The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1861-03-06

friends tE-orlued him that iiszeiton j. 60. had
le'su.el IN the frs transaction To the amount
ot F'aus".v up~ards ct $3.euo, bu, on the CON
trans advised uim that l.z..'ut i Go. were per
;yc-'y responsible and onos.6le men. who aleays
lived uo 20 AID fulfilled their contracts, and thar
tre S5p,U00 would o. perfectly safe With them
Had Mr Homes been frank sith the Governor.
and stated .Hi- det3ui, o.. Hazelton 4 60. upon
ttr H--- contract. thew would not have been
bowed 30 become bidders tCr the Loan Had
either Of to.rI subsequently, stated the fact TO
Mckinney, bee could NOT -uppp>iuc him 20 be
sane htve parted win rte bonds 10 HazeItou &
10. until be saoul hsy.. r-ceiyed every dollar
OF tie price 70 he paid therefor Whether Mr
a. ..'l',-' so..nc' IS - ne explained bY 5 fact
Ie-sI.uad ov Hr. Dewey in his testimony and
ay ,.'tpr alluded &C.,. th,t Hazelton & Co, had
.e..s SOC" aoary. ,ue people must Judge The
impression OF t:e committee j. that in that trans
ac..oa the late Treasurer vas more siuaed against
than shining. He eis utterly incompetent.
jeghtrs- butneverthrirsS he seems 10 have. done
wrong under the advice cf friends who should
haye advised him better.
/ There are several circumstances connected
/ Sth the conduct of Mr. Holmes both when in
oiiicr and after he had retired tfog. H. which
seems veTv difficult of Justification Though the
custGu. did not oTigirst, .ijh hiai Jut prevailed
before h's time, YET ir seems to El,c been con.
ti..urd ,ry BIN, a~ w,H ~ his successor Il
h,.rl-4s the accounts with tae va-i.us banks
where the funds were d posted, not upon the
regular books but upon books called sometimes
" side books The deposits tor some wears have
he" HaIn ~iih d-pusitores upon interest Of five
per cent, aud during the administrations of Nr.
Ho'nes this item q i4teftsI waS p latg, one
Aud yct there is nothing in the olic.. TO show
sa"re the money y as deposited the amount OF
which was lu>tly cue the SAFE upon them or
ANYTHING by which n" amount oi interest which
reaiiy accrued to the State can ne ascer,ained -
. houeS j. entered a. having been received on ac
count Of interest in gross sums, without ANYTHING
10 de.ignate from no received or ON what ac-
co5nt Ntei her the II,tcTest 50 entered "a paid
he al the interest that due the State or
neither it was all that received, there is no
means of knowing. That this mode Of stati! 2
accounts or keeping books leaves the door wide
open 10 any fraud which public officer may see
IL tn commit IS apparent TO ell That any have
been committed during Mr. Holmes administra-
ton may no: be true, but il not. is certainly
not for want of the most ample opportunity 10
do il without fear of detection.
He seems 10 have been in the habit Of depos-
ting WITH or lending money 10, one {. l. An
thony, OF New York and when he retired from
Office there was an account OF SIS. 600 and up
wards against said Anthony, which was turned
over by MIR. Holmes to nr Mckinney as cash -
About halt OF this amount remained unpaid un-
tl the present treasurer came into office. II has
since been settled, but without interest for $50,
by being deducted from the amount due the con-
tractors TOR the repairs upon the canal. of whom
Mr.. Holmes was one. At the close Of bis term
also there was draft from the Detroit Advcrtis-
er office, in his favor, on Hosmer & Kerr, for
S>2i, which they hal rc.usGsed To nav, haviu z.
a~ '"ey state, previously paid Tie -trur. This
va i,l- lu tue Office much C:.-. oa.: 81, re
ceigt.d by Nci<u.i.y L. adjusting a running
account with ,hesa gentlemen, the deput, treas
urcr. Mr.. Hunter, seenls To Rave had address
enough 10 GcdIct the amount OF thi, draft t,1ul
uJaeF, a.e taem, aud the amount remains uow
Il suffice. uf CoutTOyc.sy between them and the
treasury office.
