The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-07-30

6U.
immense amount of additional labor makes tt
necessary, In the opinion of the committee.
that provisions should be made by this Gene
raj Assembly to provide another assistant for
the State treasurer. The comptrollers re-
sponsiollilies are also greatly increased. By
recent enactments, he is made tho custodian
OF hundreds OF thousands Of dollars In Stale
bonds.
"These expressions are appended to show
the Importance OF good officers, and the eff
cheney and fidelity of those who have been
". q. .RAINEY,
"JAvAN BRYANT, Committee"
"WM MoKNLAY,
REPORT OF CoMMITTEE APPOINTED AT REGULAR
SESSION OF l869-Y0.
"The joint committee appointed at the regu.
rent resolution of February 2s, 1870, and in
accordance With an act Of August, 1868, en-.
titled AN act to regulate the manner OF keep.
iDg and dlsbursfng funds by certain officere,'
respectfully beg leave to submit the following
ssYour committee world state thatihey have
made critical examination OF all the books,
orders and receipts of the State treasurer, and
find them correct In every particular.
''The manner Of keeping the various sets of
books, checks, and all receipts OF moneys and
disbursements OF the same, drafts and de.
pOsts, have been In accordance with the re.
quirements of law. MS
E: E I !: 5sssss;s; ss5ss; Ss5ssssn, Committee
The Joint special financial lnvesu eating COM
mittee, In the first copies Of their printed re-
port, In the tabular statement OF the disburse-
ments of the treasury Office, put down In each
month amounts as 'snot vouched for."
This they allowed to 20 for some time.
giving the impression that large amounts had
been paid out for which there were no war
rants. Afterward their sense of Justice prompt
ed them to have the following general ncte
printei, which they attached to all the re
ports they then had In their possession:
''GENERAL NoTE.-It will be observed, in
looking over the disbursements of the State
treasurer, as we'll as the vouchers for the
same, In the tabular exhibits from page $50
los, Inclusive, that there are frequent excesses
OF disbursements over the vouchers for the
same. It is but justice to the treasurer to
sayEwhose books and papers are well and
skilfully kept, 80 far as the cash receipts and
expenditures OF his office are concerned that
such excesses occur from the transactions Of
the treasury In the redemption Of bills receiv-
able, payment Of Interest on the public debt,
and remtIapces to 81. H.HKimpton; and as the
bills receivable, interest coupons, or the
financial agents books, were not before the
COumlttee Wueu tu0 fOuCuof6 were uuucI CA
animation, they were obliged to make the
tables as they appear. But subsequent exam
iuatlon OF cancelled coupons and the financial
agents books warrants the committee In say
i0g--so far as these specified disbursements
are concerned-they are fully vouched for.
r'rs,-J ~ ~. B. DENNIS,
,-.,--.-gs .,s,,t..,...,.,,,- -'.W. a, GARDNER"
The committee appointed to examine the
b 3oks and vouchers Of the treasury Office, ter
ri f,ooo
the following report:
.sThey first visited the treas1Irer's office
and, with the facilities afforded by that onfcer:
and his efficient clerks, Messrs. Little and
Tappan, rigid examination was entered
into.
''Hls receipt book, together with his jour-
nal, was compared with the orders (his
vouchers) upon which was drawn all moneys
payable at the treasury, and was found 10
correspond In every particular.
''Tne orders were drawn In accordance
with law.
"HIs ledger makes the following exhibit OF
receipts and disbursements:
hecelpGs.. .............. 81 ,ooU,l lo4 Va
disbursements. Observation-Disclosures. l.865,976 81
(Slgned) "Y. J. P. OWENS,
''W. j. WHIPPER,
All the above facts are matters Of record,
and should have some weight against ialse
and malicious statement.
That the papers that have copied The state
ment will give place to this denial is not to be
expected, as it would effectually dispose ofthe
merits OF the statement as q campaign docu-
ment
You will observe, then, that my office has
undergone four annual examinations by legis-
lative coinmlttees-one examination by q
Joint special committee OF the Legislature,
having authority to Investigate all Lransac-
tions pertaining to II, for me whole term OF my
Office, thus going over and verifying The re-
ports Of three of the legislative committees
that had preceded 1t.
In addition to these, committee OF prom1=
nent citizens, consisting OF professional ana
business men, We're permltted 10 examine
the books and records Gf my Office In Novem-
ber last, relative to the reports OF the treas.
urer and financial board concerning the lia-
bilities of the State, and while this committee
did, In their report, crliclse the State finances,
they found nothing whatever at variance with
my report.
Ought not this to be conclusive evidence
that nothing has been done contrary to law,
and that my Office Is above suspicion? Would
1t not be supposed that q reasonable public
would be satisfied Does IL not partake strong
" OF passion aud prejudice, or malicious envy
in the face OF these numerous Investigations,
nothing has been found wrong? leave It tc
yourselves to Judge.
am sometimes charged with appropriatlns
funds of the Stale To my own use; IN 1acE, tnis
ia the general charge; In whatever form IL ls
nut. it amounts 10 that In the end.
Now, let us examine into this matter.
LEGAL sAFEaUARDs-REcEIPTI FOR MONEYS
The State taxes are collected by the various
county treasurers ard paid over to the STATE
treasurer, they receiving three receipts for al
moneys paid In. Observe, now, how jealousy
and carefully the law guards the treasury
one OF the receipts Is Kept by the county treas
urer, one is sent by him TO the State auditor
the other to the omplroller-general. Here
then, are four parties 10 the transaction, ieaV'
Ing no room whatever for mistakes, ana allo"'
ing no opportunity for fraud.
II the county treasurer should 1all TO get tne
treasurer's receipt for money sent, ne would be
loser aud would prosecute the treasurer
And here let me say that during the tout
wears uf my transactions with the county Urea
s,lrera, and despite the large amounts O.
money which have been received from them
there has never, In single Instance, been thi
difference oil a dollar between ps s-~-=---
Then, as check against the treasurer, tht
State auditor and c,nptroler.general botl
are made aware Of every dollar that Ia re
ceiyed into the State treasury, 80 that there u
no chance whatever TO obtain any money from
that source Without accounting for 1t.
LEGAL sAFEGUARDs-PAY1Na OUT MONEYS.
Now as to payments. Not dollar can b
paid out except In pursuance OF law, by 81
J appropriation; that is, by direction or tn
[ General Assembly. And here let me observ
Il .h.s ,o,oJpo Mill throuuh h0th HOu1pe