The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-10-09
TREASTRY WORK.
HOW MONEY Is DIsBURsED BY
THE UITED STATES.
The Method f Making Payments
Out of Ume Sans Big Cash
Box DeTibed-Interest
and Estal Moneys.

When Congrs has authorized pay
ment for any purpose the Secretary
promptly advise the Register thereof
and directs him make an entry of the
amount on his bsks under proper head
ing, that it N, be drawn against as
needed. This lone, the Treasury is
ready to pay an claimant the sum due
him out of this appropriation, and if the
Comptroller has sceived from the Audi
tor, approved nd in proper form, a
claim made theion, he will, if he sees
no objection to aying it, ask the Secre-
tary to issue his arrant upon the Treas
urer in favor ofthe claimant for the
amount stated. 4 warrant will conse-
quently issue, b1 it will first go to the
Comptroller, thane may minute it on the
account, then tothe Register, who will
charge the amout to the claimant and to
the proper appreciation, enter. it in the
general account expenditure under the
proper classifcatn, then send it to the
Treasurer, who VII pay the claimant as
directed, obtainig his receipt therefor
on the warrant, on check issued in
his favor, and TIM send warrant and re-
ceipt to the Audor as credit voucher
for moneys paic out. Thus this pay
warrant, like thi covering warrant, be-
comes the authdty for the needed en-
tries of the amout, and ends its course,
as did the coveng warrant, by becom-
ing a credit vouher in an account OF
moneys paid. ....
The number warrants issued annu-
ally is about 1000, and to prepare.
sign, and propay examine and enter
them involves little clerical labor.
But to pay ever public creditor in this
way would requi, millions of warrants in
stead of thousand, and to avoid such labor
and consequent Ielay moneys are drawn
in bulk upon a -arrant in favor, OF some
disbursing Officer and placed in his hands
to distribute amng the claimants upon
their receipt thesfor. AS guarantee,
however, the Sburser is required to
give bond, win sureties, to the Comp
troller, for the roper disposition of the
money. Althoyh in this way the claim
ant gets his mney without delay, the
Treasury relaxeno vigilance in its scru-
tiny of the pament, and if a voucher
rendered is fouh insufficient in any way,
its amount is diallowed, and the officer,
or his bondsme, must make good any
loss the GovernRnthas sustained through
the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
Of what paments the officers can
properly make, the Auditor is advised
by law, regulatns or by other sources
independent OF the disbursing officer,
and there is no scape from his vigilance.
If payments hae been made to the army,
the Auditor hai been furnished with the
muster-roTs; tito pensioners, with a list
of pension certificates issued; if to con-
tractor for contracting building or a
war vessel, Will a copy of all contracts
and Observation-Disclosures the matter;
and if the disursing officer does not
keep himself eually as we'll Informed as
to the law and equations governing the
disbursement ADDE'S the Auditor, he will
quite likely soR day pay dearly for his
ignorance. Fiery year 6,O0O,OOO OF
these vouchers re received at the Treas
ury, and in cas Of pay-rolls, hundreds
of names are smetimes upon one Vouch-
er. Every itel is, however, subjected
to searching inquiry as to its correct
ness in every rspect, and to avoid posi-
BILE chances of 7rong, the Comptroller as
we'll as the AUDITOR examines the vouch-
ers, thus Duplicating the work; yet every
item is passed q, the circslations neces-
sary are verified and the work completed
in due time BY, section of the clerks per-
tanning to the Treasury.
Then four tines every year the fifty
thousand holdes of the public debt want
the interest dutthem. The Register has
arecord of thes bondholders, where they
live and how ruch each one holds. He
therefore, by th direction of the secre'
tary, sends soedule of them, near the
close of each carter, to the Treasurer
who, by same direction, draws check II
favor of each hlder for the amount due,
payable at theNew York or other Sub
Treasury Office; Then puts the nifty
thousand check into the same number Of
envelopes and sends them by mail to
their respective owners. When PAID,
these checks az returned to the Treas
urer, cancelled, nd he wants credit 1ol
their amount. So he sends them proper
ly listed for tha purpose to the Auditor
to whom the Iegister has already turn
ished a duplicat schedule of their issue
and with this sdedule every check mus
be verified beore the credit asked l:
given. Many & the checks, perhaps ter
thousand, are pid upon powers OF attor
nev TO persons lot named in the schedule
or checks, but tie Auditor has every suct
power on file, and he carefully examines
it to see that nc amount has been wrong
fully paid. On quarters work is hardl.
done before anther comes, and the cease
less routine is rpeated.
Then there are SIS, 900 Postmasters
each one of VIM collects and disburse'
more or less revnue, and 5000 of then
issue and pay mney and postal "-ders
The Postoffice 'evenues are collected b.
the sale of stamps. The Postottice Lie
partment issues .hese stamps to the sever
al Postmasters, notifying the Auditor o
the Treasury of he amount sent to ever!
Office, and this office must see that o
every stamp sod the Government get
the proceeds. The moneys received ar
not turned intothe Treasury like othe
moneys, but are Immediately paid ou
for the salaries md other expenses OF Tn
postal service. Every quarter the fost'