Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1872-04-17
CLEARFIELD, Pa, WEDNESDAY, APRIL II, 1872. .,

OF the appointment OF special agent
to collect the claims. They prepared
the joint resolution of March 22, 1867
and selected George 0. Evans, OF
Philadelphia. as the agent. Evans
brought the resolution to Harrisburg
and placed it in tho hands of Hon
George Connell, Chairman of the
Finance Committee of the Senate,
who read il in place early in March.
II took the usual course of Legislation
through committee and was passed
\ huuffy -vn .i'~ .i~y VI its approval,
March 22,lS67. Evans was endorsed
to the Governor as trustworthy by
Mcssrs. Forney and others, and was
commissioned on the day Of tho ap.
proval Of the resolution, as special
agent "to collect the disallowcd and
suspended claims of the State against
the United States" On the 23d of
March be filed in tho office of the third
auditor Of the Treasury, at Washing
ton, "a statement of explanations,
making some eight or ten pages of
letter paper" in relation to the claims,
explanatory of the account" togeth.
er with modification of his appoint
ment as agent" and on that day he
executed an agreement at Harrisburg
agreeing to make scmiannual reports
to the State Treasurer and annual re.
ports TO the Governor, and to file a
bond in $40, 900, conditional for faithful
performance Of his duties. On the 9th
of March he executed this bond at his
own house in Philadelphia, and it ap.
pears to have been filed on the I'd day
of April, in the Office of the Secretary
OF the Commonwealth. Letters were
written and verbal explanations made
by Evans and S. p. Brown to the
third auditor and second controller of
the Treasury up TO tho 24th day OF
April, 1867, in regard to "the suspend
ed and disallowcd claims" and on that
day these officials reversed their form
er decree and credited the State with
sl,9s0, 1852 OF the claims before dis
allowed and suspended. The second
controller swears that "this was
simple carrying through Of the forms
Of auditing and adjustment. OF the
credit thus given to the State s606, 900
(lcss the sll2.50 before paid) went to
liquidatc the cash advanced to the
State in 1861, and 81, 304,71l 43 were
carried by a counter warrant TO the
credit of the direct tax. Neither
money nor warrant passed through
the hands Of Evans for these sums
Upon the whole of this sum, 81 $780,
llbS2, Evans claims to retain ter per
cent, or sl0s,9ll52, for less than
.hir,p days worls y,enr connnit'aa
TO express their disapprobalion Of so
bold an outrage or fitting terms in
which to characterize those in official
position who seek to palliate or excuse
the wrong. After adjusting the ac-
counts settled in 1862 by Governor
Curtin and Secretary Chase by this
formal transfer and entry there yet
remained of the accounts allowed by
the settlement of April "a, 1867, the
sum of s7S,5l6S9, for which the Sec.
rotary of the Treasury drew his war
rant, No. 1897, dated May /, 1867,
upon tho Treasurer of the United
States in favor Of John w. Geary,
Governor. 1t was never endorsed by
the Governor, but was endorsed by
and paid to George o. Evans. No
part of this money ever reached the
State Treasury, and neither the &C,
counting department nor the Treasury
officials knew of its payment until
1871. Evans received the warrant on
May ! 1867, and reported to tho Gov
ernor in May, 1867. Eighteen thou.
sand dollars OF this money was paid
to S. =. Brown, OF Washington, and
50, 800 to member of the family of
j. r. Dnnglison. No semi annual
statements seem ever to have bcen
made to tho State Treasury, as re.
quircd by the agreement and bond OF
Evans.
There still remained suspended.
and disalowcd' war claims on file,
and Evans addressed himself to tho
task of supplying the necessary owl.
dencc to obtain their allowance. On
the 2Sth of October, 1865, another
settlement was made allowing tho
State the sum of sl05,65l.46. War
rant TO the order OF the Governor was
forthwith drawn for this which was
endorsed by "Evans, special agent
and deposited to his own credit in the
First National bank of Washington
and thence checked out for his own
purposes. Nopart of this money ever
reached tho State Treasury, nor was
its receipt known until 1871 by any
State official save the Governor, TO
whom Evans communicated the fact
Of its receipt and its application to his
commissions. This left still on file
"suspendcd and disallowed" about
S23, 900, the oifort to collect which
seems to have been abandoned No
other claims OF tho State against the
United States were covered by tho
terms of the resolution of 1867, and
no other claims were "suspcnded and
disallowcd" either at the date OF its
passage or afterwards. The labors Of
Evans covered the time between
March %, 1867, and October 2s, 1865,
within the first sixty days of which
the accounting officers made the nee
cssury entries 10 adjust the accounts
already settled. He collected $751;
l0S "a and retains tho whole. State
officials knew this fact for three years
before IL became public and tho ne
gect to report the transaction to tho
Legislatures is regarded by us asa gross
dercliction Of official duty.
There yot remained in the Auditor
Generals Office at Harrisburg large
number of vouchers and accounts for
equipments and subsistence Of troops
Justly payable by tho United States.
None Of them had been filed at Wash
ington prior to May 4, 1870, and none
of them were covered by the terms OF
the resolution Of 1867, by the commits.
sion Of Evans as special agcnt or by
his bond or agreement OF 1867 In