Year: 1863

| Why not let the Courts of the State decide
upon the legality of his acts Is the
Legislature afraid 70 let the question uu.
deFgo Judicial investigation The law
presumss a man innocent until found guilty
by some competent tribunal. Will the
Legislature not allow the Auditor this
priVilege2 viii they blacken his chRrac.
ter by resolutions before trial If his acts
turn out to be legal, will the Legislature
not regret its great haste in cOndemning
him 2 The Auditor asks nothing but that
justice be done him. If the Courts de.
eide his acts 70 be illegal, no one will more
speedily make restitution than he will
Why does the Legislature of my native
State grow savage over Q single act of the
Audit0r7 Is he more than man, that be
cannot err 2 He ls but mortal, and like
other men Is liable to err. Are his errors
TO be visited with sudden and severe eAGs-
tiSemeHtsP Why was there not some Of
this milk Of human kindaess interspersed
in hsresoluIions of the LegislatRre2 Why
not try to save an eFring Auditor as
we'll as any other erring citizen p
Does the Legislature consider him
so stepped In crime that there is no re-
demption for him ? or did they rather care
to bLackea him than save him2 The
spirit Of the resolution Of the Legislature
would rather look like disposition on
their part to do that. Why was not some
committee from the Legislature sent to the
Auditor TO advise with him, and apprise
him of the fact that the Legislature had
come to the conclusion that payment for
services to State officers, before the goth
of June, was, in their opinion, improper?
Why was this not done7 Would not that
act have satisfied the Legislature, or could
they find no outlet for their peut up lgTGth
upon the Auditor, except in the resolu-
tions they have passed. do not know
the motives of the members who voted
upon these resolutions; but one thing
am satisfied of--that many who did vote
for them had no motive in that vote TO
injure me. wish could think so OF all
who did vote for them.


Although the law makes the Auditor the
sole judge Of the legality of all demands
against the Treasury, yet in these very
claims that the Legislature has condemned
him for paying, he not only gave to them
his best Judgment, but he sought the ad-
vice of the profoundest lawyers Of the
State, as also the opinion of the Judges Of
the Supreme Court of the State to aid
him. And in each case the Auditor was
sustained After all this care and anxious
desire on part of the Auditor 70 do nothing
in the premises but what would be legal,
uOW uuRluu Ou Suu HAE6 VI bu0 ASGA0t@S"S
to pronounce so harsh judgment against
him, and all this during his absence in a
neighboring State where he was pouring
out his very soul for the preservation of
the Union party. have not written this,
my defense, my countrymen, in anger, hut
in justice to myself. The Legislature by
their resolutions, have arraigned me before
the IaiAhliS-a1d -asat- forAl- TO the world my
condemnation, and have no other
means Of meeting them but in this form
and, to do so, have to pay the publisher
for this, my defense.


For some time the the inVisi5Ee dGTkHeSS
of these resolutions must remain bat the
day is coming when the veil will be raised,
and we shall see who is pure and who is
is not. Time at last sets all things CUeR.-I
If the Legislature would do an act of jus.
tice to the Auditor, 1t would let the people
know that by his faithfulness as their past
Auditor, he in two years paid every debt
that was brought against the State; reduc-
ed the taxes of the people 25 per cent,
and left in the Treasury q surplus of
$225, ,006, This was the fruit of his la
bors, and if my couutrymen of the Legis-
lature would only aid him, better results
than this would follow his labOrs. They
have not done sI up to this time. have
done with the subject for the present. AS
your officer have done nothing that am
ashamed of, nor do fear investigation. If
l have erred in my Judgment no one will
do right sooner than will.


SAMUEL CRANE.