STATE FINANCES..^l*u~^a~ st**bW rrr*WrwH~l ~~ ***~~~*~~^W ~~^^MH'1*^a K~^t~tS^~la'H^ A V IND I C AT ON OF THE MANAGEMENT OF THE STATE FINANCES, BY THfIS REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATION, BEING A REPLY TO THE " MINORITY REPORT" OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE UPON STATI AFFAIRS, SUBMITTED AT THE EXTRA SiSSION OF THE LEGISLATURE1, JAN., 1858. By Chas. V. DeLand. LAN SIN G: PRINTED AT THE REPUBLICAN OFFICE; 1858. T ATE FINANCES There are times when it is eminentiy proper for Legislative bodies to make investigations into the affairs of States and Nations, and by a thorough, careful and truthiful review of history, by close applications of reasoning as to causes and effects, by making honorable and truthful con trasts, arrive at, and oen to the public view the sources of the State or Natoal prosreritt, or the ca-uses of its financial, go ern mental anld po tic 1dera,'ement and embarrassments. When p:rope -rly'1y hones tly c on ducted, investigations of this character always redound to the publi go0d, but when conTfied withLin he liimits of a narrow. and selfish partizans-hip-when.the Statesman and Legislator is'sunk below b. ve 1e rct of te ioemagogue aind political tricklst~er- when v the rYepoorter divests himself of political responsibilty - a.nd pe rsonal idividuality-ad lends hiimseif to th bae ba Znd dishonesT t mnt ichinations of corrupt, and. ibelous associates —when t h i ropot.itseelf is perverted from the legitimate character of a Sta.te paper to tha t of a. falsifying and. malicio0u.s attack upon personal honesty and integrity - suchl i nvestigabios are useful only as an exhibition of thch ractlOer, moral and political aitegrity of the men who -engage -in their.prepaeration, tle serv ility of their pairty ifelings and oli poitical principles, and ithe desperate andi opeess less chaes of th ir political success.: To say tha te do umaent denomoim:ted a R Beport" by the minority of the Special Committee of inve stigation into the Finani-ial Af ti of the State, authorized'by the House, at the late Ex ta Sessi.on of'cur State Legislature, and signed by:E Kanteor7 as o Dne o0 f the Committee, bears. i: all its ifatures thse charatcter1is tics, is amenable in all its parts to su.;eah refiection. s,'is simply reiterating. to all who have heard o-ri read tihat "Report," a patont trunti To dignify it with ani o ther title than an electioneering splurge," would b'e to perert it character and subject_ it to merited ridicunle. To c1l it.a;hi'o'y of the financial af: fiirs or condition of. t S tate^ d b. be. giving currency to-aR-t absurd an Id fhoolis' alekood. It may be proper, iA ti'is con-iection, to reier to the authors of this remarkable L r"I port v6 for bvy mh uidrsigned" as'one of the coimrmittiee',. Enough i. s known of it to establish its patern-it wvt.L sh men as the notorious Dr. Alvord, t e equally notorious and mo re iunscrupulous Thompson, of the Girand Rapids Ezu irer, Griswold, the ostensible aeditor of the Larslns o ning Joa. d others f that ilk, the whole being under tie inmmediate supervision and direction of the lHon. eorg Pee r. Pck. T he m ention of this corps of auethors and politicans is a conclusive answer to the " report " where the authors are known; but lest there might be some misJudcerstandincg, and soml few honest men really think it'was the production of " the undersigned," it is proper to thus state is:parentage, before reviewing some of the osatements of the' report itse';. The opening paragrap!) f the- "e rep ort: s forth with doleful lugubriousness'th.e tgreaft d <1isadvantages which beset "the un d e r ai g is a. socia, es i. ti. a rduous ursuit of knowledge I dg t und,r re t ifficui Lie Th.ey state, though not 7n wo t they'' were den4ed all i] nforma t'i;on from the S tat.e n artmen'. andwr compelled to re'l upon unauthenticated reports,Sj AND'TI = W7N I'...SUES T This insinuationi s is l.pablmy ofal:ese, at:haey we.re afforded the same aid and f'rigures which we el asked and'furnsheA to the majority, it is.turue the m i'onori3 of h3-1.e Coramitt'ee made requests of thle Chairmra - of'he, C ttee, as well as the Stat-e Treasiure' r iv s' and iforr-rmation upo certain matters entirely without scp e of the 0 solut demanding the invest igatio, and.hich hald ot (te most remote bea-i' unon the suobjectl rtttr rei rred t ttrhe O imittee, and of which theure was:,i no sh,adow of n.e. i which reouests were, ourse, an.d p e e f'a " -.ed a'' upon this ref usal to grati:fy p altry pirit of pesonal alignity, and a prompi, rVepulsion o' ie: _ nsolet imputation, by the State Treasurer, is fbir'ded the I c....or- sy.mpt J of th. -- {'s:1,.11'WR Ci` the " undemigiled~' "t il f p atliy th w "report 1 i opened. W en i-@ sys th' gned was obli)geo to