The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1861-03-12
NO. $50.

they should not bear. To be compelled 20
bestow censure instead of praise is no agreoa-
bic office. They would, however, deem :hem.
selves not acting up to tue duty imposed up.
on them were they to allow series Of events
like these to pass without the mos, marked
expressions with regard to them.
There is some conflict Of testimony between
Mr.. Holmes and Mr. Hunter relative 10 the
disposal of the "side books" upon which &C.
counts with the repositories Of public monies
wera kept during bis term Of Office, aud wo
pass that topic by, merely remsrking that
they are not to be foaDd in the Treasure!s
office.
MIR. mKINSEY's OFFICIAL CONDUCT.
The official conduct Of tho lat, Treasurer,
Mckinney, has been subject to as rigid an in.
vestigation as il has been within the power of
the committee to give it. The refusal Of
Mckinney himself to answer any questions,
of course, has deprived them Of one direct
means OF knowledge. The manifcs. compiled
ty Of his Deputy. Treasurer, Hunter, with
himself in all the malp,actic"s which hayu
taken place in connection with The funds of
the office. the dupici,y and usincerity Of his
testimony, determnedy and desgnedy
shaped so as to conceal every transaction pos
sible to be concealed, and to assign q false
reason for every transaction which could not
be concealed, which will be apparent TO every
reader of his testimony; the destruction by
him of all the books AMI papers of the otfico
upon which all the accounts were kept With
banks and other repositories Of public monies
all have contributed 10 embairass the c)'n-
milee in its efforts to arrive at the full extent
Of the p"culations which have been commit
ted by Mckinney, Hunter and Others, # any
others have been connected with them. Still
however, enough has been discovered 10 show
the character Of the men and Of the transac.
tions which have taken place, wLilo tho man.
ncr in which the accounts have been kept,
has been such that it is clear that a consider
able amount of public MONEY has been at
their mercy, aud i they have not used il
when opportunity offered 10 do 30 without
detection, it would be conduct so entirely in.
consistent With transactions impossible 10 be
concealed ms to challenge the credulity even
of the most incredulous.
Mr.. Hunter was deputy o' the predeces
sor Of Mckinney.
He seems to have been ready accomplieo
and willing, and Jealous to aid him in des-
troying everything which could By any means
enable the committee to trace those accounts
where most easily money might be abstracted
without di covery. When be went out of
office with his principal he deliberately and
carefully burned, and that since this Legisla-
ture has been in session, all the books upon
which the accounts of the Treasurer we're
kept with banks and other repositories, and
many papers Of the Office also. So thorough
ly was this done that there remained nothing
in the office to show any account with any
bank or individual depository. The difficulty,
therefore. which the comn,i'.s. hoo '"et viii
from t1cse causes has been so great as doubt
less to prevent the discovery Of many practices
which would otherwise have appeared.
What can be the object in this caref,l ds-
struclion Of books and papers belonging to
the treasury department, and upon which i'm.
portant official accounts were KEEP, unless II
be 10 prevent investigation and cove, up
fraud! Honesty fears no examinations;
breads not the closest security, but ever invites
it. Why keep important accounts, such As
those with banks of deposits, upon what is
called "siIe books at ala Why keep all
the transactions OF the Treasury where there
!, an opportunity to puroin money upon
books VIII ch may be SO easily taken away and
d stroycd Why are accounts so loosely kept
"a, to utterly battle investigation in many re.
spects, and even then not permitted to sur
viye The term Of Office Of the party during
whose term the transactions then recorded
took place. Tho committee feel compelled
to say, frankly and plainly, that there can 10
but one motive for such conduct. Parties
thus acting cannot be innocent. They have
been pilfering the public monies, AMI these
are the ways ,esor,cl 10 10 cover up and con-
ceal the amount OF frauds committed from the
public attention. There is no d-gree of pub.
lie censure too great to be visited upon all
parties, whether principals or accompliccs. who
have been engaged in transactions Of this IA.
ture.
The committee, however, after ell, are
compelled 10 say thai, within the last two
yeats, no very great amount Of the public
monies have been lost. There are certain
accounts, such as the interest accurine TO tho
State upon the public monies, or drposiie in
various places. commissions paid or purpoItrG
to have been paid to brokers ami bankcrs Ter
paying the interest Of the State d br, items
of exchange, and other transactions Of "A sliii
lar nature, which involve perhaps the payment
of considers Die sums # money. In nj such
cases there seems 10 have been no check or
means Of guarding against fraud, and nsid.
erabe amounts Of money for such items seem
to have been allowed 10 be taken 10y Mckin.
uey upon no other voucher than his own
statement These amounts, in whole or in
part, may not have been paid 10y him, Ali
the interest upon The public monies may not
heve been credited by him, and il is crafty.
ing, however, to know, that thou.h sums
which could thus be Appropriated might
amount to some few thousand dollars, they
could amount to no very large sum. The
amount Of public monies in deposit the past
two years has been too small, and the oher
items where these opportunities existed are
not altogether sufficiently largo to admit OF
any considerable frauds 10y their means.
In addition to these, which are minor mat
tcrs, there is no doubt or question but that
tho late Treasurer has used money which
came into his hands as Treasurer, and belong
ing to the State, to some amount above TWEEN
ty.three thousand dollars. He has received,
and receipted for as Treasurer, from Detroit
and Milwaukee Railroad Company the tax Of
that company for the last year, which has
never been credited upon the Treasury books,