New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-02-26

ior thus wearying their creditors and
t...rs;ning the credit of the hospital. They
ga also been compelled to defer the pay
ns nt If the salaries Of their officers and
mr,n,oves when these we're due. These de-
1ars have been embarrassing to all parties
concerned.
auficiency Of the legislative appropriations.
Srt only of the manner in which those
sUHanropriations have been paid by the
S Stiepta ef,icials and realized to the hospital.
Tha complaint is that the appropriations
hav;rc been, for much the greater part,
Void IN warrants which were not cashed on
pprasentation, nor for loag time after
pwsrSs lat all events to the boardl, they
were compelled to borrow money in open
MARKET upon these warrants as collateral
sacur;.y. or sell them outright and submit
70 an excessive and usuriOus rate of in
,srest or discount therefrcm. The board
complain also of the delays which have &C.
CURED in the delivery OF warrants BY the
Auditor for certain appropriations. They
called the particular attention OF your com
mittee to the delay which occurred in the
A, livery to them of warrants for the appro
n-iation made last year, amounting to
$;N9OO. This matter was first called to
fine attention of the House by MI. Dupre,
Representative from Orleans pari:h.) This
the warrants were withheld by Auditor
S,;n+on until late in the month of Deem
har. delay of about ten months, upon
what your committee believe to be mere
nra.eyts, viz: That there was no money IL
The treasury; that the Auditor was invested
with power or a discretion to withhold
their issue until there was money to meet
them. and that there were in! unctions of the
Surerior District Court fer the parish Of Or
!, existence restraining him from their
issue. The belief of your committee that
these were mere pretexts Is based upf their
general knowledge of the inner workings Of
The Auditors and 1reasu.er's offices, upon
Az INSPECTION of the pretended iriunction
order and upon the fact pr veG TO Us by
incoutrovertible testimony that Auditor
CIntons objections TO delivering these war
rants we're Immediately overcome aid dis
appeared as if by magic the moment thaI
certain arrangement or co." act han oeen
made Dy the board OF ADJ istrators with
his bro.her-in-law, MIR. lsaa> \ Stoute myer,
o,e OF tho Cstnsible proprietors and the
rd,t,- of the New Orleans Times newspaper.
This arrangement or contract iac'uieu an
o-n-o,,s condition which should not have
h=ea imposed upon the board. y ne iacts
touching this contract your committee no +"
proceed to set torth.
TIE hoard fearing that the appropriation
cf 80 900 would ne lost to them by the
eNux If time, that IS to say, IT no. collected
before the Legislature OF 1876 asst mbled,
and that their creditors would have TO be
deiayed still longer, concluded TO try an
exoedient much resorted to nov-a-days S,
49, il. TO cffer to Mr.. Stoutemyer. as one
WHO was supposed to be able to accomplish
what nc one else could Ii. e., the removal OF
Auditor Clintonfs Ohjectionsl tee or com
nensat;on large enough to induce hum TO
ieave his editorial chair Tor bclei space
and 10 exercise his eminent legal abilities
in the enlightenment OF the Audltorlal MIND
IA to the wrOngiulnesS OF his course WIN
regard to the appropriation Tor the hospital
Il was supposed by the board that DIR
Stouteuyer would succeed in convincing
Auditor Clinton that there were no legal OF
other obstacles in the way OF dellyerin
theea warrants, and the result proved how
correctly they calculated. The Cnerous
condition OF the contract into which THE
board entered with Mr.. Stoutemyer Tor ne
undertook the job) was their agreement tt
nav him for the service Iii he succeeded.
the sum of $500 in cash, OF thlrteer
per cent on $4,000. This fee hat
been paid to Mr.: StouteMyer IN wal
rsnts Of the Auditor, which leaves X
tne hospital out Of that appropriation. ius
s43, 800. The board say that these $ooo'
Will not ultimately bs lost to them, as two
O. their largest creditors agreed to make
Ca1uctiop from their claims sumclent q
comnensate the hospital tor the sacrlnce /
migbr have to make in the collection
these warrants, provided their claims "ef'
pa,d at once. In the meannme, however
vour committee find that these credl1or
Lava -,ot been paid, as they ara not d,spose'
- accant Auditors warrants at their pres
emf market value, and the hospital IS on
"a TIA preseut $4,000. Your committee
think there can be but one opinion as e
,c;s remarkable transaction. Although no
e-ti-eiy satisfied that the board had po"e
to -ansom the appropriation out OF Audlto
Ci.n-on'a hands at this heavy cost, or at an.
coz.. they are unwilling tc censure thel
unGe- the circumstances, Tor IL seems " I"
a case of duress They had either to agree
to the terms Mr.. Stoutenyer linposeG W.
taaul or lose the appropriately: but you
committee can not suffer Auditor Cnntol
and Mr.. S.outemyer to escape from IN
T,7h;;c CT ndemn alton, which ls sure 70 O.
i,ro7ouoced upon them when the iact
ara known. Here is an executive omces
rha STATE with or without the dlsereuon ar,
mower go to act, undertaking to 1rustrale
asis we're. the will of the Legislature ..
arrasting the flow of It's bounty toward IN
roo- sick and dying mea ana women VIZ
fang,,ish in the wards OF the Charity hos
-,;ts'. And this, your COMMITTEE, are satls
ta.; was done by Mr.. Clinton tor no goo'
or 1onest purpose. As tor Mr. olouIehy q
We can not discover what services Nc ren
Gersd 70 the hospital or its creditors MIC
ius-iHs6 him in exacting from them II
or compensation OF that MAGNITUDE
conducted no troublesome, dlIhcui1 Az
lengthy litigation. According 20 MS oM1
testimony gwen in our ptessniG;e ne INC Of th
warrants by the Auditor. he drew
Dlead!rgs, nor did he appear IN court. ~,
tahcrs were confined to private perS9na
solicitations OF the Auditor, OF Judge Iia
kins. and Of the litigant parties, WLo, IL "
uratended by Auditor Clinton, coDtroiieu a
Injunction which it pleased him TO constr
az D-oh: biting him from delivering the
rants to the administrators OF inc Aoepi, :.
Your committee are unable 20 mdAo ! NJ,
+inrt;on between Auditor Clinton ana "
Stouten yer as to this transaction. we Zee
|artai-, that apy practitioner OF standing q
rae hac of New Orleans would have consio
a-ad himself amply compensated loI III
amnrnt If work done by Nh Stoutemye
~ tbi.case by fee OF $1,000. We thinl
there are gentlemen OF the Lou,slana va
vLc would have felt themselves dls1 In
by touching q single dollar OF inc Cna Nni
Hospital funds, but on the contrary So w." 60
havs taken pleasure in serving, Wlthouy ie
a. award. the hospital in case sucn
that we have commented upon o,,
The attention Of the House, some VICES
ago ane was called by the member from $
Charles parish, to another tiah's aonurra
Charity Hospital warrants which occnrfe
inI37l' Your committee have MADE II
ouiry with regard to it ana no 49,
keport the facts. After repea.eu , ~. w
1nsuccessful presentations OF Their IT, wa
rants to the Treasurer of the State ioI Pa.
nent, the board was compelled 70 paws Va.
n ,re S45 900 of warrants as collaters
ssourity for q loan of $4,000. When tn