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

Att'i't'- most et>N III fftN bc ag-
-ir8c.,j without discovery. Wica D, went our
of ofhcr. he deliberately aud c.rcfuu, burned
and that siace this Legislature has been IN ses-
sion, all the books upon which The accounts of
the Treasurer were kept, with ai banks aad
other depos.toricS and many orhci papers ot the
oiiice also - thoroughly wa> this done, that
there manned nothing in the Office - ~ioN any
account witt any bank aud other icpusitorlVs
and many other papers of the OH .r also. 80
thoroughly was this done, thg, there lemaiuri
nothing ia the ottice 10 shos auv s-cya,t aiih
any hank or individual depository The difficult
~. therefore which tbe committee ia> met with
trDu rr,-e causes has been 20 great - doubles,
to precelt Jhe discovery @, uany practices
wtioa voul otherwise have arg,af q
iat ,au be the object in thi, c,.,tli q, -t,uc-
lion ot books and papers telo.-.,- ,' thr Treas
Gry department.. and upon wi,c. important OIL
cial accounts were kept, unless ir De- 10 prevent
Investigation, aid cover up fraud: Honesty
fears DO examination, dread, .oi 'bc closest
scrutiny, but even invites II.
Why Asep important accounts such - those
win banks oi deposit, upon laf = cal. ii "' siie
books, al al ; Way keep "a. ;Ac tiaa-4,iious
a.! IL. treasury, whcfc :herc Is 1i. uprrtuiitv 70
purloiH money, upon books which mAy be 50 ca
silly taken away and DESTROYED. WEv are ac-
counts So loosely kept IS 10 utterly battle imyest-
CATION IN many respects and cyri then not per
mitted o. survive the term oi ciiiye ui the paIt,
during whose term the TRANSACTION thcu recorded
took place? The committee ta,l Compelled Ia
say frankly and plainly, thai there can bc bat
one motive for sucn conduct Parties thus ac-
ting, cannot be Innocent They have been p!
tering the public moneys, and these age the uavs
resoiJtd 60, TO cover up an,: coucesl the emouui
% frauds committed, from public attention.
There is no degree of public cersHre too great
90 be visited upon all parties, whether principals
or accomplices, who have been engaged in t'aEs-
actions of this nature.
The committee, however, after all arc com.
PEELED To say that within the last two wears, no
very great an ount o. the pahljc moneys can
have been lost. There aic certain accounts
such as the interests accrUiu- tu lhe State upon
the public moneys on depo,;tc Ia various places.
commissions paid, or purporting to have been
paid, 10 brokers or bankers, for paying the inter
est o. the state debt, items ot exchange, and
other transactions OF a similar nature, which in
vOlve. perhaps the payment of considerable
sums Of money. In all such cases, there seems
/ to have been 10 check, or means of guarding
sgags. fraud; aud considerable amounts OF mon
ey, for sucn items, seem To hays been allowed
! to, or taken 10y, Mckinney, upon no other vouch-
er than bis own statement. These amounts, in
whole or in part, may not have been paid hy
/ him; all the interests upon the public moneys
NAV not have been credited by nilu, and il j.
/ probable they were not hut have been, 10 some
extent, appropriated by him and his deputy, Nr.
llGate7. 1t j. gratifying however. to know that,
though sums Vhvh could be thus appropriated,
might anouut "a some i.w thousands of dollars,
t.cs could amount t. uo very large sum. The
a'uoGut oi pu' hc HaCgtl- Ou deposit the PAST
; tgo wears, has been too small. and the other
4 items, whore these opportunities existed. are
not altogether, sufficiently laI ge To admit o! any
considerable frauds by their means.
ia addition TO these, which are minor matters,
there j. Ia doub; or question but that the late
treasurer has used money which came into his
haud~ Treasurer, and belonging to the State,
TO some amount above twenty-thTee thousand
dollars. lie EaS received aud r.celpted iO:, as
/ Treasured from the Detroit aud Milwaukee
Railroad Company, the TAX Of that company for
the last year, which has never been credited
upon the Treasury books, amounting TO, incluG-
ing interest paid thereon, *23 900; also, $500,
unpaid balance ot hunters draft oG Mckinney,
when the present Treasurer came INTO Office, for
July coupons H. additions TO these things, also,
there S discrepancy OF q, loo in the cash ac-
counts ot the office, the money being short that
amount. ot these Items, theFe seems 10 be no
dpubt There appears, also, To be ahoat, some
-urauce Bank, which may increase hi- default to
some extent There are other items for which
Mckinney is legally aud justly chargeable, though
they cannot be usidetcd - cEbezzled 10y him
OF these items, j. the arcr one Of S50,oUo lent
10 Hazleton & Co, under the circumstance:
above stated Also, an item ot 81 $50 81, be
iug the amount Q. Lansing City Orders found II
the Treasury, and for which the deputy OF The
Treasurer had given money, in order, either e
secure himself from loss or to aid brother en-
Gagged IN grading some of the streets oi the city
all evidences at least, of weakness and uue
uuhiues>, and nc0mpetency OF bo.h officers iO
their plac-s--th0ugh not ~ themselves criminal
except IL 50 flv as they were violations of duty
and o law.
And indeed regard for law seems 70 have beer
virtue he'd N bus little repuie by those par
;ies A. Al. the practices OF the oiic, SHOW. Til.
iia requires that 10 money shall bc paid fiOH
tie treasury excCp; upon the warrant Of thr
Auditor General ard yct i e-.u's 10 have a gen
4 erGi practice Sc advance money from the treas
: ury 10 any parties doing business with or TO
ihe state, "a Il upon au acconnt current, and II
anticipation OF q warrant thereafter TO be Ob
tanned 4 the close at the last year ;herc wer
variogs items .: thj- sort Ia the treasury, au'
amounting - considerable sums among whct
was one ifem oi S2pUJ0 advanced to the con
tractors upoa tae -. Mary Canal, Clark
; Holmes and various other items And il wa
: upon this practice Tia, tie Ingenious deputy
Hunter. based bis justification, in giving his broth
e. ! 500 OF the public moucv for Lansing cit
orders because at some future the treasury mig N
: have funds derived from taxes upon non-resiiel
lands In the CITY. statement 81 these item
found IN the treasury viii be found in the test
monv of Mr. Oxeu
The committee have lot much 70 say OF tn
vauy oil aHds held 10y mortgage from Dewey an'
HaZ..tOn * CO., as security fer the ATTY ihOusan
dollars lent Hazl-ioH Z. Co. The notes ennme
rated in the testimony Of the late Attorney Gen
: erai are probably utterly worthless, all 0. them
the value Of the laLds it has been impossible .
t ascertain. On this subject the committee ca
only express the nope, though pecirious one
thai the property may be sufficiently valuable u
enable the State IN the end 20 realize tie none
tor which it stands rs security. For all iniorma
ton or this subject, the committee refer to tn
: evidence Of the lats Attorney General and VI
: Dewey.
; In conclusion, the committee NAV venture {
express the hope that, with an ac; already pa-se
this session, to bring the accounts of the Treas
Irer. and the condition ot the funds belongin
, 10 the State and another bill now pending t
: regulate more certainly the manner ia which aC
: counts shall be kept in the treasury Office, u
D such state Of things can probably again occur
: and having said this, they respectfully submit ,h
: result of their most di=agreeable duty to th
: legislature having. so far they bad sbilt,
{ sought to discharge Il st least faithfully and viii
. out fear.
j. II. F. BALDWIN,