go into'te investi Lai sgi - we a re" prone to believe the tru'n o t e in, e'atin consideration of ve weakness ot f r oric f:bit.._.. -o.us' p I es aganst thLme attemjpt of "the undel rine d" to r hs assoc ates before mentioned, of t ahei du p ot of.the I tion of the re port L Tkm Thendersigned" in opening his review of the inairces of thre Sto e, commences with the asse that in the year 1848, "there was i the Tr easlur tie sum of $62,304 45,'wh'ich snam w'a.3 increased in 1854 to half a million of dolars.'" In thi connection "'the undersigned ": omits a very important'lin in the his ory of the State. He is perfectly obliviocus.is to tb.:~ source from which this surplus was Obt-:,dned.:anld ives no explanation whether it was a bona fide su~rplusi, or s8imply a balance of borrowed money, on hand, kep-it onv',? hand by process of "shinning" adopted in the'eal. " history of the Stat6 by his party, and which would do, ciredit to t ohe most experienced street operator in New Yolr or Boston. Had "the undersigned" been disposed -, me:et the issue fairly, he would not have omitted such ain nimportaut.,; link but would have stated the fact that this nmoney was all borrowed, and its appearance in the State Treasury wa.s only an evidence of indebtedness of the State to trhat an"ounr Itt " i a well known fact that the State has but, oneo tul.nd.t.. e generale fuand —and that this fund is anrjd. as s been nban.rpt for the past twenty years. Upon t;his po int the roitoort of the majority well says "AnotSt;hoer s ourc e ao tfe' oarge, surplus in the Treasury, was th,.e s-ysttem amdoct:;ed ixn r.elation to our ~Trust Funds, by,wvhio: h tle ri'. nc ipal wa:s loaned to the Sta e as fast as rece-i've, ti:..'.md oued for the payment of& car ent expenses or A lliis,ibii'".~,-..:'catsies.'' ao And it i's-. evident a:i; rt si- ht that a balance of that 0charact e'r, and so o Abtained, insiead of being an evidence of State prosperity;nd financial strength, is a direct admission 0and al innswerable airg'ment to the contrary. A care fu search into the/facs would have revealed to "the undersigned this truth tnhat in addition to the enormous debt entailed upon the State ov the recklessness and extravagance of the Democratic party, amounting-, in 1854, to over t o millions of dollars, the State, under this Democratic policy, had also borrowed from othei sources, to pay its current expenses, the snug little sum of eight hundred thousand dollars. Now, granting all that "the undersigned" claims when he says the Republicans found this surplus of over half a million in the State Treasury, to be true, did not common justice and candor call upon him to acknowledge that it was. like all other. "Democratic" thunder, "borrowed caital" afund upon which the State was compelled to pay an enormous iterest, the lowest rates being seven per cent. per annun-thus making, as every intelligent man may see at a, glance, this boasted surplus, really and practically a direct tax upon the people to the amount of the interest, while the money was lying 6 idle in the TreasuryT useful only in an electioneeering extremity-an idle boast that there was "plenty of cash in the State Treasury." A like policy rursued in the transaction of individual busineis, would subject the person pursuing it. to serious imputat ion. a nid suech. an explIanatio-I to creditors or t1he public by a, btusiness ma' - n, eoupled with the claim tht his s borrowetd ione shouald be reckoned as a portion of his boa mide capital (ir aeit' var,. iablt to Lji general credits, would inspire serious doubts either of' honesty or sanity, a:nd perhaps f both. It is plain, then, that althoug'h tiThe )lemocrats left a: siu)rplus in the. Treasury, it was jonly. fi ctlitous surpius -- surplus, each dollar of whicj; adwded rea. 8lly t. g'saare per centage to the actual1 inldebtsdness of' the Si'te, e The sum. thus borrowed from the Trust FP ds y te S ate U as, a before-stated, dabout eigh hunaldrecd:'iosand dollars. of the principal of which near is.ree ndre.d thO.sa "d dollars had been expended to 1pa-y t o'di,f/g exa 6cpenses o0/ State governmente, leaving a, sur-iTs of about five hac -n ed thousand dollars. We'v.ta)e a sse'rtled t'fh.ia-, tlthis suorpols instead of being an advantage -o t the Stalte was a detriment. To prove this, we have only to aipend a ot short sttement of the receipts and expendtnures oii'c,ese Ts rust; Fuids:r' the past sixyears. Tt.w ill be:,L Troper tso,fe mari k ior a tfill understanding of h t tabl tbi. thht b'he -ais upon'wiLch the loaning of these Trust Funds -wers establisahed, carried with it the credits or pr t of t"he iunds, w ch also serves largely, to increas te te expenditures of'.the State, uand adds each years' accum.ulat; ingn-tereest ito the total of' the sums thus loaned. It