The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-08-03

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Executive OFFICE, STATE or Iowa, /
DEs MoINEs, July rs, 1865.
Hox. JNo. WILSON, Srd Audr U s. Treas
Sir Your attention is respectfully invited
to an article which originally appeared in the
New York Tribune of the 28th, ult., and ex
tensively copied in the leading journals of thu
country, purporting to give "a full and care
fully prepared statement of the account of the
State of Iowa for reimbursement of expense.
incurred in enrolling, subsisting, clothing
supplying, paying and transporting troops
raised by her in suppressing the great rebel
lion, and amounting in the aggregate to the
sum of $647 $685. So
The pretended expose assumes that this
large claim presented by the State of Iowa
on account of money alleged to have been ex.
pended by her, on behalf of the United States,
in furnishing troops for supervising the rebel.
lion, has been carefully examined by the &C.
counting officers of the Treasury, and all but
$4,000 of the entire amount suspended or
disallowedl In explanation Of this extraor-
binary proceeding, the article charges, in bold
and general terms, neglect of the simplest
rules of business " on the part of those en-
trusted with the duty of making, auditing,
paying and presenting these accounts for the
State. This wholesale denunciation, by an
anonymous aud irresponsible newsmonger,
of the business accuracy and fidelity of the
Auditing commissioners, Auditor, Treasurer
and Paymaster General of this State. through
whose hands all these claims have passed.
contains an aggregate of error, falsehood, and
malignity seldom ever condensed into an ar
ticle of equal length. By whom the materials
Tor this extraordinary statement were furnished
vbot mr. k1I
this particular juncture, doubtless you as well
as myself are unadvised.
CLAIMS OF IOWA NOT DlsaLIowEp
Nearly amonth has elapsed since this news
paper article appeared before the public, vet
i have received no information of the dis
allowance or suspension of the Iowa claims,
and no ''sheet of differences as yourself. Mr..
Gangewer, and Mr.. Sherman, chiefssof the d.
vision promised me should be promptly fur
nished as soon the preliminary examina-
ton was concluded. therefore think baz-
ard nothing by the assertion that the Iowa
claims have not get "been carefully examined
: by the accounting officers of the Treasury,
and disallowed or suspended 1t may be-
however, that an irresponsible clerk working
at desk in your Bureau has looked through a
mass OF papers known as "Iowa accounts
and under certain prescribed rules has dis
covered and noted various technical or fam
cied objections to their allowance, but this
preliminary examination is, if | understand
the mode OF doing business in your depart
ment, very far from being such an official and
careful examination by the Accounting of.
fcers of the Treasury as binds the State or
in any whatever precludes the ultimate allow
ance of her entire claim.
Permit me IN this connection, to remind
you, as | have frequently done before. of
Il. I
themselves in the examination of these ac.
counts, and>which no amount of business ac-
curacy on the part of the and dsbursing off
GERS of this State could have forseen or
avoided.
CLASSIFICATION OF ACCOUNTS
For the purpose of an easier and more con-
venient understanding of the condition of these
accounts, 1t will be necessary to consider them
under two distinct classes list The claims
examined and allowed by the Auditing Com
missioners, for which warrants were issued bv
the Auditor of the State and paid by the
treasurer, which embrace all money paid by
the State for subsisting. clothing, supplying.
arming, .equipping and transporting troops
furnished to the United States, in pursuance
of Chapter 10, Acts of General Assembly. |
special session, May 1861 I'd, All rayments
OF money made to troops by the Paymaster
General of the State in pursuance of Chapter
ii of same Session.
HOW THE CLAIMS ACCRUED.
A large portion of these claims accrued in
1861 in organizing and fitting the first regi-
inents tor the field, under an appropriation
made by the General Assembly at its extra
session of that year, and before the Act of
Congress relmburslng States for military ex-
penditures was passed, and before we had any
definite understanding that the Federal Gov
eminent would reimburse the State for the
money so expended. The fund SO appropria
ted by the General Assembly was denomina-
ted "Ihe War and Defence Fund.- and was
to be expended in organizing and send;no
Iowa troops into the Federal service. 10
properly guard this Fund, and guaranty its
faithful application to the purpose contempla-
ted, BOARD of Auditing COMMISSIONERS,
was organized consisting of three experienced
and competent business men, whose duty Il
was under law to Audit all accounts and dis
nursements arising under the laws of this
otate, having refereAee to military orpaniza-
tons, arming and subsistence of the same
aud the expenditure of the fund known as The
War and Defence Fund, &C. No claim
against that or any other appropriation for
military purposes could be paid, unless the
same was first submitted to and carefully ex-
ahmed and allowed by this Board of Com.
missloners according to lac. And in order
TO still further protect the interests of the
state, mark how very careful the General Asst
sembly was to prescribe the manner of allow.
ing and paying such claims. No accom-.
against this fund could be allowed or paid un.
less the same was established by proper eyi.
dence before the Commissioners in the man.
ner and form in which accounts are establish.
ed IN courts of Justice in this State, and recog.
nlzlng the same rides Of ecidence that there
govern and control causes. And whenever.
under the provisions af said Act, the Commits, |
sioners allowed any claim they were required .
TO endorse on the back thereof that the same /,
was examined and allowed hy them. and SIGN
'heir names thereto, with the time and nlace
OF SAID allowance; which claims. so allowed.
when presented to the Auditor of State an.
Tilted the holder thereof to a Warrant nm tha1
MAR and Defence Fund.- in the hands afI
the treasurer. No receipt from the holder of :
,ne warrant was required, his name written ,.
ny himself on the back of the Warrant il I'll ::
the voucher which the laws of this State have !
ever required for the payment of claims ont az
the treasury, and was deemed .nfIar,;ant
his mode OF allowance, and PAYMENT was es-
tabiished by the General Assembly of th;s |.
State, before We knew or could have ant;cAao-
ted what form Of allowance or presentation J..
would be required BY system of rn,-
scribed by the U. s. Treasury ..es pre-
dence now ON file In ynr- and the .eyi.
s1ows mat all orr Il office conclusiyely
l0sss s.iese account , 49, .swn :,