Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-05-20

The following communication was ser t
10 the House District Committee to-day:
Hon. A. II. Buckner, Chairman, DC:
SIR:-1n the National Republican OF the 10Th
to your honorable committee, I find the fol-
lowing: sit is not our purpose to go farther
than TO say that the action Of the board Of
audit is and was justified by the evidence
they have. III any wrong was done, 1t was
before the board OF audit had an existence,
and was purposely concealed by the form In
tries made upon the accounts, aud by the
abstraction OF papers from the office Of the
auditor OF the board OF public works."
srsss Two ,Ss Investigators by Con-
audit, who were especially charged with the
duty Of examining and verifying the books
and accounts Of the auditor OF the board OF
public works, and in each case attesting their
correctness, am surprised to find that the
said board Of audit, in attempting to explain
some Of their acts, after every other resource
even nullify what they would have the Con-
gress and the people believe to be q most
honest and exhaustive examination of the
accounts OF the auditor OF the late board OF
public works.
In their report TO the President of the
United States dated February Is, 1875, they
nse The followfn Language: tine examina:
tton OF the books and nles of the auditor OF
the board shows the issue OF II, $50 certifi-
Gates, amounting to sl9 2i6 $500. With the
exception of eleven certificates, the whole
number were correctly entered on the books,
AID the eleven erroneous entries have been
corrected. No injury tOds sustained by the
errors. or the certificates, 7I2, amounting
10 80 113, 1862, appeared to have been issued
without proper evidence or vouchers, on the
order of the board OF public works, or OF
some member or members OF the board.
In each case measurements of work or
other proper vouchers were subsequently
presented and credited, covering the certii-
Gates thus issued. In ere1y case the account or
accounts forming the basis Of q certificate tUere
examined 40 verify the amount duoUed and CERT
fed by The auditor. When certificates were
Issued for work under contracts, or under
instructions, they were charged to contrac-
tors in an Individual account, but credits
for sums audited and allowed were not
entered, SO that the contractors appeared to
be debtors on the books for the amounts
certified, and the credits to which they were
entitled appeared only by the papers and
vouchers on file at the office. These papers
and vouchers were found TO be in good order
with very few exceptions, which were prob
ably occasi0ned by the removal of books
and papers TO The committee room during
the last session of Congress-" And again, in
report to the President Of the United
Stales, dated December 9th, 1875, they say:
"The business OF the auditor Of the board OF
public works appears TO have been regularly
ror." Now, under these circumstances, and
In view Of all the facts as elected by the
present Investigation, would 1t be too vio-
lent q stretch OF deduction to assert, that II
the paragraph at the head OF this commuui-
cation be true, the reports above must be
false, and rice versa. And In the absence of
evidence on which to base q judgment, to de-
clare pugetory all their reports OF whatever
character. very respectfully.