The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-02-16
THE BOOKS OF THE TREAS
URER.
An Interesting Report.

Mr.. Jules Aldige, chairman Of the CON mttee
to examine the books Of the Auditor and Treas
urer, yesterday submitted the following report to
the House:
To the Honorable Speaker and Members Of the
House of Representatives, OF Louisiana:
Ia compliance with resolution adopted by
your honorable body on the - day of January,
1876 your committee was appointed to investl-
gate the books, papers and vouchers Of the State
Auditor and Treasurer.
Your committee have, so far, examined the
books and accounts OF the State Treasurer, and
present this report, embracing exclusively the
acts of that official.
The first step taken by your committee was to
ascertain from the Treasurer, his cashier and
sstants, the details of the Office, the anagement
Of ts affairs, and the laws having special refer
ence to the receipts and disbursements OF the
State funds.
Under the law, the Treasurer can not receive
any State funds without an order from the Audi
tor; nor can no pay out any state. money or
moneys without proper warrant from the Au-
ditor. The Auditors order must specify the
amount to be placed to the credit OF each sepa-
rate fund; and every warrant must specify to
what account such disbursement to be charged
Your committee were informed by the Treas
| urer, that his books would be found kept in
strict compliance with law, and that all the war
| rants, when called for, would be forthcoming.
He stated that the Supreme Court, having sus
| tanned him in his claim to be the fiscal agent
Louisiana National Bank as the depository of the
| State funds.
| Three distinct and separate accounts are kept
| by him in this bank. The first, known as the
| general account; the second, as the coupon ill.,
| terest account OF 1874; the third as the coupon
| interest account Of 1875. ALI moneys received
| are deposited to the credit of the general &C.
! count, but are credited on the books to the ac
| count to which they respectively belong and
| when money is needed to pay the interest
Of off ia Mt To
meet this interest are withdrawn from the gen
eral account and transferred by deposits, to the
| credit Of the interest coupon accounts.
| The books Of the Treasurer. when at first ex-
| amined, appeared to be correctly kept; your
| committee ascertained, however, from Mr.. Camp
| bell, the book-keeper, that the entries made
upon his books were, simply, from the vouchers
handed to him by the cashier, and that he had
no personal knowledge OF the cash transaction Of
| the Office.
In consequence, your committee requested the
Treasurer to submit to them his stub check
! book, for the purpose OF comparing the amounts
charged thereon with tho warrants which must
| have been issued for the payment of the same.
Our object in checking the stub check book was
to ascertain it the Treasurer had &C any time
drawn out or disposed of the State funds without
the proper vouchers.
| Your committee, by this process, discovered
that the following checks had been drawn by the
| Treasurer without warrants:
| l. On Oct. l, 1874, check numbered 994,
drawn in favor Of W. 8. Burrows for $52a8 Sc 2.
| On Oct 4 1874, two checks numbered 9y7 ana 99S,
| for 5000 each, to order OF the same w. s. Bur.
rows, $40 900; 8. On Oct. 5, 1874, one check num-
bered lOU7, to the order OF s. Gusman, for $4,000,
making total OF SIS, 20S Sc 4. On Oct 81, 1874,
| q check numbered 1858 on the stub book, to the
order of J. H. Oglesby, Fiscal Agent, and charged
on the stub book as being drawn against the in
terest fund, for $4,000; 5. On the same day,
another check numbered 1857 on the stub book,
also drawn in favor Of J. H. Oglesby, Fiscal Agent
against the same fund for s25. Geo; 6; On Jan; 2,
1875, check drawn in favor OF J. h: Oglesby,
Fiscal Agent, against the interest fund, for $16,-
| 489 Is.
The evidence ELECTS the fact that on the same
day loan Of $4,000 was made to J. H. Oglesby,
fiscal agent. The entire amount OF the loan was
evidently drawn from the interest funds of the
State; but in what manner, it does not appear
from any entries or records in the Treasurer's
office, beyond the above described check.
7. On the 3lst Of March, 1875, check, num-
bered 500 on the stub book, for SIS, 208 25.
8. On the same date check No. 31U, for SIS, 900.
For all the above detailed disbursements,
| amounting in the aggregate to $19S, AIT 81, and
drawn from the interest fund, no warrants were
shown.
These disbursements are clearly in violation of
| section 7 of act NO. 3, of 1874, known as the
Funding bill, and section $40, Revised Statutes.
| The attention OF the Treasurer being called to
| these irregularities, he alleged, in explanation
| of the payment Of the sum Of $l9,20s IS, repre-
the same were drawn in favor Of holders OF Judi
cial warrants, to that amount; but that, ON the
| following day, discovering that there were no
funds to the credit Of these warrants, he had re.
Quested that the money be refunded, and that his
| request had been complied with.
l. appears that the moneys were drawn qp the
&C Check No. 81 Oct; j; 1874, s52es %; check No.
| 997 Oct. 2, 1874 $4,000; check No. 99S, Oct 2,
1874, $4,000; check No. 1907, Oct s, 1874, $4,000,
and no refunding of these $l9,2O3 Sc appears on
the Treasurer's stub book before the 25th OF Feb
ruary, 1875. Ii that is the real explanation, then
an illegal disbursement was made, and no entry
| was made on the books, and it remained uncOv-
| evered for more than four months afterwards.
An amount Of SIS, 208 s. appears to have been
| paid out OF the Treasury on the 31st OF March,
1875, by check numbered 300 on the stub book,
4 and charged to the interest fund Of 1875.
This amount was paid back to tho Treasury in
the following manner: On March 81, by warrant
No. 4426 fol- $50, on April 7, by warrant No. 3427
for $780, on April Z by warrant No. 1871 for $500,
on April II, by warrant No. 593 for $625, on April
r. by cash deposited to the credit Of the interest
fund Of 1874, $17,0S3 IS, making q total OF
| SIS, 2O8 IS.
The explanation given by the Treasurer OF the
entries and counter entries relating to this sum
| of SIS, 2O8 80 are unsatisfactory.
! The following checks appear on the stub book
to have been drawn to the order of ]. H. Oglesby,
| fiscal agent, and charged to the interest fund:
On October 81, 1874, check No. 1858, for $40, 00J
on October 81, 1874 check No. 1867, for $25, 600.
| The Treasurer, when called upon to produce the
warrants for the two checks above described was
unable to do SO; but he Immediately gave to your
committee, representing the same as proper YOU
cheers, two checks crawn by him as Treasurer on
the Louisiana National Bank. both checks being
to the order of J. II. Oglesby, fiscal agent by him
Endorsed in said capacity, and properly cancelled
by the bank. One, check for 10000, was dated
October "a, 1874; one, check for $25 900, was
dated October g. 1874.
Thus, in support Of a payment Of $35 900 on
the 31st Of October 1874, the only voucher pro.
duced is the evidence Of other payments made
by him on the Gath and 28th of the same month.
Your committee have since ascertained from the
Louisiana national Bank that the check for $25,
600 was placed to the debit OF the ate Treasurer
on the 18th of October 1874, and that of SIC, 0OO
on the 29th of October, 1874.
In answer to the inquiries OF your committee
with regard to this disbursement OF s35, 600, the
Treasurer submit ted sworn statement made by
him on the 18th of June, 1875, to L. II. Gardner
one Of the experts appointed in May, 1875, to
examine the Auditors books. THIS statement
which is hereto annexed, and the testimony taken
| nv yOur committee durnD their Investigation