The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-26
There Has Been No Intention to Defraud the
Observation-Disclosures Effects of the Au-
ditOr's Ruling on the States Claims.
Important Supreme Court Decision as
to State Control of Railways.
The National Congress the Only Power Com
petent to Regulate Interstate Traffic-Mil-
lions of Money for Indiana Pensioners.
INDIANA CLAIMS.
No Fraud Intended-What Will Result I'm
less Williams Revokes His Decision.

1
less Williams Revokes His Decision.
| Special to the INDIANAPOLIS Journal
| WASHINGTON, Oct. 25.-A great deal of inter
est has been excited in the collection of war
claims by the discovery in the Third Auditors
office of duplicate payments to Indiana to the
amount of SAG. 1913. Lawyers are looking up the
intricacies of the case, and interesting develop
ments are promised. No one believes that
either the State officials of Indiana or the agents
| employed in the collections intended fraud,
| How the claims were paid twice, and what will
be done about it, form the interesting features of
the case.
To-day the Journal correspondent had talk
with gentleman who probably knows more Of
the history of the war claims before the Treas
ury and War Departments than any man in the
city. and he did not think that anybody was
really to blame. or was responsible for the du-
plicate payments He did not like the state
ment by Third Auditor Williams to the effect
that the adjudication of all claims for the State
would be stopped till the SAG 900 of duplicate pay
ments were covered back into the Treasury
Now" said he, 'if I owed you 1865, ,538 "a, as
the government does Indiana on other war
claims, you would think took peculiarly un-
fair position if refused to pay You any sum
merely because discovered that had paid on
the claim or debt SAG, 900 more than I intended
at different times. OF course, there is ques
tion about the merits Of all the unsettled claims,
aggregating over $500, 900, but it is not supposa
BILE that out of that amount SIG, 900 could not be
taken. What the Third Auditor should have
said was that he would deduct the SAG, 600 dupli-
cate payments from the first allowances"
Asked how the duplicate payments could have
been made he said:
'These claims were filed in installments, and
are known the first second, third and other
installments. The first was filed in 1862, and
the last in 1860 There was change of agents
and clerks and Auditors and Governors, and no
one could keep run of the allowances made No
charge Of fraud could stand. All drafts for this
money are made payable to the Governor, and
the agent and Auditor have nothing to do with
the actual cash. Collusion would be impossible.
With the Second and Third Auditors Indiana
filed claims amounting to 81 66xse7zG Co. She has
received So, TAI, 738 %. OF this amount $7G9-
144. 03 was carried to the States credit on &C
count of direct tax
"In the event the Auditor refuses to recede
from his position to make no further allowances
till the fraudulent payments are covered back
into the treasury, what will be the resultP
mo more collections for the State, and the
loss of large proportion of the claims now on
fle aggregatine 1865, ,538, for much of those can
be collected. You see, the LEGISLATURE will have
to be called upon for an appropriation if the
duplicated payments are returned to the govern
ment, and my experience in such matters
teaches me that the LEGISLATURE will never make
the appropriation The claims originated from
advancements made by the State in raising
troops or equipping the Indiana Legion, twenty
five years ago, and it's long time to look back
to for an appropriation from legislature. The
raised voucher Colonel Williams refers to- bv
which $1,000 was paid, indicates no fraud" 1t
was an error which often occurs when clerks
read figures for transcription. Any one can see
that So, 900 sounds very much like So 9O0 The
error was not discovered at the time it was made
in making the transfer from the abstract TO the
voucher. The allowance was made by Wilson,
Democratic Auditor, when there was a Demo
cratic Comptroller, and hence there could be no
politics in making the discovery at this time I
remember that clerk was employed by Gen.
Coburn to collect these claims, and that he re-
signed his position to prosecute them
The Governor agreed that he should
receive q per cent, provided the
Legislature ratified the agreement, and
he collected 81. .354 749 The Legislature allowed
him $l0.O00-less than l per cent. Governor
Morton received part of the drafts for the State,
Governor Baker part Of them and Governor Hen
bricks part of them. There have beer at least
fifteen settlements, and as there were many
changes il the Treasury, the State and other Of
fees connected with the collections and pay
ments. you see how nearly impossible it was to
keep track of the vouchers. In fact, if there
had been but one set of officers / don't believe
the errors could have been prevented. Agents
succeeding agents simply filed duplicate claims
not knowing they were paid and succeeding of
fcers, ignorant of the acts of predecessors. al
lowed and paid them There was no object in
any one committing fraud. No, these errors
will not prejudice the claims of Ohio Her ac-
counts are correct. Nor will they affect the
claims of any State except those of Indiana.
Third Auditor Williams ia all right in all except
thinking there were frauds, and refusing to
aud it Indiana claims till this money is covered
back into the treasury"
AtThe voucher has already been explained The
original bill and voucher file here show it to have
been for three thousand and not two thousand. The
three thousand was properly paid.-Ed. Jouraal