The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-02-25
Report Of House Committee on
the Doings Of Clinton, Stoute-,
myer, Dubuclet & Co.
Something More About That
/, !, l5a.3. 3as3 .,s.s s6500. ~
Discounts Paid 10 the Ring Cost
- the Hospital S247,000
4R in Five Years.

3H F'fE Ep4W ts ~
COMMITTEES ROOM PuBLlc AND CHAR1TABLE)
ta f4 st New Orleans, Feb. IA, ls1s.}
TO the Honorable Speaker and members Of the
House OF Representatives.:
! Your COMMITTEES. on the Public and Charitable
lnstitqtions 81 the State haye the honor to SUB
THSs TSe mGs is nssaen e Esn ossSnf y
| confprehensively set forth In the annual report
made by its Board OF Administrators for the
II the House that Your COMMITTEES would deem
Kot Fl T. attempt aagla to to
| this paper. We will therefore cCnfine ourselves
4aSa s s aS
give the House a proper Understanding OF that
| condition. to the end that such measures may
| be adopted as the HOUSE shall Judge to be neces
inst Institution I'd @ 90 lisp to ths State and 70
the city q New Orleans one 50 noble In its pur-
Like all the other public and charitable instf-
tutions Of the State this hospital has been ior
several years laboring under the financial din.
income have been partially cut off, while its ex-
penditures and Indebtedness have been In
creased for the rsasOn that 1t was impossible to
| hospital must be kept open whether It's income
be less or more the state 10 bound to do it under
contract, as i were. with, its founder and those
portion Of their fortunes to carry, u on in
manner worthy Of this commonwealth.
tratian % and % msintsnance has M arisen arisen irom the
failure Of the Htate Treasurer to pay In cash the
appropriations made by the General Assembly
State Auditor 70 issue at the proper time. Ills
warrants f2r those approprMiatic,nI's M or ior som9
Auditor has greatly embarrassed the Board Of
Administrators, and made their duties not only
more onerous than they otherwise would have
been, but It has also mado them more difficult Of
out sufficient cash income to meet the unavoid-
able and daily recurring expenditures Of the In
debt by purchasing without cgssh their necessary
supplies of food and medicine. ETC.; to defer
paving Tor those SUPPLIES l2r an undue length
also been compelled g defer the payment Of the
these these were due. These delays have been en-
barrassing to all parties concerned. -
The Board do not complain OF the insu fl
81 my n MhesD tos
have been paid by the State officials and realized
by tho Hospital. The complaint ~ that n.o ap-
part Maid In warrapts which wore not cashsd on
q s Seg s wsee oomSsa
as nSns sesrt or sell am ee os
right and subniitto an excessive discount there
Which have occurred In the delivery OF war
rants by the, Auditor for certain appropriations
They called the p%aEticuisI, % 81. attention Pf yQ!lr
delivery to them OF warrants for the approprin-
ton made last year. amounting M to $4,000: lThis
from Orleans parish.) This appropriation was
made in February, but the warrants were with
os o m 81 % onEs u H. mHan spSn
what your. committee believe to be mere pretext.
yiz; That there was no money In in tho Treasury:
discretion TO withhold their issue until there
isjunctions Of t6s Superior District Court, par
Iiof ht oi from your e commtee ssse' that 9 these s
p s Is eSssd fsF IT, Hs
tors and Treasurer's Offices and upon the In |
spection Of the pretended INJUNCTION orior. and
se3a ea & lG AaG " e
come, and disappeared as L by magic. the mo,
been made by the Board Of Administrators with
his brother law, MIR. Isaiic n. stoutemyer one
Of tho estensihle proprisors and the editor Of the
snt nsM s 81 Contract s inciadsa os onerous s cona
ton. which should not have been imposed Upon |
@ gc Baa pss s psotsS ssaSsns q cs contract
Tho Board. fearing that the appr?priation Of |
$50, 900 would be lost 70 them by the eiux Of |
creditors would have to BE- delayed still longer. |
conelyded to try an expedient much resorted TO |
one who Wyss SUP posed to be ahc % accomplish |
what no one else. gould-ri. o.. the removal Of |
o Aodor re esS. sss SSaSa Sa I'm s {; s ay gIs s
ss 1 5 9f RFs. Il SS sea snsssns%sst sssssS nj
the Aadora mind e t9 the wronSnes
the hospital, was supposed by the |
Board thit Mr., .Stoutemyor would succeed in |
legal Obstacles In the way Of delivering these |
warrsnts, and the reanlt proved how correctly
this Vas calcSlased The oaerous s condti9ns s,, q
Mr.. Stoutemyer iori he undertook the Job WIS
their agreement 70 pay him f9r the service u he
saceeed the sH b q ss s'o Ssa n hss ss naS q -
St1ntonysl ia M % II, variants Of the T auditor. Which
leaves to the Hospital out OF that sppropriatioIn,
largest creditors agree to make deduction from
their claims sufficient to compensate the Hos
the collection of these warrants. provided their
however. your committee nnd that these cred
posed pose to to Accept Auditors warrants at their
present market value. and the Hospltai-is out
for the present $500, I, 0 ,Js9L 81
opinion as to this remarkable transaction. Al
though not entirely satisfied that the Board had
S Sa s eo Of 4
cost they are unwilling to censure them under
the circumstances. for it seems 70 be case OF
duress,, They bad eithel to agree to the terms
Mr.. Stouten@yer imposed upon them, or lose
the approprt< EtQh. But your committee cannot
suffer Auditor Qinton and Mr. Stoutemyer to
escape from TIE public condemnation which is
facts are known. Here IL an executive officer OF
the State, with or without discretionary power
so to act. Undertaking to frustrate. as II were,
the will OF the Legislature by .arresting the
fiow of It's bounty toward the. poor.
sick and dying men, and women who Ian
guish In the wards Of the Charity Hospital. And
this, your committee are satisfied, was done By
Mr.. Clinton for no good q honest purpose: AS
vices he rendered to the hospital, or it's cred
itors, which justified him in exacting from them
a lee of compensation Of that magnitude. He
conducted no troublesome. difficult and lengthy
litigatiOn.g According to his own testimony
given IN our presence there existed no legal
OBSTACLE to the delivery Of the warrants by the
Auditor. He drew no pleaaings, nor did he ap,
pear In court. His labors were confined
te private, personal soisitatiioas HaEai ion and q
Of the iitigants. I parties who, i was
pretended by Auditor Clinton. controlled an in
junction which it pleased him to construe as pro-
hibiting him from delivering the warrants TO
the administrators OF the Hospital, Your com
mittee are unable to male 2 distinction between
Auditor Clinton and MIR. Soutemyer as TO this
transaction. We feel certain that any pfa1l-
would have oonsidered himself amply compen-
stated for the amount OF work done by Mr..
Sloutemyer In this. case by q fee Of $1,000. I'VE
ViI5 So13d haye felk tfHpsasps diS60n6TeMD
angle dollar Of the Charity H1bptal