Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-10-13

| and careful manner. Omittiug ali payments
on account OF loans, savings banks tax, Unit
ed states deposit, soldiers and trust funds,
that ere not taken into account as Il part of
the current expenses of the STATE, the dis
nursemcnts for the two years ending
august loS2 .S1l9lH 90
p. i'isE' ''.'....'..............,.,. 1i!gll %
y lHtes '........s.ss........ ...... S4i,512 ~
ia ...''.'.'''''''''''.'''' s s,7 rs az
Il" Lisp. "omittinq ali war expens-
The Auditor estimates that $4,000 1.-THE ex
penses OF 1881 and 1852 we're exceptional Al.
hitting this, aud deductinR bui $4,000 ms ex.
ceptiunal from expenses Of 1861 and 1862, dur
ing which time two regular aud one extra
sessions wee held, we find ouraunual current
expenses SljO,c00 greater than twenty years
SINCE and they were much larger at that time
than they should have been. A system the
same petty frauds existed then that have been
so oUen reported OF late years. / am aware
! that this statement will surprise many, for
nearly All the tables prepared on this subject
refer TO 1850 and 1861 for comparison, and these
years are generally spoken OF is IA halcyon
period before the war;" but the Auditor Tor
leoJ, IN us report, deVotes some space to ode
] hcits" and frauds" iu the treasury 10 "errOrs
aud irregularities" Of county CLERKS and rs TO
accounts OF states ATTORNEYS, he saws: 81 find
| IN most of them improper items charged and
allowed" by court auditors. "Hnd IL Is believ-
ed That considerable amounts OF money will
ne found in the hands OF some Oi them unac-
counted for" He also treats of sheriffs in
about the same manner, so that il we seek to
find time when state expenses wore what
| they should be, we must &c back of 1850. But
with all these practices IN vogue the court
expenses for that year were $7j,Gi2 against
5l1S,76O in 1873.
The whole subject Of Court and state expens-
| es has been so Freely discussed by the press,
| so much attention WIS devoted to II in the
messages Of Governors Fairbanks anu Proc.
| tor, and In able reports by Hon. Samuel VIII
llalns, chairman OF joint special committee
| In 1876. and by Judge Veazey. who, rs a com.
| missioner on this subject, appointed in 1873,
| made "a full, clear and valuable report to th,.
| Legislature OF lss0, that it seems needless TO
| DO more than ask your attention to the mat
ter. ] would suggest that everything bearing
| on the subject OF expenses, in The documents
| referred TO, be reprinted tor your Information
| and that the recommendations OF judge Ncaz-
| ey be Carried into effect. Among them are
/ the increase OF jury lees, the Limitation OF the
| number Of trial Justices and the power at the
states Attorney to prosecute all crimes by In.
| formation. : len "A mau OF Judge NeaZeY'5
| hlgh character and ability devOtes time to u
matter with which he is already familiar, and
suggests measures that will reduce "a xai ion,
| and root out long established evils. his sug.
| gestions should not find Il tomb in the hands
| of committee.
The republication OF these reports is desir-
| able for the reason that It Is almost iupossi-
| bic 10 arrive at any correct result or cOuclu-
| sion from readngthe State reports OF that pc
| riOd. MIR. Williams says: with this view,
| we recommend the adoption OF the joint reso-
| luton herewith submitted, SO that the report
| OF the Auditor OF Accounts may hereafter ex.
| hlbit more comprehensive aud detailed sum
| mary OF me receipts and disbursements OF the
| state revenue The later re-
| ports such as not only to require DAYS OF
| labor, but uncertainty u to the correctness
| OF the result, unless the vouchers are examiu-
| ed in detail. In order to ascertain in regard
| TO the receipts and disbursements, you must
| colAte and compare the reports OF the Treas.
urer' Auditor OF Accounts, and county clerks,
| examine the vouchers and classify The items,
| and he very careful to add or deduct from the
| expenses of the different departments items
| which appear IN others. The classification IN
| the Auditors report is very defective, so that
| If, Tor example, il shoulG be desirable to a.
certain the cost OF the Board OF Insurance
| Commissioners, il would be necessary to eS-
anime all the vouchers in detail, AS some
mr. ffaUNu a "a. g.f sFaN
printing reports and some in missellane.
Gus, and the same remarks will apply in re-
spect TO other expenses" This difficulty may
be further illustrated by the fact that 'he
court expenses for ISIS are given differently
~ oncial documents, tue lowest statement OF
! them being Sll0,5i9, while Judge NeaZey's cor
rect analysis shows them to have been Sl7s,-
The classification in the later reports of
| state expenses has been much improved,
but il We look for the items Of which Il GER
! tam class OF expenses Is made up, we still
| hnd II Il work OF great difficulty. | venture
| to suggest, as an addition to the present sys-
TEN OF classification, that the Auditor be re-
quired to append to each heading list of all
| orders drawn under II, and that any order
| embraced under more than one head should
! be so designated. IL VIII tend to dlminish
| taxation If such light is thrown upon our ex.
| penditures that both Legislators and people
can, without The aid of an expert, ascertain
exactly for what purpose and TO whom their
| money is paid.
II is evident from the Auditors report and
| from the documents before referred 10 that
some claims for ices and expenses are paid
under the head of Court expenses that are
not specifically authorized by law. There is
also another class of accounts which have
| partly grown out of legislation during the
war, when the Auditor was necessarily vest
ed with great discretionary power, that are
paid without specific authority OF law, some
OF which are CLASSIFIED among Official cXpen
ses. the amount OF these claims will vary
with Inherent auditors and different Officers.
am OF the opinion that section 2l9 Of the
Revised Laws should be repealed, and that nc
, state officers should be allowed to approve,
pay or draw orders for any purpose not spe
officially authorized by law. II any hardship
arises under such a restriction, it viii soor
come to hight, and can be provided tor. / re
gard the saving of money to the people, I'm
pOTtant as that may be, as of less conse
| quence than Is the adoption OF system
which viii put "A stop TO improper and illega
! | expenditures based on custom, and whict
| diminish with faithful auditor and wher
| public attention Is directed to them, but in
| crease again under different circumstances
| We should not only remove abuses, but pre-
, | vent their recurrence.
In regard to the whole subject of State ex
| penses may observe that they are made M
= | OF small Items, and each one must be careful
I. | ly scrutInized or the aggregate is large. Tho
| largest single item is the debentures of The
4 | General Assembly. BY resolutelY refusing Il
/ | act on private bills, the objects of which car
! | be accomplished under the provisions of the
general laws, by refusing to adjourn unneces
p | sarily by refusing to consider bills no
. | introduced early in the session, by refusing
= to pass any bill not shown 10 he actually ben
/ | ehcial and neediul, by observing the claus
| OF the constitution which eniOins that "pre
2 | vious to any law being made to raise lax
= the purpose for which II is to be raised ough
I to appear evident to the Legislature 10 be q
| | more service 10 the community than III
: money would be II not collected" yOu vii
q earn the gratitude OF your constituents an,
= | lessen their burdens.
II is gratifying to know that considerable
reduction has been made in the State eXpcu
SEES since 1875 when they reached their high
est point This Is owing to several CAUSES
s not the least of which is the faithful, ferries
performance of duly bv the present Auditor.
), The total Court expenses for the year ending
Y "u' ~ 1910 ,'''''iSs;o t9ss77 n