The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-09-02
Another Card from General Rogers
late Sccoud Auditor.
IFor the Dispatch.


connected with the Second Auditors of1ce
now under investigation, expected 10 In.
cur the animadversions OF the Wing, and
| that some explanation by Mr.. Cross would
| bc ATTEMPTED, 10 relieve himself from the
very embarrassing position he occupies Dc
| fore the country, and l did not intend 10
notice either, unless some facts were charged
or statement, made, calling for further at
tention at my bands.
/ propose, therefore, TO notice briefly,
some allegations OF the Wig. derived from
what Is claimed as authority, for their state
ments.
First. That the register in the Treasu-
rers's Office was established in 1879 after
fight with General Rogers before the
Legislature, in which he strenuously OPP
posed it for five years."
This Is utterly untrue, in the sense in
which 1t is intended to be put.
| 1t is well known that never was opposed
| TO c0upon-Tegister, but, on the contrary,
advised ii.
Mr.. Massey. at two sessions OF the House,
and afterwards at two sessions OF the sem
ate, proposed to have register in the Urea
sury, and to provide for an extra clerk 10
keep such q register but the Committee OF
Finance on every occasion refused or failed
|
| heel OF the session OF '79-on the last day, l
! beiieye-Mr. Massey got his bill through
both houses, and a more ill-dgested and
unjust act, according to the size OF 1t, was
never passed by the General Assembly.
/ was in favor OF a coupon-regster, such
as the Treasury Department at Washington
keeps, to operate upon the Treasury and
Second auditors office, equally needed, for
| both; for let II be remembered that there
were, and are now, millions OF coupons in
| both OF those offices, and the register now
used In the Treasury Office is no proper
check whatever upon that office, though II
| is upon the Second Auditors office.
Mr.. John o. Steger, after an exhaustive
investigation OF nearly six months OF Inc
basement Offices. and afterwards Joint
committee OF the two houses, recommended
10 the General Assembly that coupon-regis-
tiers should be kept in both of those oUtceS.
In Difference TO their rec0mmen dations
did procure the proper books and assigned
one of my regular clerks TO that duty. lie
worked on them for eighteen months, when,
finding that no coupon had improperly
come IN, and when, in fact, it was really no
check upon the integrity OF my Office, ana
especially az the Treasurer had not thought
proper to adopt the suggestion OF Mr. Ste
ger and the joint committee, | suspended
the work and relieved the clerk from further
service. There was pressure at every ses-
sion for four or five years for register IN
the Treasurer's office only, and always t0r
an extra Cleric
Ny plan was for a register to be kept by
the auditor of Public accounts, who should
have clerk for that purpose, who should
receive lists Of all the coupons past due in
both those offices, to be properly verified
such lists, with the coupons duly cancelled,
to be delivered to the Auditor OF Public
Accounts, receipted for, registered, and
filed away in bis office. This would be
really Il check upon both offices. AT the re-
quest of Judge Thomas and several senators
| prepared a bill embracing those proyl.
sons at two or more sessions, and placed
them In their hands, but they were opposed
by the advocates OF the Treasury Register,
and failed. There ,caS no provision in my
bill for an extra clerk in the Treasury. This
is the true history OF my Fighting the
Treasury register" and say now that the
only real "check and balance" between
those offices in respect to coupons is the one
advocated by me. So much for that matter.
The Second Auditor is censured for hay
ing "insecure presses" | have only to
say that we used for keeping the coupons
in our Office (all of which were mutilated
| by the endorsement OF the collector OF the
revenue or the punch OF the Second Audi
| tor, or both) the very identical KIND OF
wooden presses that were used by the Trea-
surer from 1871 until some two years ago
| for keeping in his office one hundred mil
lions of dollars OF coupon bonds and cOu-
pons siqned buMe Treasurer, without mark
OF any kind whatsoever upon them to pre-
vent their sale In the market IL distracted
from that office. So much for that; and yet
we hear of no criticism on the Treasurer'S
Office in this regard. Is this fair Z Does
not this show the dnimuS OF the Wig? IL
is ppoper TO add in TINS connection that from
| 1871, when the new bonds and coupons
were brought into the Treasurer's office, IA
reliable extra night-wach was placed in the
offices Of the Treasurer and Second Audi
tor, and is continued to this time, and that
the General Assembly failed to provide for
vaults and safes until some two years ago.
| The Wig stoops TO criticism" it says,
on nv statement as TO endorsement" OF
collectors on the coupons, and thinks |
"don't know what j am talking about"
Quoting the law, the Wing says the collector
must "deduct the tax and endorse on the
back OF each coupon Tax retained, s. and
sign his name" 1 said they were endorsed
or stamped but the point Is made that
stamping is not endorsing. Well, that
mode was agreed to by the late Auditor
Taylor and concurred in by me, and | see
no objection to it. 1t is extensively used
in the country. The stamping may be
"taken oiit by chemicals" and so may ink
be taken out and il the Wing will inquire
at the Treasury office, think he will find
that every warrant from that Office is stamp
ed, not written, on the warrant, directing
what bank shall pay the money.
The other illusions and insinuatiOns OF
the Wing deem unworthy OF notice.
| have nothing TO add to what l have al
ready said about the mode OF treating cou-
pons, and only rtiterate what l said In my
communication on that subject.
| propose now to pay my respects again,
and for the last time, TO the Honorable Mr..
Gross, of the committee.
Mr.. Cross, under the pressure OF the facts
stated by me ia my late communication, has
published card, which appears In the
Wh1 of Tuesday morning. He "makes
no charge upon General Rogers or any
gentleman connected with the Office, and
will not make any, that will not be proof as
strong as Holy Writ"
Let me go back to the beginning. This
gentleman goes down to his home In SUI
| folk, where there is a Readjuster paper
published, and where, under his own eye
and his inspiration, foul SANDER is pub
lished with the heading, before described,
OF "Thieves aud Robbers-Anotber Twen-
ty-Thousand.D Dollar Theft Found in the
Funder Ranks-Tbe Second Auditors
Office Hotbed OF Corruption" and that
the "committee had discovered many
glaring frauds" When Mr.. Loyenstein