The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1880-05-06
THE NATIONAL BoOKKzEPERs.

was appointed by the Senate to investi-
gate the Treasury accounts. That COM
mittee has presented its findings in the
shape of majority and minority reports.
Davis, who was Chairman Of the CON-
mittee, claims that all the statements
made by him before the appointment of
the committee have been verified by
the investigation. Differences Of ninety
or one hundred millions of dollars in
some years had been found between the
figures of the Treasurer's and Registers
accounts. Most of the discrepancies
were shown in the years between 1850
and 1871. The testimony shows that
in November 1870 the Secretary of the
Treasury notified the Register to
change the figures, and the changes APP
parently largely increased the public
debt. In 1862 the debt had BEEN re-
ported to Congress atS5l4, GOO, 600 by the
Register and by the Secretary. In 1870
that amount was changed, and the debt
placed at $524OO0,C0O, an increase of
$lO,000,000 made by one figure. In
1873 there was similar change of
$40, 10000 made, and in 1874 an
other change of $75,000,000. In 1870
the figures of the Register and Secre-
tary agreed but, as they now appear,
they largely disagree. The testimony
showed that three items, amounting to
sc, 1913, S27, were added to the public
debt by order of the Secretary, when
neither of the three items appeared on
the Treasurer's books. Between six and
seven millions of dollars were shown to
have been added to the public debt,
without any apparent cause. The Reg
lister is the official book keeper of the
Government, yet in 1870 he was ordered
to make his statement agree with that
OF the Secretary, and he obeyed the
order. In that year new system Of
bookkeeping was adopted, and a differ
ence of $4,000, 900 was shown in the
public debt statement. Up to 1869,
what is known as the Pacific Railroad
bonds debt, was.ncluded in the public
debt statement. These bonds amounted
on June Both, 1869, to $5S, 63S, go.
This was not included in the debt
statement of 1870, which ought to have
reduced the debt by that amount, but
comparison of the reports of the
Secretary, and of the Register as
made in 1870, show that instead of the
debt being reduced by dropping the
SIS, 1888, 230 of railroad bonds from the
statement, it was increased between
ninety and hundred millions. The
testimony further shows that to make a
careful examination of the public debt
receipts and expenditures between
1860 and 1870, would require four
or five years with four or five
clerks, yet the fact is new
clerk in four and half months, made
the examination upon which the many
changes were made. The proof is that
bonds, bank notes, legal tender notes
and revenue stamps are delivered by
the printing bureau to the loan division
for the Treasurer, and no check is
gwen between the parties. the era
sures and alterations ON the books num-
Der thousands, and effect hundreds of
millions of dollars. Leaves are cut
from books and not accounted for, and
warrants taken from the Treasury, for
millions of dollars are missing and can
not be found. The statements and re-
ports of the War, Navy and Interior
Departments differ largely as to the
amounts received from and charged to
the Treasury Department. The ex-
penditures from 1860 to 1870, as re-
ported by the Secretary. Controller anu
Register, when compared with the
Treasurer's statements, differ hundreds
of millions, Notwithstanding, these
four officers are supposed to be checks
on each other, as the Auditor and
Treasurer are in county affairs in this
State. Warrants transferring hundreds
OF millions of dollars from the Treas
ury, are scratched and apparently al
tered, and some warrants said to be for