Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1861-11-29
REPORT OF COMMITTEE TO EXAM
me AND INVES fIGATE THE AC
COUNTS AND EXPENDITURES OF
THE GOVERNOR

|
| COUNTS AND EXPENDITURES OF
THE GOVERNOR.
To the House of Representatives. ro,o in ses
S10H;
Your Committee ''appoiuted to examine
and investigate the aoeounte and expendi
lures made by the Governor, Adiutant ana
Inspector General, and Quarter Master Gen
erai, in rdsslng. su5sist,ng, unifornung, equip.
ping, Transporting, and pay,Rg the Voun-
| tecr Militia" have performed tho duty OF
examination and investigation, that was as
| signed them, and find that the accounts O.
| the AdutaLt aud Inspector General have
been allowed and paid by the Gorefnor. and
/ filed with bis own. The expenditures made
/ in this branch OF the service amcun led TO
( l,249 81, and consisted chiefly ot Office and
telegraph expenses, travelling and hot.l biz.
! cerk hire, ami the expenses OF ,Lr ffeers u
the uniformed militia Of the otatv, W. D., on
the reeeption of the first requisition Il tn
| President for troops, were assemble by ol,.er
Of the Governor At Burlington tor purposes
Of consultation.
The Quartermasier Generals Report hay-
ing been printed and laid before tue House,
the Committee do not deem 1t n-cessAry 10
refer to it any further than to s9y
that they examined those of the bills partic-
ularlzed therein which are amonS tue vouch-
ers Of the Governor, (beins nearly thc
wh0le) and found them, with few import
ant exceptions, correctly extended, added
aud receipted. That part Of his account
which Is contained in statement '' 3" of his
report, from and after the dase Of Sept. %,
1861, has not been submitted TO the ms pee
ton Of The Committee, nOr have tney Pa
ceived from him any explanations in regarI
to the balance that has been reported from
year to year as remaining in his hands.
The committee examined with great care
ana mlnuteness the books and accounts of
the governor, looking over every bill of
every description, and, in nearly all cases.
IN all Its details, with a view To ascertain its
character, and TO form an opinion as far ss
they could of It's necessity, as well as to g..
that it was correctly extended, added, and
receipted. In few cases they fouud slight
clerical errors, IN bills certified by various
military officers. which had. at the time u
their payment, escaped notice, or wero not
deemed OF sufficient Importance under the
circumstances to be corrected.
Tue committee did not make minute ex-
animation Of the Regimental pay rolls, tha.
had been certified by the Auditor of h $
State, the drawing his warrants for the
payment being simply an executive duty vi
the Governor, involving No other responsible
lity on his part.
As far as the committee could judge, they
are of the opinion that the expenditur,
made by the Governor were judicious, aad
made with proper regard to economy, and
that the accounts, as submitted to the Gov
ornor for payment, were carefully scruu-
nized with view to seeing that no undue
advantage was taken of the State Treasury.
Your committee intended to have presen-
ted comparative statement OF the expenses
of each regiment. but time has failed them
fer this, and they can only say that in their
opinion there was a gradual dimiuution of
expenses, and that the 9Th Regiment, though
in all particulars of its equipment equal, If
not superior to its predecessors, was raised,
equipped and patched, under the sole
direction of th G sernor, at an expense to
the State of thousands of dollars less than
any other that was fully equipped BY the
State.
1t appears by statement, obtained frc-
the Treasurer of the State, that the = -
ernor drew warrants on him to -'e auou uns
Of S58J,795 90, inolujinr rev ~TarrInes ~
drawn nv G,vrrnor p>aorOok, at G1yernor
F,irhl-ts, rro,-s, all of which warrants
Lor. nm Id by the Treasurer.
r. Committee find on footing up tie
l.lser kept by Gov. Fairbanks Secretary
and making a trial balance. that this sum
corresponds exactly with the G vernon ;
books, and the Committee having previously
checked off on the book all tde vouchers,
they are able to certify that tie ex-GOv. has
exhibited receipts for the whole of this
amount except S532 l3, which is cash, and
which the Committee counted and found TO
be now on hand.
The condition Of the books and vouchers
and their classification having been correctly
described by another Committee, this Com
miJtee deemed it unnecessary 70 60 over the
same ground with similar details; but would |
express their entire concurrence in commend
alton therein expressed Of the neat and sys-
manner in which the vouchers and
books have been kept by the late Secretary |
Of Civil and Military Affairs, and of the |
vast amount Of labor performed by him.
As, however, large additional number of |
accounts have been settled, since the report |
was made, they deem it proper to give new |
as follows;