appears:roa the;w f- gures Osubnmitted by the majority of the commil;t,-ee thaGt ths Specses ofs the Sate indebtedness is inctreasing' wit astoshiBg rapidaity, and it would be an absolute ij usat ie -to ithe Deimocratic party and "the undersigned," did we omit. to expose this pec'uliarly beneficial result of their fiancial economy, entailed upon the State in the loaning of their Trust Funds. The following table exhibits the receipts for interests, forfeitures, &c., on the entire proceeds of the borrowed funds which accrued to their credit during each year for the list six years, also, the interest which the State pays for te use of these Funds. for the same period: YEARS Receipts. Expendi'ure. 18...........>...50,13 1 $1 7:, 7t 40 1853.......................ts, 65 735 89 1isae,.............59,889 5. 120,383 31 Total expenditures,..................255,443 60 Total receipts,................. 66,274 47 Excess of expenditures over receipts,..$ 89,169 13 a1855,........................ 1,::,666 75 $127 542 61 1856,................1 83.333 05 146.542 26 1857,........... 049 J16 153,011 20 T!otal expenditures,................. 42096 07 Ttal rece ipts,....... o................ 249,048 66 EXcess of expenditures over receipts,..$178,047 Il Exces of DemociratiC yiears,.......... 89,169 3 $267,216 2 4 Thus it will be seen that upon this item alone during t a six th las ers, is shinin?, po )licy of the Democratic prt s cost he St ate a dit,'ect 7los.s of. $267,2 16 24, or an average ojf 44,534 83 per a-nnum of 3.-tilt inmias ed indebtedness u pon thie interesl't accoun t of the['Itrust: Funlds alone!' By addi. tiss osI on the t:. terett itud to the prin'cipal of the Trust Funids borrowei a-d ad expended, it willT be een i.a th.t his species of indebtedness entailed(` in pursuance of ithe wvise and economical policy o6f Governors Barry antd Felch." hasl burdened the pecople of the State witfi tha d eb.t. of over. one million two'-Ji:ind /ed thoutsanrd dol-:s; in:i addition to the balance of t:oi — illion, s and over due upor- thei five. million loan-thus mulkinlg the borntiiiTde indebtedness o' the State something over three mi/ioIv,o;,s o/ doa,', als, al directly traceable. to and..chargable: upon the reckless, slhort-sighted rand extraord inary fnanciil poli.cy of thirsDem cratic part y.-"- Iit any Wn, oder tt."the; - dersyiged- -- is ao t-taiilyi obhivioiis toa the'e ei: 1 t f fas f our:fiWicl'el hiastory'e and snlurs over all Mths iTo porta tanif m-n stiridtive portioli witih'te blan d aid fitterin% g re-nark':'hit vh:n' the Democra tic -pafty went' otit of powser,'they;'left leave a su',pls of debts, and a never-endhg l;gacy'of'accnmulating interest, which the people will soon be called upon to pay i. the shape of a direct tax, which over 8 shadows that little,strplt,8 as the towering Himmalay va:r peak overshadows the diminutive mole-hills at their base. But we pass on to that portion of the "report whi-ch alludes to the expenditures of thle State G-overiniment. "The undersigned "' says "The expenditures durizn tio-iSe eve. i yvi teaUr of the Democratic administratimon were lannially fron 83i 91 47 the lowest, in 1848, to $449,355 40, the -large t, iv i 11 850." And here wre ask careful attention to the figures 4of ",the undersigned," and toa we we hall q-ote. Th;" epoit s':a", that in 1848, Uhe lowest year t or.f De.2o4'a/,i,'rid, qthe expenT3.itures were on,491 4 while t e: oiiScial rep ort ot f the State Treasurer for tha, year sl.o-w'\ the expenditures to have been S404,426 35-evidentllI showgA, m istake in "the undersigmned" o'f,32,934 88. The r report" al.so says that in 1850, the ltargest ye"' of Democratic rule, the expenditures were 8449,355 40, while, he o. cii figures s.re $449,451 54, showing' a mistake o''"the nndersigned" to the small sum of $106 14. Wea adduce thc e figures and make the correctioins, not because they- are necessary to the argument we intend to pursue on this head, but simply to show how little "tAhe undcersignaedA knows about arithmetic, and how utterly incompetent such Democrats are to make a fair, liberal aInd honest i.nvestig'atio n, or even to tell the truth. Much ado is made by ": t'he undersigned in his'report about the increased expenditures of the three years of' Republican rule,.over the last three years of Democratic rule of the Sta-te. "The undersignsed estir;lmaes this excess as follows: Rep. years. Lem. years. Excess. 1855 over 1852,......................15,432 48 1856 " 1853,...................... 190,523 66 1857 " 1854....................... 