The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-23
Louisiana Purchase Warrant.

A warrant for a still larger sum and a
far more important territory is that COW
ering the Louisiana Purchase, the amount
being $15000,000. This was under the
treaty of 1903.
MANY people have an idea, too" said
Miss Brady. that we paid nothing for
the Philippines. They think we simply
marched in and took the islands and that
that was all there was of it. Nevertheless,
four warrants of $5000.000 each, making
$20,000.000 in all, were paid to Spain. These
warrants were endorsed by Jules Cambon,
the French minister, representing the
government of Spain; this for the reason
that a treaty cannot be entered into by
any country directly with one with which
it is at war"
These various warrants, though can
celled, serve as receipts, and as Miss
Brady announces ominously that in case
of their loss the government might never
able to prove that the moneys We're
paid, she hastily lays them away again
under heavy lock and key.
''And now ! will show you my jewels"
she will tell you, bringing another black
box of ancient cut and time worn decor
alton. Peering at its lid you can family
decipher some fantastic gold lettering,
and you read guessing at it here and
there: Accounts. G. Washington with
the United States. Commencing june
1T5, and ending June, 1888, comprehend
ing a space of eight years"
Inside are three or four battered calf
bound account books. all neatly filed
with debit and credit columns in the
smooth writing of the great American
parent The rounded letters, with their
gracefully curlicued embellishments. and
the beautifully formed, symmetrical fig
ures, are eloquent proof of the painstak-
ing eXactness brought into play in even
the minutiae of his affairs. These ac-
counts We're kept mainly while on the
march, yet they We're brought up from
day to day with the greatest accuracy
and the recapitulation at the end of each
book is detailed and comprehensive. The
accounts cover money of Washington's
own spent for the government and gov
eminent funds expended by him. His
consciousness is shown in n footnote.
calling attention to a particular item
which he appeared to have paid, but for
which he had no receipt. This he de-
Quoted from his own credit until the mat
ter should be definitely settled.
Some curious little differences in book
keeping phraseology are shown in these
books. For instance. the top line of n
column that is carried forward reads
sometimes Brought up" or when he is
very businesslike indeed, "To foot of
other side brought up" Occasionally one
finds brought over from otherside," or
"Contra-credit side' The accounts are
in English money
Equally interesting are the old mileage
books, showing the sums allowed mem
bers of Congress for transportation -
and from Washington. Their travelling
was done on horseback or in stagecoaches
and they were paid SO much a mile by
the government The thirteenth session
of Congress- one of the books reads. and
one of its entries, for 1868 mileage, is re-
ceipted in a faint. uncertain hand, I'D
Webster" A payment was made to Hen
ry Clay of $3.50 for Ill days attendance
Congressman were paid by the day, and
their pay deducted for every day they
were absent. Clay's signature was found
to have been cut from the book when it
was unearthed not long ago from the
musty cupboard where it had lain for
MANY ware