Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1875-04-01
The state Finances,

line Hk0S9 ktmh0C4Vs
REMARKS OF SENATOR RIDDLE DuRINo THE con-
SHERATON OF AK ACT CONCERNING THE
DUTIES OF THE STATE TREASURER"
On Friday last, in the State Senate, during the
consideration Of bill which he had introduced
to re-orgsnize the accounts Of the State Treas
urer, Mr.. Riddle, Of this county, said
II the bill before the Senate should fail to
pAsp and the present no system Of book-keep-
Ing be continued for Al indefinite period Of time
there will be at leAst one fact at which l can
look with pleAsure-thAt the recent discussion
has furnished to our people more detailed aud
Ineligible information than they were ever like
" to obtain from the regular aud official sources
And now one word In relation to the article !
noticed in last evenings pspers, and Its defense
of " the
FoRLoRS AND ANTIQuArED CASH BOOK
which comprises the accounts Of our State. l
readily admit the force OF the argument that our
accounts are kept in = =" simple" manner, aud
this bslieye to be true in more senses Of the
word than one but the plain tale told by
those accounts IL in dead and by gone tongue
in language which booK-keepers and ordinary
people equally fail to understand.
cash book, and nothing else, aud the aggregates
or summaries given by the Auditor are picked
out from the items. The amount Of Informs
ton given il quite limited, the chief use Of the
account being to determine the liability Of the
State Treasurer to the State. No details ale
ever attempted. For instance, there is no way
Of ascertaining from the record Of the State
Treasurer the amount paid per volume for the
Legislative journals or for the printing Of the
laws.
NO COMPLETE RECORD
has boen preserved of the dates or num-
bers Of tile outstanding bonds Of the
State. There is no record or memorAn.
dunn OF the outstanding notes to the
amount OF S40, O0O, except the cash entry when
the discounts were effected, and there ia no reg
ular record Of the assets OF the State. OF no.
cessity there IL neither dAy-book or ledger &C.
counts, for both day. book and ledger are
| deemed superfuous.
In the Auditors report summaries arc given.
but the items are not to be found, and he who
is go perverse and unbelieving NJ to ask for
them must be satisfied by picking them out, Qf
he can recognize them) from several hundred
items in the cash book. Such system may in
deed be Sample" but it is not 'plain," aud in
| fact Ia not even secure
Mr. Davis, tho late State Treasurer, did his
duty fully and honestly ~ did other Tressurers,
yet this il no more an argument for the old sys-
| tenn than che other admitted fact that the
| amount OF taxation levied on our people has been
80 large that We have been enabled to pay a
large amount Of the public debt. ledger does
not
| NECESSARILY LEAD TO DISHONESTY
por could the fact that he kept proper account
for bills payable make State Treasurer thiev-
ish. On these points public opinion ia fixed, and
the complicated system OF accounts, which re-
qnires both day-book and ledger, is in such
there is an absolute disadvantage in shiltless
and hsp-hazard system of book keeping. In q
certain city in this State, where "the people
we're slow to make changes and awaited the re-
suits OF the experience of Others they had an
| experience OF their own OF the most decided
| ChnrArter FOR under a n hpnk .Eaa,, an
scarcely better than that OF the State they came
to tribulation. The assertion that there is a
System sin use in one Of our municipalities 30
refined that it requires al expert two years, at q
cation seema to me erroneous. There was a
| forlorn and antiquated system in use in one OF
our municipalities which
MADEA pEFALoAT1oN POSSIBLE,
and under which it is claimed one occurred, and
which required troublesome and costly recon-
struction in order to ascertain the facts in the
case, but there il now in use in that city per-
| feet system similar to that in use in every city or
bank in the country, and Of which the bill / pre-
sent for your votes to-day is only reduced and
modified copy.
wish, alao, t. call your attention to the par
agraph in the article referred to which attacks
the conclusions in my so called expose of the
State finances. undertook the examination of
the State finances because there were bills be.
| fore the Senate and the House, the passage of
which would seriously diminish the revenue, and
| while l doubted the policy of reducing
not attempt to make special plea or an argu-
ment from which certain fore-ordaiDed and pre-
| destinnted conclusions were to be drawn. The
correctness OF those conclusions Except as mod
lied by subsequent legislation here re affirm,
| and am glad to see that the gentleman who
pronounces that my conclusions arc not jlsti-
| lied by the facts " does himself arrive at sub.
| stantlally the same conclusion, and tile figures
he gives, although appearing to differ widely
| from mne-pont toward the same result. Yet
| stated the amounts payable this year--for in.
debtedness. floating or funded, and for expenses
AT S2Oo3OO while am reminded they will
ONLY AMOUNT TO :lS3,l4O.
| In the first place, since l made nv previous
| remarks, the Legislature has directed the State
Treasurer to issue new bonds to relieve and take
the place OF Sli, 900, of bonds due this year and
| belonging to Delaware Colleges transaction
which i 1t dmnishes the amount OF expend,-
ture, reduces the amount Of bonds to be purchased
by that very expenditure, and does not therefore
affect the nett assets liabilities Of the State
also notice an under estimate Of the expenses
OF the State Government for 1876 In 1872 these
expenses were s20, 1874 in 1873 t22, 536 in 1874,
VI, 4a3 yet observe they are put down al
$4,000,
AN UNDER ESTIMATE OF ABOUT s., 200.
Taking into consideration these two items find
the amounts agree within about 81 200. a close
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ~ Wnen We lake into consideration
v1o u,a,oty III making estimates, where no reg
n.af t auco"ass are KEPT ana no appropriation bill
TO-, Lan Doen eTen a.euPted ior years placed
| curing whetlierit would be expedient to reduce
Iaaation auu Wsn therefore anxious to ascertain
ns nav , ,;, OF the state would COM
| add in the hank hsi.nca a. ~ ~. " Gourse,
in order to show surplus OF income at its close
| Yet in another statement see tha hslanno IN
bank brought forward and surplus of Sa7 aGs
ascertaiued which although it is not 80 express-
| ly stated, appears at first sight to he a clear
gain for 1916 over ali exnendtures TsEina
| III. annurt ~ COON cno ~ A'nH6