230,623 9 Total excess,................596,569 93 Were these figures true, we should be well pleased to let them stand as they are, but we would not deal unjustly, even with "the undersigned," and hence, though probably unfortunate for the Republican party, we will correct the misstatements of the nminority "report," by givin-g the following oftiaicl figures for the expenditut es of the si-x years metntioned: Years D bem. expenditures. l Years. Rep. expenditTres. Rep *excess. 1852,....1421,918 971 1855,....l24,777 88 $260,858 91 1853,..... 396,449 3:1 1856... 639,879 06 243,430 67 1854,.... 433,469 57 1857,... 679,976 19 246,509 62 1,25)1,837 93 -1,94-4,636 1.' 692,799 20 Estinliated exces oif "th1 nunlde sig 1ed,".. 96,569 93 In which " the ulndersiglnedl fials h.ort,... S96,229 27 In this coinneetiol. it, is proper ior t' i t. ioe tie extraordinary expenses which 1 have been m1ade duringl the last th.ree years, over:an above the expenditures of the like clharacte for ior th thre preceding veears of Demnocr-ati rule, which we p reent in. t-he toliowing table: Eif''xcess. of', l,'pen.(t./ fo 1.8.55, 56 and'57, over the Pyearls 1852, 53 and "54, v, the sfa.,me- iteis, as fbollowts: Interest on Statle ebt, funded,.......,....$ 88,377 62 Interest on Trust Funds loaned by the State, 88,877 98 Paid on State debt,..................... 147,035 34 Compilation of the Laws,.........24,874 08 Building bridges and other improvements at Lansing, authorized by acts of Legislature,. 15,159 96 Excess of appropriations to public works in 1855,'56 and'57, over same objects for 1852,'53 and'54,............................ 314,175 31 lliowtances of Demiocrastic. Board of Auditors a.nd expenses of Stat;e governmentt in Dec. 1854, cha6rged to fisea.l yea- of 1855,........ 83,962 71 1762,463 00 Total excess of expenditures for 1855,'56 and'57. over those of 1852,'53 and'54..... 692,799 20 Showinog, decrease in the actual current expenses of the State government in the last 3 yeairs over the preceding 3 years of...... $69,674 80 Being an actual saving to the people, in the current expenses of each of the three years of Republican administration of TWENTY-THREE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FOUR DOLLARS AND NINETY-THREE CENTS I1 ($23,224 93!) To Cwhich sihould be adtded $60,000 of interest paid upon the surplus revenue by the Republican Administration, more than was paid during the seven years of Democratic ruie, a&nd you.l have. an al nnnal g ain aid saving' o tthee State nnder e._ 6publiean. rule of' 43,324 93, or "1:29,074 80:fr the t,hree years of'B epublican. rule s-av i the ordirnarY expenses of thle -overimnenlt, lit- greatIv beh ooves, -xio geintlemen who compiled that "r ort? to prate about economy, when a, plain an dfanir showingg of the figures indicate that, had the same systemn of economry, existed in the expenditur es of the genera. fiund, under the Democratic administrations that has existed and beeaz, practiced by the pressen: Republican Adlministration, the State would' have been saved its entire indebtedness, ad the eople op leow haveibeen entirely free fronm'taxation. In regard to the i-temis mentioned in the above table, it is proper to remarlk that they were vmainly of that necesSary. and,-unavoidable -character which forbade t-he interposition.ofany.pleof; c o pol i o p tical considerat-.ion. The credit and standing of the State at home and abroad required the paymenent of the Bonds and t.he interest, while the. ppropriations for the State Asylums, Prison, Nomal S'chooQ. &c., were equally necessary -to the prosperity, efficiency' and''ai tte nice: of' thise in:sttiuttions.: But we.hall stpeak'rpore pa.rtciarly of these s'abects.in another pl'ace. And now;.we e cm t ithe veriable "macres est- ot the'eport' and its truly a wonderful discovery! i.r The undersigned.d and his' associ-ate openh their e yes tide wi. th well-feignedl astonishment, when they found that the expeses of'the State:.for printing, pper, &c., in the last three ears', iare increased, somewhat, -Tver those items for previca.e years. Strange, indeed.'when the business of every idepartmaenthas nearly doubled —some, a-:. the Land O ffi-e -and Superiitendent: off Public Instructi'on, quadrupled-that Plithe expense for stationery and postage should increase in. a like ratio! nd in addition to this nat-ural increase of biusines ini"he;off C the: enltire es stof the ne ompitin.of:the:.aw:. f the' Sta tei o ha iged into the current exoenses of the slast -v-. n. nplumpg" all tlSges:e s': t:gtP'her,:th'i.s f imahr,::he -inde-rined" w:_::S:: h::'m:re in n::. h t,: h' n:o'. t- it a ordid ti a ei clhie;nt: opprtuntKt;io:awa. ie: with1 ittle iha4 hh 6tech 1,` ( -11S&" rfi jC at1i iit' eck,. tH Ocrtainly, as the AudtiB;so: stho wa- s:lonie what- failiar it-::- W.:.::d&"e n'tend':-j, to -an'w: e i l aqth-e little::rges i:dota^ b- shll':t ta c- i eke (e:SI - I-:' fti tu e& to eoTntrast ite;m b tlu-;n$ 11 i ewse. ('i-th OAt;i ei er 11 the present Administration with those of its predecessors. But to illustrate we will give the totals of the bills for stationery for two years iand see how they compare with each other. The Democratic Boarl of Auditors allowed, in 1854, for stationery, gold pens,';super royal" at $28!! per ream, &c., for the use of the State Departments, the um of.................................. 5,679 18 The Republican Bloaird of Auditors allowed in 1857, for stationery, gold pens, super royal, at $26 per ream. &ct. the sum of.............. 4,176 91 Showilrn g a aving by the Republican Administration, in 185T' 7rver the Democratic allowances lor 1854, of............ $. 502 27 in the item of st ationerv alone, and this, too, notwithstanding the current busIiness of the Government had nearly doubled in the intervening years. And a comparisonof;all the other expenses of the State offices, with the single exception, perhaps, of postage, would show the same. relative saving to the Sta te. Of course, as the current business and correspondence of the State Departments, inclusive with our natural: growth of population, orga ization of new towns aIind counties, &c.; ti;he postage and stationery accounts should. present-X a corres-ondhng increase in:their amounts. As to the "hundreds of reams of printing paper at 10 75 per retam,' itis proper to sa- that thls was used for the new romnpilatioi of laws, a work of over 1,-00 pages, of whichl 10,000 copies were.ordered printed. The next point mnde in ithe ireport, is in reference to traveling expenses of State, oficersS "extra clerk -lre," &c. Upon this point" the undersigned' says: "A large increase, however, is experienced in -the State Department in the pa-yment of.extra clerks, extra comnpensation to State -officers, and traeling:expeses of State officers and their clerks, by which, under thplea of'on official business,' the Treasry ha-s been pilfered:to a large extent. The undersigned belieyes that, as those -ofqers are liberally paid' by the:St'te o-r- their sirvices, it is the duty of-the Board of -State:.Auditors -to scrutinigze clely and -thoroughly the- characrter an.,d- epo ctiet s os fsaLch. accounts-before..auditing "the- ame, a. d to rejeot-any clim of a dubious character. —. ^ - - - In this connection, and to prove this bold assertiqnpwever, the- report omit-s ali-reference to figures. - BPerhaps this is well, as we:har.alre-adwthown.the tot-l rhor:ct 12 ness of eery table or computatio:nt made by, tLhue, liel - signed." But in this nmatter there were undoubtedMv prildential motives for rtelying upon asse.rtionsr and a(voiding comparisons. We have taken the trouble to examine into this matter carefully, and present the following figures, compiled irom the Reports of the Statel Auditors for 1854 and 1 857, showing the relative economyi of Democratie and Republican traveling expenses: In 1854, the Democratic Board allowed to th e different State officers, clerks, &c., for traveling expenses, $1,011 0O In 1857, the Republican Board allowed travelingp expenses,..~.............. 7J 67 Showming a decline in such expenses of........ 8304 4E instead of, as the "repo.rt' says, "a iar.,e increase of such expenses.' We also find by tha- i-t -report that the samne Demuoc-ra -tic Board of Auditors allowed to sundTry individu-aw-s,a'd a-S extra clerk hire, atttor-neyv fs. &e.., fi;r the sinole -vear o-: 1854, the sum of............................. 6,44 8 79 The Republican Board,lowed, in 1857, (in cluding $950, expenses in prosecuting the claiimn against the Phoenix Bank,) the sum of........ 775 Being a decrease in this class of expenditlures for 1857, over the year 1854, of................ 3,673 41. Add to this the above sumn of................ 304 43 And we have a decrease in this class of expenses for 1857, over the year 1854, of.........3,977 84 instead of the "large increase," which "the undersig'ned' prates so flippantly about in his most absurd and untruthful "Minority Report." Will not the people reject with scorn the political tricksters and unscrupulous liars who attempt to deceive them with such statements. One of the "notorious allowances" alluded to in the "report" of "the undersigned" is to Jonas H. Titus, for a journey to Pittsburg, of which he says: "Upon information on the subject, I am convinced that the object of the journey was of a mere political character-that of attending the Republic an Convention at Pittsburg —than the design of acquiring infonrmation in regard to the solitary cell system of the State Prison there." When the reader is told that Mr. Titus made this journey nearly a year before the assembling of' the Pittsburg' 18 Convention, therie will be no necessity of any flurther aliiusion to this matter. Another of the " extraordinary llowances" which "the undersigned dcigs up, is one of i,474 81 for