St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1911-02-25

80 - form of receipts,
~ coun IS, a
3 what not, which,
prosaic as they may seem when emu.
merated generically, possess, in a
number Of instances, piquant inter.
est, as throwing sidelights upon the
development and history Of great ma
making.
1t was not until Miss Mary H.
Brady, clerk in the auditors office
Of the treasury, set herself the pleas.
ant task of collecting the more strik-
ing historic documents, which had
Heretofore, been consigned generally
to dust and oblivion, that it was real
lied what would be done in gathering
veritable museum of documentary
curios even in such an unpromisin8
place as an auditors office.
Miss Brady includes among her
quaint documentary treasures the old
mileage books showing the sums al
lowed members of congress in the
early days for transportation to and
from Washington. This travelling was
done on horseback or in stage coach
es, and they were paid so much a
mile by the government. One of the
books covers such items for the thir-
teenth session of congress, and one
of its entries, for 1868 mileage, is re-
ceipted in faint, somewhat unsteady
hand, ID. Webster" A payment was
made to Henry Clay of $3.50 for Ill
days attendance. Congressman were
then paid by the day, and their pay
deducted for every day they were alb
sent.
The quality of the paper used for
these old records Is of very superior
description, and, saving for the edges,
which are somewhat cracked and dis
colored, 1t is still in excellent condi-
ton. Upon holding it to the light the
British royal water mark is disclosed
showing a crown, with the entwined
letters, &C. R." below. the paper being
of English make during the reign Of
George III. Some of these water
marks show the royal coat of arms,
with the crown above it.
AS a usual thing, a Cancelled check
is a mere slip of paper, worthless and
uninteresting. but when its original
value reaches up into the multimil
lions and it covers the purchase of a
country or a state, or Is a record of
some other huge and historic national
or international transaction, it is
worth second glance, even in the sa-
cred interests of curiosity.
There are several such checks, or,
properly speaking, warrants, framed
and glazed in a compartment of Miss
Brady's desk, and they are not curiosi-
ties merely, but are being held by the
government as evidence of payment in
the cases of these mammoth business
transactions. They are warrants for
the payment Of moneys appropriated
by congress, and they date back as
far as 1924, when 100000 was paid to
Lafayette by the United States I'm
consideration of his services in the
war of the revolution" This warrant
is signed by William H. Crawford,
secretary of the treasury, and is re-
ceipted on the back by Lafayette him.
self, in small, neat hand.
One of these warrants Of historic
interest and Importance is that which
gave the emperor of Russia $7,200,0 900
for Alaska, under the treaty of 1857.
This document is worded in an impos-
ing style, commencing: PAY to the
undersigned envoy extraordinary and
minister plenipotentiary Of his males
ty the emperor of all the Russias.''
A far larger and more important
real estate deal on the part of Uncle
Same is represented by the warrant
covering the Louisiana purchase, the
amount being $15,000,OO0. This tran
saction was made under the treaty of
1903. Four warrants, each for $5,000,-
900, represent the s2O,O00,0Oo which
was handed over to Spain for the Phil
ippines.
These warrants we're Endorsed by
Jules Cambon, the French minister,
representing the government of Spain.
this for the reason that a treaty can
not be entered into by any country d.
rectly with a belligerent power.
But in regard to the magnitude OF
the sum of money involved the most
Impressive warrant ever issued by this
government is that paid for the Pana-
ma canal. 1t is simple draft for
SAC, 100000 made out by -. Pierpont
Morgan & Co., special disbursing
agent" through whom it was paid to
the French company. On the back Of
this document are the signatures Of
members of the famous firm. A little
earlier was issued the warrant of the
canal zone, the area of ten miles on
either side of the big ditch.
Although Cancelled and apparently
valueless from an intrinsic point OF
view, these warrants are. in effect,
receipts, and, as their careful custo-
dian observes in case Of their loss,
the government would possess no evil
dence of having disbursed these enor.
nous sums.