Weekly Trinity journal., 1865-12-23
The Charges against the State Controller.

The subject Of the charges heretofore mad
against the State Controller and the Revenue OF
ficers of Trinity county, came up in both bran
ches of the Legislature on the 18th, in the snap
of message from the Governor, accompanied
by request from the Controller to have the mat
ter thoroughly Investigated. In that request 'n'
Controller says:
Tbe communication referred [portions OF which we pun
80. ats snce annear red over fictitious signature
and alt,oueb an application the editors oil the psps G
Francisco Eramner failed to elicit tne e has declared
himself to be the author. learn, too that Mr. min, ,
his ability and WILLINGNESS to an that an op
portunty may afforded HIM permit me 10 request you 20
rst that Joint of the two houses be appoint
cd with power to and papers whose duty
II shall be to thorough investigation OF all matters
pertaining to the issue Of foreign miners licenses
prolonged debate followed in the Senate, in
the course of whick Heacock moved the appoint
ment of a committee to investigate Shaw asked
that Senator to assign his reasons for consider
ing the matter worthy of so much attention :
Miner thought it would be establishing bad
precedent to investigate charges anonymously
made; Porter thought the difficulty had origina-
ted in the neglect of some county Auditors to
return 10 tHe CQHTOieT once me nuHOeT OF ttcen-
ses sold TO foreign miners Belden thought the
charges made by an anonymous scrbbler unwor-
thy of attention Rush did not consider the char
ges altogether anonymous ; Pratt did not deem
the Legislature TO be the tribunal from which the
State Controller any other State officer should
seek relief Halves wanted the matter to rest for
a few days, and Robinson moved that the whole
matter be referred to the Judiciary Committee,
l. Al e. II.
discussion of the matter, Mr. Holden submitted
the following, which adopted:
Aeso,red by tie Assembly the Senate concurrng
joint Committee to consist of three members of the Assem-
bly, of the be appointed to investigate the
charges Of fraud against the Hon Geo. 0uOn Controller OF
and the officers of Trinity county, and that
they have power to send for persons and papers
In the Senate, next day, Mr. Halves said that
after due examination of the matter he '>was sat-
isied that, so far the Controller was concern
cd no investigation was needed, but thought it
WAS proper to investigate in relation to the rev.
enue officers The vote was taken, and upon a
division the resolution was adopted in concur
rence-ayes, 81 noes, IL.
We may here state that we have the greatest
faith in the honesty and integrity of the Con-
troler, and this opinion is in keeping with the
testimony Of all who know him. An nvestiga-
ton by the Legislature will result in proving
him guitless of the populations charged, and
while we believe that Mr.. Williams may, if re-
quircd, be able to prove that Tax Collectors
have been in the habit of obtaining bogus For
cgn Miners Licenses, regularly Signed, from
some person either directly indirectly con-
nected with the Controllers Office salts
fled that his impeachment of Controller Oulton,
personally cannot be sustained by facts. While
we may be mistaken in this, we believe.ha Mr..
Williams may be able to satisfy the people that
+ thousands of these bogus licenses are obtained
and disposed of to Cinnamon, but to none others.
We believe speak the sentiments of three
fourths of the people of the county when we
say that the Office of Tax Collector should be
divided or abolished, and the revenue law Sc
amended as to make the existence of the office
result in benefit to the whole people, instead of
to one, two, or a haf-dozen individuals. Desir-
ing that our Representatives shall take action in
the matter as soon possible, shall prose-
cute this subject from week to week, and in our
next issue endeavor to throw some light on sub
jcct which just now seems to puzzle the members
of the Legislature.