fitting up the Legislative Hall for the use of the Legislature. The Democratic Board of Auditlors in 854, allowed $3,055 00, or $1,580 19 more than the Republicans paid for the same purpose, allowing the figures of the minority to be correct. And while speaking of this class of expenses, we would respectfully remind " the undersigned " that his party paid the snug little sum of $1,000 45 for carpets for the State offices, purchased chairs at $20 each, and paid $7 50 for cushions which could be purchased any where for from $2 50 to $3 00 each. We suppose it was no part of the intention of the "undersigned" to mention these little allowances, but as they are extremely pertitent in this conection we must be excused for int roducing them. The "report" next charges Hon. S. B. Treadweli with falsehood in paying Charles J. Harvey $150 00 for services as follows: "By reference to a communication of Hon. S. SB. Treadwell, the Commissioner of the State Land Office, published in the House Journal of 1857, dated February 11th, 1857, the undersigned learns that, notwithstanding the assurances of that gentleman that the State had assumed no liability and incurred no expense by the appointment of a tresspass agent for the Upper Peninsula, the sum of $150 has been paid to Mr. C. J. Harvey for services, and audited by the Board of State Auditors. The undersigned respectfully recommends an investigation of this affair. We will save''the undersigned'" the trouble of investigation by stating that although the sum mentioned was paid to Mr. Harvey, it was paid to him as an agent for other parties, as the vouchers will show, and not for services as timber agent; neither has Harvey or any other person (since the days of C. J. Fox,) been paid out of the State Treasury, for any such services. The next paragraph of the "report' reads as follows: " in the Annual Report of the Board of State Auditors of 1855, the undersigned finds a claim allowed for $408 80, to K. S. Bingham, Whitney Jones and Silas M. Holmes, for traveling expenses and attendance to Saut Ste Mary, which was a most injudicious and unwarranted disbursement of the public funds, as this expenditure was not based upon any Legislative act and authority. We will not dispute the allowance of this sum to the persons mentioned, nor the:propriety of:ltch allowanee, but to show that this - wa.s a i?.dicious'and wa krante,?'. "disbursement of the canal fi.nds',-; arid. th-eat the expelndilture was ba- edu-pon a-"' Lea:iSlatirve: tao:and: autlhority:- we beg leaive -to refer-. thie unniderga..ed to a-ct No- 1 of the Session Laws:of185-5. see- -:w-hich r;e'ds.is.folows-:'"Sec.:;4'.l-t:.siha: be'the daut y..ot said Bo'ard-f contro to make-from t tire:t me,. se ra ias and.regalatiorns s they may deem necess ar for th e benefit and asefu-lness;of said canal; &c. " -The M.embers of tihe said -Board-of Control shall. eaca reecl ve. su ch.co pensation' for necessary services ingoi-ngl to ad from, mtl ins specting-z such canal as shall be alowed by th-..Board l Auaitots of is State. not exceeding the: mila;g e: an i d-er:diem. now p'aiid iembers of the Legislatm-e f-t %t:s Stat&e,. c d t.-,n td.-.t- frstsecti:on of this-. act, designates tihe Go-i L. os r AVuditor-.GeTral: iand Treasurer as the persons w}ho - hall constit ute such Bo-rd of 0Controi.. Thlus it will. bees:e th-:t his Ya1owanc:- lis ditinctty and expressly authorized by la,1w, and instead of having' been paid from the i-tate- Tr easury it'wxas- paid wut- of the;-'Canal Fund," which. is. a, se.parate a.nd distinct:-fnd, created. expressly to: deti ay.rhef exense8. of ope'irati-. aldtng- 8'-: caatt and appropariabie'.to.-.io:. athe.r:pr-1 pose., In this connlectian: w& desire to-mel:tion:-butri e' aoe of the item ialluded.to in.the "..minority report,"-:'as, -follows: "'Another claimB of'i50:, tor the transla.tioin f thoe Governor's Message into the Chippewa angu age;w was -of -no'material utility, as not a sin:gle copy of said-translatigm- has-ever come to light,, a4 not one has ev i'reached thosl:ocalities in the northern portions of. the St te,-where those meissages were intended -to be distributedd. In.introducing this item we donot inttnd-:'to j'ustify the necessity of it, bu't only to- say:that'the translat6ioinwas ordered by the Legislature upon.the motion,.1 ad -at ithe urgent solicitation of. Hon. -Aberl Shermaan the:'De-moecratic member from the Chippewa'.co untry; that' i:t, "'va:Ade and printed, and oa copy of it is A-now'i —iosession of: the writer of this article.- -Had- we any desire to establish the usefulness- of this translation:- w: mig p -robbl, copare it to:a translation made. by'the-undersignd'" imselti 1853,;of the' messageOf a D', mortic Gomi' -noiothe-records and v.oucherIr:s f hicha on for ihw- o le he Stae- Departmentl- which we-opy: as-folws, for the sollai di.only proper use, benefit and b.t-of tf..e &id"' 15 "$TATr 0 1 MJIC.1AN, 158'; To'-E'.DWSD — KN:TERB -DR. JAs'yl.