other sums and par
GELS were sent, which he also bought; that the
whole lot WAS put upon him in that way, and that
be was made the ooly victim, else here aud there
checks would have been discovered In the bands
Of other parties. Tho theory il ingenious; by no
other eau the fact that no buyer Of canal scrip or
other debt has seen or heard Of 4 400 day check"
in fourteen years, be explained; by not other can
the purchase Of e107 900 Of these checks between
January 9Th and March 18th, 1857, by Matteson,
while nobody else in the world bought one, be ac-
counted for; but it remains to be proved. His
lawyers will endeayor to make it plain.
Proper persons arc engaged in oYerh auliug all
the old uncancelled obligations in the hands Of
the Auditor, and examining the Fund Commission
ers books. Rumors Of leaks aud frauds are rife;
but as Jet Il speak knowingly) nothing has been
discovered. The amount involved in the tranzac-
tion already Known constantly grows larger, but
10 new rlsca1ity las turned up.