There has already been an ausion Ia The con
juct Oi Nr. Holmes. ii connection with the ne
goistous Nth iiszelton & co. lie li not re
qhe thesa 90 pay the ui price cS the FIRST !,ond-
sold tncui. ani yet he delivered to them all the
. bonds .A1ou. the same time he received from
thelU, in "a lean or loans, money to the an.out q.
! =: on'i, and Il seems 30 have been the uider-
standing that ie was not to he called upon 10 re-
paw IT, il having been also understood as il would
, appear, that the amount Of the premium, or tha;
the amount lent Holmes, should apply rs pay
, Inept tiegeoi, or the loans were - reTnain .uu
called for. When asked himself if he had in
formed the parties negotiating with iiazleton n
Co. tor the canal loan ot the failure Of that tiru
, 10 comply with this previous contact, and that
, they had failed to pay the premium agreed TO be
paid, his reply was that be had not, aud th,
, reason that he still thought at that time tbar
he might vet get the money, and this though h,
had been Out Of office some months. Ii Seems
4 clear to the committee, that IN this trans4cto!
ITSELF with iialetou & Co., am in all his subse
quent conduct, in not informing either the irov
ernor, when the Information uld have preven
! ted the giving the loan TO hazleton x Co aux
afterwards. when the same Information mus
@ have prevented the transaction with regard 4
the sat, 600. are altogether at variance with th'
duty incuwt,rt upon him. The FIRST, that Is
letiing uszl"fon Il 90. hasc tHc S2l6,C00 o
. bonds before the price VAS fully paid, was oi!ica
: n,slf'asance, 10y which the State lost less to b,
j sure than bv the same kind %! ccuduc; on rht
> pant ot Mckinney, aiyerasrd; hut the atr wa
= of the same character as the suJssprcu; or b,
/ which 5000 % oi bonds were delivered ai4,
, only ite-thrce thousand paid. ii the fact tha
" !iazetou * 90 let Holmes have money 10 abOn
little more than the premium cn tie - IL 0on q
: bonds sold them by him. furnish the expiauaio;
+ oi his conduct, then the transaction assumes
" still darker complexion, If it does not bccom
} positive corruption, or embezzement The sc
oud, 10 W.T. that he did not make known IT,
Tact either 10 the Governor OF Mckinney. AT an
time during the negotiation 81 the canal loan
: .shiie utterly ~ variance with his durv taken i,
u connection With tie reasons ass guyG by hi4.Ssl
y for doing IT, can hardly fail TO strengthen tin
: unpleasant suspicion which arises from the otha
I circumstances connected with the original trans
u action.
, The committee have no desire TO give char
actcr 10 any ot these transactions which the
a should not bear To he compelled to b.-tog
p ceasure instead oi praise Is no agreeable office
They would, however, deem Themselves not act
: ing uD - the duty imposed upon them, il the
allow series Gt events Ike these la Dass sith0u
: the most marked expressions with regard IL them
j There j. some conflict Of testimony bctxret
. Nr. II lines aud Mr Hunter relative tn the dis
J posal Of ;he "Si3e booas,n upon which accouut
with the repositories ot plhc foG.ye wcrt
kept during hs term OF Office ard W. pass tina
il topic BY, merely remarSing th,i Jhey are not 4
2 De found in the IreasgrrI'- Office
aC'KINSrY's oFFIClAL CoSpUcT
. Tire official conduct o the late Tire t>urer. Nic
r Kinney, hae been subject to az rigid an inve-ti
q cation as II has been within the power of jh
committee 10 give IT, The refusal ct McKinue
: himself - answer any questi0rs. q: course ha
( deprived them Of one direct means OF know'edge
e The nantes. completely OF his depaty Treasurer
n Hunter, with himself, il all the malpraclicc
i which have taken place il connection with t.
q funds Of the oifice-the dupcify sni insiDcerr
OF mis- testimony, de,eFminedy and des gnedly sl,a
l. ped conceal every transaction possible {
Z De concealed, AMI to assign a fal-e reason for