^ ^. 1 txanti;Lti;n of the; Govenoer's Alioal isst'ge into:'tb e:Germla:-;L'gn:e 17 57'-00(3?..' o y.ic,:hr is:endorsed. as- fo-lo:;:io;. Car: aicat 50 i: -00,: -Fe 1, 185 3. Bpt it. eems it-lis translation- was incorrect, and:seiess. fo i -the sme:-e. ud;. of vouchers we -fnd n other,' which reads-as follow-s: "STATE OF - MICHIGAN, 1853. To: DR.' RULOLPH, DR Jan. For re-t'rac slatio n -of: Mr. Kanter's translation of _the Governor's Anncual:.Message,... $ 00" which is endorsed, —" altowed cand aid Feb. 11th, 1853' — being the:sme.day on -whic Mr.:Kanter's original tra;nslation was allowed and paid, T',is..: Dr.-Rudolph' was:at the date of the be ab interesting documents the proprietor of a Democratic German' paper in-the city of Detroit, and:wa.s allowed for "composition. on. this same message at the rate of $1 76 per' one thousand - ems; or- more- than double- the usual price! While " the undersigned' was pursuing-his investigation, it would-have been. quite.-as wetl to have: given the public some light in reference:to the above transactions asto' have c0fined his: investigations to. the, propriety' or:- sefuiness of the:' Cippewa translation,'. -Perhaps, also,.he might be-induced to-. employ some competent person -to correoet the-blunders.in his:' minorityreport:," though e hal insist(from- p.ersonal. experience,);that the sum paid for the: job -be something more than forty dollars In reference to the general policy: ofthe large: appropriations to the public. -works.of the-State by the Legisla: tures of 1855 and- 1857, -we: think there-can be no. doubt. The people -uniformly, and: almost unanimously, approve them..It is known that when the -Republicans- came into power a large and expensive class of public and charitable institutions were.. upon- their hands, none of which were completed,.and but two of which were in operation-.:These public works were the offspring of Democratic policy, and although:w. heartily commend the.:-obj:ects of their establishment, and believe their-speedy completion to be neessary to the general-good and credit of the:State, yet we cannobt regret bthat- they -wetrefounded and beguniiin dimiensions and:atan:ultimate cost -far beyond any nfecessity, as well as the present abilityiof theState to complete. In, fauh.n-oiun,h -se;itti' n.sfht.. same rc4les': and: n tempered spirit of extravagance which actuated and pervaded the Democratic party in contracting the old "Five Million Loan, and entering luon a gigantic scheme of internal improvement, wa: tobstered, and:all the dictates of caution and prudence piuhel( aside, that free scope might be given to the g'reed.-y ambition of the: camp followers" and speculllttors oi- the pa:rty. I was aq question, not of policy, but of econloln Wit. tie Repiblican, whether they should malke 3t C'oi n:.'ed;n. srccess-ull e ffor-t for the inal. coInompletj TioIr i' -hse il'mmense \wol'ks, thus thrown upon their han( d l;, tm'! to tdra..:;ilor,' unfinished, untenanted, i acti cai_ sees: t}o tr Str te andei the objects contempla.ted i a- eommenen t-l.?eyec' c,,',e.(::Cel.nt.' i(f.e.', have -'v.-re in these ap,,prc:,opria::, tioX s it, it'im'mpiv (an error in judgment, to w\hiiht. 11 a:l.:me't' ltiable- e; 1 evien this cannot be conceded. It is a well ktiowl.t,- t i when the R epnubhican cat, tme into power-, 11 t e 1buildigts we:e in t ruinous,and dilapidated sta:. T hc. l.We A.vum frn the B f)eai aand D 7umb and Blind Nwu:.a-,t1 -ldt -) A^ood? n ieneoe:!aLt,I dest'i to Ot' deeOit accomnmodatio.: an.:,.mai!v 4i' t]he absoiluta iiecessary conveniences bro it- s1.cI.cest; i opt'lion. Tth State Prison was minus largelg iIn thOe necesav number of cells its roofs were iottbenn antd ready to tumble down; it had no dining-rooms, hospitals, s-oiitary cells, or female departments, but was a conglormerated mass of reeking filth, disease, and iiturn. Trhe I -m;tn-ae \Asylum ait Katalamazoo presented onlyi a haue p1il of unfinisheld, uncovered walls; the meagre appropriationts made by the Democratic Legislature for each yeat, hardly sufficing to repair the.damaging effects of each succeeding winter, with no hope or prospect of ultimate completionl or usofeuiness. Such were the inducements and circumstances that imapelled the Republicans to increase their appropriations in the hope of putting all these( intitutions into successful and speedy operation, and eflectirng an ultimate saving' of thousands, perhaps millions, of the people's moniey-a result which, with the single exception lof the Insane Asylum, has been already accomplished. It is not at all remarkable that " the undersigned," after making the