The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-01-08
VII a.. 4, t", p~ sp,~ sLa.i u u, p~v,
ana thy G. d my God"
uu0 tUy 07U ID U'W
AUDtToR OF PUBLIC Accors rsrs

and III ,bv e {, q nv r., ID. .e '1'' !" ~, p-yr'
AUDITOR OF PUBLIC Accorars
The report OF tbe A"dssov ~ Public Ac.
| ing Of the serious onsidsra'ion ~ the Gene.
raj Asse ubiy I, is chsracseriS>A ~ z eat
| tbIfty, and embedies many vatwasse susses.
lions on questions in which the sac has .
deep and vital in teres. II hripes ts' ysar at
rention several practical que.tts"s. Ia clear
And forcfbse manner ali ~ which inpera-
lively demand legislative ac'toa. COZ n ssnsIy
| expect that his recon me ndattses will COM
mend thernselves 10 yosr favorable constde.
ra'inn, aud that ,ne measures ~ prnss,-es VIII
| 'sceiSe your sanction, and at an esflv das ~
,m NE session LEGISLATION ON thee sntj cts 10
| protec ted in future
That portion of bic report which relates TO
eonusmhea slaves Is recommended specialiy
| your attention. Additional i~6taiation on
| this snhJect is indispensnbly necessary u pro.
| 'ect the State from imposition At thts time
and indeed since have been In ofnce, the
prices fixed by the Courts npoa Condemned
| slaves Will average al least ten par cent, m IRA
han the slaves would have hrowsht a. pu o,ic
or private sale, II ,seir characters bad b~en
| unexceptioDable. Little or ., ttsrA seems
| 10 he paid 10 that provision OF The law, AAIch
declares that the :. value shall be the ea.h p,,cs
h,r which he you'd sell at psdi,e sale. with a
| knowledge of his condemnation" Ypu will
| perhaps be astonished 30 learn from the Aud
| itor's Report that con demnsd slaves have cost
| hs Sihte, in the twenty vears psecsd dug the
sear 1885, the sum ct 1891 ,46a 81. s"d tA-t the
State realized from their sal. > uuSiHg rte ZANE
| period the sum Of ,s36 96 These consic q
were therefore PUT upon the Sts~ ~ . price
| greatly exceeding their vnius, aGd the TAX.
| payers of Virgin a were made to bear the buI-
den of Sl80NOO, required to make up the
| amount OF this hlgn valuation hssd BY the
Courts.
In This connection. ask your attention to
| the abstract OF the laws upon this sublsct, now
| existing in the other siavehoidirE StAies.t
| see whether this gross inj"s'ics caO.ot b. re-.
moved. 1t ought To be re'Novsd, ri / appeal
10 your wisdom TO prov d. An sd q aaie IN.
| edy Tor a grievance To which the people of Vir.
ginid are now subjected TIE law OF either OF
| the other siavehoidiDg S ates is more just in
| lts provisions, and nave no hsein MN re-.
| commencing a change in the existing law.
l recommend also, that souas amendment
hall be made TO section eleventh VI chapter
| two hundred and twelve OF the Code. The ne.
| cessity for this amendment is clearly poin Cd
out by the Auditor, and 10 toe ca O. me tioned
| IN his report, refer u. Unisss some iegis.
| iative action he had upon this subject, will
ieet 1t to be my duty TO restore thee~ slaves to
| their owners, requiring from them sa,isfac.
tory security that h-v shall pe resnoysd forth.
with from the q, nm wealth. THE SAFE
| uught not to have the posses sion aud s,TsIces
OF the slave. and YET refuse 10 pay n ia'r cash
value ,r hlm, merely because the owner is not
| a resident OF Virginia.
1 recommend ina, sheriffs shall he required
TO execute their bonds in the Circuit & iurts.
The Judges are better ia formed ~ r-esrti 10
The legality OF such bonds and will ~ much
more careful in asceriainiug the sufh e1cy
aud responsibility Of the srcarity that NAV bs
Utfered The present law is seriously de!ec-
tise, aud the suggesf fiouS of the Anditor are
entitled tn great weight in the ac ion you may
take on The subject The interests OF Ine State
demand acti ~ at the pre- -ent ssssi u, aud he
defects la existing laws require o o. cur.d
The suggestions in reg trd 10 Delinquent and
, her lands are deserving of your attention
Those Suggestions appear to me Ia be vslua-
bic, aud II carried out. C uld DOT fail to have
beneficial fleet The Auditor is YER, familiar
with these subects, and any rec ,mmen dation
be may mske Ia regard tu them Is et,isi-a 10
great weight, and should commend itself to
your favor.
