The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-06-01
AUDITORlAL INVESTIGATION.
DIBBLE SAYS HE WAS J0MNseNs PHI-
yATE ATTORNEY.

the S.ate-House Senator Wheeler presiding, al
Messrs. Lecds, Aldige and Keettng present.
Ii. O. Dibble was the first witness called an
sworn, and In reply to inquiries propounded b
Mr.. Keeting (Rep.) he testified In substance {
follows:
Was appointed Assistant Attorney General !
March, 1874, and remained until March, 1871
then was succeeded by Judge Rtesle, and was RI
appointed 10 August IKE and continued mt
recollection. Of the appropriation bill !
1875, for the payment OF official journsls
u somewhat indistinct,. but will examine m
letter books. II you will specify what particula
Johnson issued any warrants under the items,
the Injunction had
NOT BEEN REMOVED.
In one instance the Supreme Court passed nm,
me matter OF printing, and that may have covered
Was Dol. Johnson's solicitor or private attor
ney, although | received no compensation for
my services. Think the decision OF the Supreme
Court covered The whole matter OF t45, 100 or The
whole section, but Of that am not certain. II
letter book, and see more particularly. My re-
cords will show what COL johnson did, and what
ne did was upon my advice, and / viii produce
such Letters Or advice as gave on The subject.
TO. Mr. Aldige-Will look through NV letter
on Monday.
ohas. Ohnton was called next, and In reply to
MIR. keeting's questions about the KeIlogu . Wills
militia claims and warrants, said that 10
WAS NOT THE CUSTOM
{as stated by the witness stearn) TO make ont
warrants i'll the name of clerks of the Office or
employees where various bills we're rendered. We
inaisted upon having the party presenting The
claim receive the vouchers; there were instances.
however. where vouchers had been presented Inv
merchants or brokers, and when fully identified
warrants we're issued.
In regard tto the Wills vouchers I think now
,llat they were first brought TO mo by Gov. Kel-
logg, some thirty or forty OF them, and were for
militia purposes OF some kind, euch az
THE OZARK CLAIM,
and for expeditions that went TO the oorntrv WIN,
the vouchers were first shown he told me that
they we're claims he had TO caeh / told him thew
must be approved. and he said he did not want
them In his own name. After that 1t turned out.
by mr.. Streets looking into the matter, that they
were issued against fund they had no RIGHT ~
ny recollection is that Got. Kellogg Afterwards
brought the warrants back and had them can.
ceiied, except those which Street did net object
TO. '
TO Mr.. Keeting II we mistFusted The leual;tv
OF claim we always inquired into II. even II
there was the least suspicion, and IL there was
we would not iesue the warrant. Had no reason
TO think otherwise In the case referred to, and
coming, as 1T did, from the Governor, had no |
reason TO doubt lite legality. His bringing IL there
satisfied me that II was right. Think Tie yonehers
are there In the Office yet
TO MIR. Aldige--The cause OF his returning tbe |
warrants was that Street was paying a certain
class OK bills out OF the appropriation, whereas
Kellogg was paying his bills out of the same.
After the objection was made by Street the Gov
ernor came to my Office and told mo to look over
ones among them he wanted Che warrants IL.
sued therefor cancelled. We sorted them after
having his idea and found what part OF them he
did not want to go into that appropriation. He
finally came back again and asked that il there
were any that were Objectionable 20 Street ~
have them Cancelled
The appropriations, then, were verv inda8n,ta
as to what they should be applied 10, especially
Enc militia appropriation, which was
MUDDLED UP ANYHOW,
know that appropriation was entirely eaten nm.
There wasn't any left, and some Of Il had been
enjoined ~
mfr. Wills was not az effective a olark a.
wanted; he staid in the Office longer than I
wanted him to, on account OF tho Governors re
luest TO keep him there, and that was done. al |
ihough he was not efficient. He was not the Gov i,
'rnors cousin. though, believe, he is Che Cover.
lors wltescousin, or related in that way.
The Governor has visited my Off 10 find out ,,
what amount OF the appropriation was left and
lot warranted for. presume these wsrrante
night have been made in that way; In fact, am !,
lmost sure that was the case. The Governor. /
many instances tried TO make me think IL was 2
roper to do things which I thought not proper.
70 RUE, warrants were cancelled, but not de-
troyed. You will find many OF them In The off;ca
ow &,
CANCELLED WITH KNIFE.
In my time kept them all and filed them in g.
ENVELOPES, with endorsements on each 40 thew
onld be referred to Mt any time.
Regarding the large bond books which are re-
orted missing the witness testified that one was
lied and the other had been begun on. Bup. 0
ose they are both there. turned them over In
~ successor. That was the book prepared
lyseif. Prepared 1T with MI. Armstrong, in order
the Funding Board. This is the first time
ave heard chat they were missing. The whole
lstory OF the bonds received and funded and the
CIV bonds issued ia in those books. don't be- 40
eve ~ admissible for any officer to have them
In them is complete history of all the bonds
lnded and issued with the proper dates OF over so
lirty series or issues of bonds that have been
Inded. The books will show L ali. / Jaw After
70 or three meetings of the Funding Board NV l
10 minutes as kept by the secretary, that the o
cord would not be complete, and the way IL was
,pt induced me to adopt the system which did
40 Mr. heeting-Neyer gave Gov. Kellogg any T.
formation in regard to appropriations uuex- TX
'nded that would not have given TO any other
tizen.
To Mr.. Wheeer-Don't remember the amount he
warrants Cancelled, as 1t has gone out Of my A.,
To Mr.. Keeting-Art. 49, Revised Statutes,
,thes the Auditor with authority to make com. ne
onises with defaulting tax collectors. Have
q cases IN which couldn't have got q dollar in
Y other way.
TO Mir. Aldige-There was no book kept show
7 the compromises with tax collectors; il was
Morally entered in the tax book, where credits Bi
re made when compromises we're made; don't IN
ink ever made one unless had the examiner -
st examine the accounts OF tho tax collector, &c
made 1t point to try and get just as much or
OUT OF THE pEFAuLTERs 90
hay had |
= them to cover into the State what he had got, oh
d got as much of the State paper (warrantsj ty
vered in as could. They have offered me q y.
lie better transactions in money. and in one an
stance one offered to give me $500 cash, where tt
states claim was $5000 I insisted that KIN
'nted as much money in the Treasury as he g.;
q to pay and gave him that cue, and he went -, -,
ana got IN the same amount of warrants that tn
had owed the State. III L hadn't done this the | gu
ate would have had to psy dollar for dollar for Mr.
There were more defaulting tax collectors by
UNDER wARMoTns ADMINISTRATION
IN alln n,,a AL. |