New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-02-16

dence Now, Police Commissioner Il. A
Bray has the especial supervisiOn OF the
Second District, and Grifin's "beat" does
not cross Canal street.
Captain Lswlor is in command of the
precinct wherein is situated Dan Wilson g
gambling house.
Police Commissioner Bray, among other
curious speeches, says $50 tar as my Off
cial duties are concerned, am not opposed
to gambling. In my opinion. public gam.
bling houses can be closed. s. far as AN
concerned, as a police commissioner,
don't care whether they are open or not.
superintendent Loan did repeatedly, and
in direct violation of the law, issue permits
to parties authorizing the establishing of
to run publicly. We call special attention
to the testimony of the Hon. o. F. Conner,
mayor of the city of Kenner, from which
we quote the following: "The copy of the
permit offer in evidence is correct copy
OF the original order or permit given to +
Mr.. Elliot. l asked Mr.. Elliot how much
he paid for it. He said that was not a fair
question and that he would rather be- ex
cuaed from answering it He was not in
court at the time, but merely at my house,
therefore did not press the question at all.
l had the man arrested and released on his
own RECON zance to appear next day. VI
course he did not reappear. We were
satisfied; we simply wanted to get him out
OF town.
Mr.. Thomas Devereaux says: During
the months of July, August and September
the Superintendent of Police Issued permits
or orders to various parties to run gam
bling games in various places. He also
issued orders to the capt aims Of tho differ
ent precincts where the games were run to
permit the same. l saw the permit that
was given to Joseph Fritz in his possession,
at the Slaughtarhouse, where he ran game
of French pool. 1t is banking game,
something on the order of roulette. 1t
comes under the gambling law"
With these, perhape, too lengthy re-
marks, your committee conclude that as the
board is vested by law with supreme con
troll in the management of the police; as the
board expends enormous sums in keeping
special detectives to watch over police
force which has cost $780, per annum for
seven yeare; as the superintendent is a
mere executive officer under the board;
as the board ia the sole tribunal which has
jurisdiction in matters Of disciplinary of.
lenses of the police officers and men; as the
board. ia q word, is the supreme head of the
police. your committee must lay immed-
ately at its door the primary responsibility
for the many abuses. otfonses and crimes
with which this report ls 80 lamentably re-
plete.
The Governor. controlling that board, as
we have shown, can not shift his extensive
share Of the responsibilities.
Your committee are of the opinion that
the bill v hich was passed by your honOra-
BILE body few days SINCE, and which Is now
before the Senate for concurrence, contains
the most ample remedy for the cure of the
great evil we have but feebly sketched.
We end with an earnest hope that the bill
may soon become a law, ard that the Metro
politan Police and it's sent Odious
board shall be abolished forever. Your
committee further recommend the printing
OF the record accompanying this report in
pamphlet form in such number as your hon
orable body may determine.
GEORGE w. DUPRE,
Chairman;
WILLIAM J. HAMMOND.
Mr.. G. l. Hall, member of the commit
tee. was suddenly called away from the
city, owing to the dangerous illness of his
wife. The report was not then ready.
In the preliminary consultations Mr. G.
L Hall agreed in substance with the ideas
and findings OF this report, and we have no
doubt of his signing the same on his return.
GEORGE ". DUPRE,
WILLIAM j. HAMMOND,
On motion of Mr.. Dupre, ordered that
the report of the majority of the committee,
atfdavits and documents thereto annexed
be printed in pamphlet form for the use OF
the House.
Mr.. Aldige, chairman of the select COM
mittee appointed to investigate the books
and accounts of the Auditor of Public Ac-
counts and State Treasurer, submitted the
following report:
To the Honorable Speaker of the House of Repre-
sentstves of the State of louisiana
In compliance with resolution adopted
by your honorable body on the fourteenth
day of January, 1876, your committee was
appointed to Investigate the books, papers
and vouchers Of the State Auditor and
Treasurer.
Your committee have, so far, examined
the books and accounts of the State Treas
urer, and present this report, embracing ex
clusively the acts of that Official.
The first step taken by your committee
was to ascertain from the Treasurer, his
cashier and assistants the details of the
office, the management of its affairs, and
the laws having special reference to the re-
ceipts and disbursements of the State funds.
Under the law, the Treasurer can not re-
ceiye any State funds without an order from
the Auditor. nor can he pay out any State
money or moneys without q proper warrant
from the Auditor. The Auditors order
must specify the amount to be placed to
the credit Of each separate fund, and every
warrant must specify to what account such
disbursement is to be charged.
Your committee we're informed by the
Treasurer that his books would be found
kept in strict compliance with law, and
that all the warrants, when called for,
would be forthcoming. He stated that
the Supreme Court having sustained
HIM in his claim to be the Fiscal Agent I'M
der the constitution, he had selected the
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 tho general account, the second as the
coupon interest account of 1874, the third
as the coupon interest account of 1873. All
moneys received are deposited to the credit
of the general account, but are credited On
the bOOke to the account to which they re-
spectively belong, and when money is need
ed to pay the interest coupons Of either
year, the amounts necessary to meet this
interest are withdrawn from the general
account and transferred by deposit to the
credit of the interest coupons account.
The books of the Trs asurer, when at first
examined, appeared to be correctly kept.
Your committee ascertained, however, from
Mr. Campbell, the book keeper, that the
entries made upon his books we're simply
from the vouchers handed to him by the
cashier, and that he had no personal knowl-
edge of the cash transactions Of the Office.
In consequence, your committee request
ed the Treasurer to submit to them his stub
check book, for the purpose of comparing
the amounts charged thereon with the war
rants which must have been issued
for the navment of the eOme Our
object in checking the stub check
book was to ascertain if the Treasurer had
at any time drawn out or disposed of the
State funds without the pfOper vouchers.