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

claims, were not adopted by him until An
i gust, and the officers of this State, a. / an
now informed, were not furnished with cop
Of them until the following NovembeEs to-
late for their application to the lerge amour
i of claims already allowed and pes4s Yet tn
rules now require Fecet signed BY eveFyin
dividual who has drawn : dollar of nome
which requifenept II Is utterly impossible TO
MS now to comply with, as most Of the person
are beyond our reach.
This whole matter was repeatedly an,
clearly presented to your predecessor, NJ
Atkinson, who agreed that on the presentation
of proper certificates that all the warrants EN-
braced and numbered in the list which con
tains the aggregate account stated against til,
Government twere actually issued upon tn,
State Treasury for the amount Of each CLAIM
allowed by the Auditing Commissioners, ana
that each of said warrants was paid and re
deemed by the Treasurer, and that no part 0
the same has ever been paid by any disbursins
officers of the United States it would be
sufficient compliance with the rule requiring
individual receipts. This certificate wal
promptly furnished and in the precise Ian
guage and form which Mr. Atkinson desired
With this was assured by him and Mr.. Gan
gewer, chief clerk, that the prominent objet
| ton u this class of claims would be removed
CERTAIN SPECIFIC OBJECTIONS.
| Aside from this general and sweeping diff
Guilty, which applies to nearly all the payment.
and allowances of the Commissioners, there
are, under the rules prescribed by the Score
| tary of the Treasury, objections to the allow
ance of specific claims. For instance, all ac-
counts for transporting troops to rendezvous
by scdgon are expressly excluded. No claim
fort N nr{o
boat can be recognized. have endeavored
to impress upon the Accounting officers OF
the Treasury the notorious fact, that during
these years the railroads of Iowa had reached
but a short distance into the State, and having
no navlgable rivers within her borders. the
Quartermaster department was compelled,
in order to facilitate the organization of regi-
ments, to resort to wagon transportation.
Now, was that .'ueglect of the simplest
rules of business accuracy which failed to
make raul or steamboat transportation out of
wagon hire, or to show that steamboats, could
be nayigated over the prairies of Iowa!
INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT LINCOLN.
In December last, finding that these unjust
rules were still being applied, Senator Har-
Ian and myself laid the matter before Pres-
dent Lincoln, who at once saw and acknbwl-
edged their gross injustice, and promised that
he would endeavor to procure a modification
OF them. At his request | invited YOU to an
interview with him the next day, in which he
most clearly and earnestly advised You that
the application of these rules to the State of
Iowa would work serious injustice to her
rights. He also reminded you that in these
matters, you were dealing with SOVEREIGN
STATE. which had promptly, economically,
and in good faith paid out her money in be-
half of the Federal Government and in ac-
cordance with her laws and modes of trans
acting business; and that a receipt from the
individual to whom her officers had paid mon
ey was only question between the State and
the individual, and not one which the United
States Treasury could inquire into; that all
you were required to know there was, wheth-
err the State of Iowa had actually paid the
money in behalf of the Federal Government
as claimed
on acknowledged the force and propriety
OF these views and promised that YOU would
do all you could TO have them carried out
and do not doubt that you have faithfully
endeavoi I'd to do so. The fault is not with
yourself, but the Secretary of the Treasury
who assumed the responsibility of interpo,
lating the Act of Congress reimbursinc States
for military expenditures, with set of tech
meal rules, both unjust and unreasonable.
which could be properly applied to a shoddy
contractor, or suspected Quariermaster. but
are IN palpable violation of that decency.
courtesy. and amity which the Federal Gov
eminent should observe in its intercourse with
a sovereign State.
TECHNICAL OBJECTIONS.
| have repeatedly called attention to the in
justice OF the many technical and frivolous
objections noted by the clerks in their exam
nations OF these accounts; but have been as |
sured by MIR. Sherman, the gentlemAnly chief
Of the State Claim Division, and yourself that |
the examination then being made, was only |
preliminary one, that it would in no manner |
conclude the State, and that when completed |
notice would be given to the State authorities
,f the fact, and "a sheet of differences for |
varded, which would enable us to furnish ads |
iitional proof where required, and make all |
explanations necessary to render the next /
md more formal examination satisfactory 10 |
he State.
Not satisfied with the progress the examin-
tion was making, Senator Harlan and myselfl
lad an interview with Secretary McCulioch.
n which we directed his attention to the rules
boye referred to, and asked him to order
heir modification. He declined to accede
our request at the time, but desired
ne to present the points to him in writing,
md they would receive early and favorable
consideration. | Immediately complied with
lis request, but have not yet been assured of
lis decision.
THE CLOTHING ACCOUNT.
The clothing furnished the I'd and Sd Iowa
infantry regiments by the State was, at the
January payment, 1862, by. orders of the
:hlef paymaster charged to the men unon
neir rolls and deducted from their pan. And.
although the records of the pay department
'how tins fact, yet payment to the State has
'een refused because We did not produce re-
'elpts from these men for the clothing fIrr.
llshed them. The United States demanded
$500 from every man of these regiments
or clothing furnished them by the State of
owa, and yet refuse to pay it back This il
lar specimen OF the candor which charac-
erizes the Federal Government, through lis
counting officers, in its dealings with this
tate.
PAYMENTS MADE BY PAyMAsrER GENERAL
The accounts presented for payments made
D troops by the Paymaster General, amount
lg IN the aggregate to about $274. 600. are
u evidenced by the original pay-rolls which
ave been on file in your Office for nearly
hree years. Objections have been made to
!iese rolls, which can and will be readily oh.
lated. BY a law of Congress, all the money
aid by State to troops furnished, betwr
ne time OF their acceptance by the Gov ea
I'D their mastering into the Uuis :, e e,ata
srv,ce is required to be refu- - su s1 Jl
as Law, the entire amount Of, Iueu, IPoh
based and we ask moth .ne apo ,s ciailn