New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-09
KELSEY,S BOOKS ALL RIGHT.
THE SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE FINDS
THAT NO IRREGULARITIES EXIST.
SENATOR sKIRM AND CONTROLLER HANCOCK
DECLARE THAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE
HAS KEPT HIS ACCOUNTS IN AN AID
MIRABI.E MANNER-THEY WILL
so REPORT TO THE
SENATE.

rrsnton n ] Dec (Special). W. II.
sirm to-day gave the result of the examination
If the books of Secretary OF State henry u Messy.
state Controller W. S. Hancock and the Mercer
Senator constituted a special committee 10 examine
the Secretary of States accounts.
The statement OF Senator Skirm VIII propaDly sat
,sfv those who are just now demanding the appoint
-, ~ a snecial Senate committee TO examine the
cacre,arv,s accounts. ~he Senator and Controller
undertook the work at the instance OF the Sehate
Investigating Committee At a meeting OF the sen
ate committee held at the State House on May o. IL
was decided that thorough examination Oh Secre-
,arv Kelsey's books was necessary. The committee
,houcb. the Controller the proper person to make
,ho examination and with Senator Sklrm's assist
onca the work vas begun in july. The Senator ana
Controller examined all the books Tor the SIN years
nror 10 July 1885, taking them from the GATE when
the CORPORATION taxes became an iinp~ 'ah' Item III
The receipts Of the office. Nearly all the clerks oil
49, Co,,rore,,s office and the clerks of the Secre-
arv ~ states office were pressed INFO service to as
slst in the examination.
"a tborough investigation OF al the books was
made by the Controller and myself and 1t VIII be
tor Skrm to-day. The only reason IL mas not Deeh
Submitted TO the Senate investigating committee Is
reports OF the subcommittee appointed. ,.,
Il must say the books OF the secretary Oh S,aie
oN,ca re maryels OF neatness and accuracy. why,
do YOU know We took those books for SIX years
back and went over columns cqlnparhen Eoucnei
thousands of dollars, and when we had completes
our work we found that al errors rooted up 10 900
and some cents. This amount was MADE up Oh a
series OF small and common errors III DOokkeepitB,
and while surprised that any errors at all shoud
nave been discovered, Mr. Kelsey PAID the Soo over
IN the state Controller with his regular July report
When you remember that We mad al. the BOOKS
of the office representing every transaction OF the
Secretary OF State for six years. when we com
pared one with the other and checked on, you can
See the books must have been In most excellent
condition to say that the difference IN them amount
ed to only SIS. 1 don't want you to understand tnat
the errors found were all at one time or all one
wav In one report we found that By adding the
columns and carrying over the totals Mr. Kelsey had
cheated himself out OF so. In another report we
found is cents difference, and in another | noticed
that 81 ~ had not been counted al the bottom OF
column OF course, found these errors by com
pairing each item. .,a. l.,
The system OF issuing corporation certificates In
vogue in Secretary Kelseys office Is most adnira-
bic We examined each stub and checked 1t with
the receipt book When Il certificate had been incor-
rectly drawn and II necessary TO MI out an
other we found the cancelled certificate pinned fast
TO the stub in the book. and an explanation OF why
Ii was the stub. ,,, ,
MIR Kelsey's books" remarked Senator Skirm In
conclusion Il should say considering the great vol
ume Of business transacted, are perfect and snail
report to the committee, 10 the Senate, winch
ever is the proper body to receive the report.