The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-01-19

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amount there was deducted the following
coin in the Treasury $l12,776,04s; cur
rency in the Treasury, S2S,946, ,067; sink
ing fund in4he United States coin interest
bonds, with accrued interest thereon, and
other United States coin interest bonds
purchased with accrued interest thereon,
$l24,202,9GS; total S265,924, ,0S4: leaving
the amount Of debt as above stated less
cash in the Treasury and banks with the
interest thereon, S2,SSG, ,350,599. The
amount Of debt in the report Of 1871 for
the fiscal year 1870 was $2,4s0,672, ,427, I,
which represents the principal Of the
debt after deducting the principal Of the
bonds purchased on the sinking fund ac-
count and excluding the item Of accrued
interest as ABOVE stated, and also Of the
entire amount Of cash in the Treasury.
The statement for the fiscal year 1869 was
prepared in precisely the same manner as
were those detailed above. The amount
stated as the debt in the report for 1870
for that year is S2,4s9, 9,6O2, ,4S0. This
statement was made upon the basis Of the
monthly debt statement made in July,
1869, in which the principal outstanding
including the sinking fund is given as 81
592, ,522, ,9SS; to which add accrued interest,
S47, ,447,3l0; total debt with principal
and intesest, S2,G45, ,170,294; deduct the
amount in Treasury OF coin, currency and
sinking fund, Sl56, 6,I67s1S, leaves the
amount Of debt as stated above, less the
cash in the Treasury and sinking fund,
81, ,4SO, ,0O2, ,4S0. The amount Of debt in
the report OF 1871, for the fiscal year of
1870, is S2,5SS,452,2lS, which represents
the principal Of the debt after deducting
the principal Of the sinking fund, s., ,69l,-
900, and further sum Of S5,S07 SO, rep
resenting the number Of items OF accrued
interest, and premium on loans for
the money carried to the principal ac-
count Of loans, instead Of the accounts to
which they belonged, and excluding the
item OF the accrued interest as above
stated, and also the entire amount OF cash
in the Treasury.
In reply 10 the question Of Mr.. Thur
man, Mr.. Boutwelhsaid the first month
" statement which contained an account
Of the interest, was in January, 1869.
Mr.. Davis said he could not understand
how figures could be changed five years
after the Register had made uphis report
ond sent it to Congress.
Mr.. Edmunds said he happened TO
know from an examination which took
several months, made with Buckalew,
then Senator from Pennsylvania, that
the books OF the Treasury Department
had not been tampered with. There had
been nothing Of the kind, and yet it was
impossible for all the accounts to agree
on account Of being kept in three or four
different offices, as they were.
Mr.. Davis said the accounts might show
change from day to day, but he did not
understand how the figures could be
changed four or five years after they had
been reported TO Congress.
Mr.. Edmunds said the changes which |
the Senator complained OF were the re-
suit Of the bookkeeping. One Of the
good things which the Senator from Mass.
achusetts did while he was Secretary Of
the Treasury was to go through all these
accounts and simplify them as far as
possible.
Senator Davis said he understood that
there was no double entry bookkeeping |
in the Treasury Department, In the
remarks he made the other day he had
no intention to throw any discredit upon
the Treasury Department or the national
credit. II errors existed in the Treaclry
Department they should be corrected.
The Senator from Massachusetts, bout
well) admitted that the figures which he
Davis presented were correct, but de-
MED that the books had been tampered
with. Was it possible that the books Of
the Treasury would not bear out the fig
ures of the finance reports from which
he Davis had taken his fgures9
Edmunds referred to the error mem
toned by Boutwell, where clerk added
the internal revenue receipts to the pub
lie debt, and humorously spoke Of such n |
clerk as being"a bad boy"
Davis-It appears to me that there are
a good many 8bad boys" in the Treasury |
Department, and hope some Of them
will be found out. Laughter.
Continuing his remarks, Mr.. Davis
said he desired to look over the remarks
Of the Senator from Massachusetts,
(Boutwell) and would something to
say in reply hereafter. The Senator
from Massachusetts had overlooked sew
eral instances where he Davis showed
there were errors.
Mr.. Thurman, Of Ohio, said he had no
objection to voting for the resolution,
and the debate could be resumed when
the report OF the committee should be
made. He thought the best thing for the
Senate to do was TO adopt the resolution
without preamble, that he could not
vote for it because he did not believe 1t 70
be true.
Mr.. Edmunds also favored the passage
Of the resolution but said he was opposed
to appointing q special committee. The
Senate had Committee on Finance and
that committee could do the work better
than any special committee.
The Finance Committee was composed
OF gentlemen from both sides OF the
chamber and fair report would be rem
dered by them.
Thurman did not agree with the SEN
ator from Vermont as TO having the in
yestigation made by the Finance Com
mittee. Although the Democratic party
was ably represented on that committee
by two members, they had not devoted
any particular attention to the subject Of
the Treasury investigation. The Senator
from Connecticut (Eaton) and the SEN
ator from West Virginia (Davis) had
studied the subject, and they should be
members Of the investigating committee.
Edmunds said the expense Of every
inquiry made by specih committees was
very great. Itcould be made by stand
ing committee for one.half the sum.
Sherman said he saw no reason why
the committee should be authorized to
send for persons and papers. The COM
mittee could 60 to the Treasury Depart
ment, to the very place where these books
are kept and examine them. They could
90 with the power Of the Senate to make
such examination.
Mr.. Edmunds moved to amend the res
olution so as to have the investigation
made by the Finance Committee instead
Of by n special committee.
Mr. Bayard favored the appointment
Of special committee.
Mr.. Thurman quoted at length from the
speech Of Boutwell, Thursday last, and
soid tho main nuaatinn nnw hafnra the /