Ia regard To the present mode of ascpr'a ain
irg the taxable subjects of tue State am per-
sunded hat the results could be arrived az, In
Il manner equally satisfactory, a. at the same
time great Sa.iLg OF eXpen,e huW annually
incurred could be effected Ii both these OBJ
jets can be- secured IN the present en- barrassrd
naE cal COZ ditl1n of the country, surely
will bs iGlIy justified in dirscttrg your atten.
tIon 10 5 nupor ant n suhj-ct o. hr thirty
fifth page of the report. you will Il q a recon
menonnon that the b,nns # he State stock
Banks. amouDting to S2.214, i93 ~, now on de.
posIt with the Trea@ urer. snail 'ba COVERED
,aio registered stock" rais course sh. ,uid be
adopted, or some endorsement shon!a be made
upon hem, to sh W hat they are he prcpr'y
Of he BdL X by which they we're deposited, and
that they cannot BE- traus'err.d d "r eg 'a-d,
without the der or assignment Of the proper
officers t such Bank. his IL uiost saIua.
bic recomme ,da lou, and l am atitisd 10
know mat 1t meets the approval Of the Treas
urer.
This report contains many other valuable
sugg. ions, that should command yuur ap-
proval. l cannot TO- strongly urge uppu yIu
the necessity for prompt Legislative action
upon the several subjects, so fofcibIy aud
clearly presented ty TINS Intelligent, expe-
rienced aud iabpIious public officer.
THELAND OFFICE
| recommend tfit.L 10 more patents for land
shall ISSUED. l do not believe there is a
mil of M Ia fn,zt n
zeal h and yet we are issuing pa ents from
| the commencement OF the year 70 the close OF
it Such policy as we are pursuing l. c. leu
lated 10 ostpOLe indefinitely the sattiement
| Of titles and IL furnishes to thu~s who ara
| disposed the means of perp-trsiog frauds
| lpon innocent aud unsuspecing parties. II
| the unsettled portions Ut our Stete are 10 be
| filled up. we must adopt such poiiey as will
| q uiet titles, aud assure parties in possession
that they are not TO be disturbed. 1tVur titles
| had been settled, the population OF Virginia
would have bren much larger than IL l., aud
| thousands of acres of land, now In original
forest, would have been brought in % cuIiva-
ton, and made to tloom aud blossom as he
T, Sc. Many of these lands now In m'r k.t eau
| not be sold because prudent men Will not pur.
| chase q contr1ver'ei and douo fli lite.
| THE CLAIM OF JOHN NJ sEELY.
| Your resolution of the 9tn Of March last re-
| ferred the clai OF Mr.. S+eiy against the
| Commonwealth III for pain tipg done OH the Cap-
| iroi Bell house and Governors house, to the
| Executive for examination Shorty I er your
l
ali the papers reiatIng to the CAS- g and the re-
/ suit will be seen In the accompanying state
meut of the account. So far frt the State
| owing any thing 10 Mr. Seely on this Contract,
be IS indebted TO the State in the sum OF &I3 81.
| In this connection, would BE- der~iet " he
| Obligations OF duty, II did not impress upon
the Legislature The necessity and prorrie y
| OF scru iDiZing closely all old claims against
| the Common WeaIts ). The contract la this
| case was entered int as far hack H. the ear
1913. There being some difference of opin-
Ion in regard 10 the materials used, the man.
| ner In which the work was executed aud the
measurement. Governor Fio,d had the work
exanin ined and measured by dfsiaterested par
lies aud on the 3JLh dty of Jtnury 1913,
awarded to the con tractor the sum oi $3, ,Ua3 80
In examining the papers on file, prepv ra or y
| 10 makiug the statement required oy cur reso-
luton, ascertaiurd that oitL had GU several
| occasions passed one Or The other House Of the
| legislature, allowing to this con tractor up
wards of 81 100, with interest thereon from the
date OF The contract ia ISIS TIL paid, AS bal
| ance ascer tanned 10 be due 10 HIM Great at
| iention and close rutiny IL nec0ssaI y to pro-
tect the treasury against slais demands ot this
description. Na
| BOUNDARY LIkHS.
In the exercise vi me ietion vested In
me by the second section Of The jotnt resosu.
| lion passed the ION day of dSrcn las, !
commissioned Col. Angus w. Nc tnsid ~ Z
.mpetent agsnt to pr oceed 10 L gland nnd
procure record and doeumeatafy ssid~Ice
| tending to ascertain and establish tue ffus
| ltaes Of boundary between the > afes OF Vir.
| piuia and MARYLAND aud NJrth Caroiioa ard
, ! Tennessee. copy OF the tnstructtt,ns gtssu
by me 10 the SAID agsat accom- pa i~s tni- toyn
| IN inunicatioG. fne agent having perfor med 20,
duty ass ned him, has res urueu ~ the II ULis~s
I | Stairs. aId his report Is .xp@eted aany. 3
soon received, II will ~ taid b.f re You. s
? Nothing has been done in ruusisg aud -
Ger taininK tbe iias Oct ween Virginia ALd Ma
~ land siacs the adj sur1ment OF toe ias, s<s
tata In uxs.s