condemanation of t:he attempt of the Republii can administration to complete, enlarge and carry out the designs of our public w'orks and charitazble institutions one of his strong points, should attempt to find fault witj the management and expenditures of each. Beginning with the State Prison, " the undersigned "says "A comparative statement in the expenses for the stipport of the State Prison, show an aggregate of about $26,000 for any three years during the Democratic administration, while the expenditure for 1857, charged in-the-Gen, eral Fund account for that purpose, is $25,000 for that single year, with an additional estimate of 125,000 -for 1858. This three-fold increase on the expenditure of any year prior to 1855, is so much more noticeable, when we consider the greatly enhanced prices obtained for manual labor of the convicts, which had increased during the last three years from 31 to 56 cents per day, thereby making a difference in favor of the State of about $14,000 per annum, which, by a prudent economical management, should have made it long ago, n self-paying i. nstitution." The peculiar, unparalleled and unwarranted fatality which pertains to the former figures of " the utndersigned" is also manxifest here. A comparison of the reports and expenses of the prison for the years 1.852-3 and 4, showr a aggregate expenditure over and above all receipts of 31,000 instead, of $26,000, as' asrtedt by.the " -report," being a difference of only 8e5,000. And in regard 1to the increased average expendtitures of the State Prison, a comparison of the reports of different and successive years will show that this increase is considerably below -the ratio of the increase of the number of inmates; and the varying prices of provisions and other expenses for the maintenance of the convicts. ThIat we ma are m) ar more definitely at the facts in the case, we propose to contrastt a few figures showing the increased dem. nds upon, as well a3s expenses of the institution: By the report of the Inspeoct;ors lobr 1854, we find that there were in th-e Pri.son on the 30th day of December of that year,...................... 246 convict. Nov. 30, 1857, there wee i.w in pr isont,........411 Increase in86,....... 185,..65 " The daily average number of convicts in the prison during the year 1857, was..7........... s8.8-10ths, Daily average nuMmber for 1854,.......,... 219.1-10th. Increase, C....................... 159.7-10ths. When we take into account this large increase in the number of convicts, the increased price of provisions duringtthe last three years, over the three preceding, and the fact that, on an average, 135 of this number have been 2 18 employed by the State, upon the new building. in the yard, making clothes for convicts, cooking, in the female and solitary departments, and in the hospital, and of course from whose labor no direct revenue was derived, this increase is readily and properly accounted for. In 1854, the total number thus employed, and who produced po revenue, was only thirty-four. With this small number of convicts, nearly all of whom were employed upon contracts at the same rates received during nearly the whole of last year, with flour, meat and vegetables at least one-fourth cheaper, with a less number of guards and other officers, the expenses in 1854 amounted to $29,133 89. In 1857, with almost double the amount of prisoners, over one-third of whom produced no revenue, but were a direct tax upon the State, a larger number of officers, and greatly enhanced prices for provisions, the total expenses of the prison were only.................................. $50,203 16 From this deduct amount due from contractors, 9,562 78 Leaving the actual cost of operating and maintaining the Institution at... $4.. 0,640 38 Being an increase in the expenses of maintaining that Institution in 1857, over 1854, of less than one-third, instead of, as "the undersigned" asserts, a " three-fold " increase of its expenditures. It is also proper to remark here in regard to the "greatly enhanced prices obtained for manual labor of convicts," which, it is asserted, has "increased during the last three years from 31 to 56 cents per day," is a perversion of the facts in the case —as at the time of making the annual report of the Prison, Nov. 30th, 1857 —but one of the new contracts had been entered into-that for constructing wagons, &c.,-which went into effect on the 1st of June previous-the others taking effect in the month of December last; and one, the "tool contract"-by far the largest in the Prison-not taking effect until the first of May next. It was undoubtedly the intention of "the undersigned" to deceive the people in reference to these facts, as he has evidently attempted to do in all his other statements and figures. The same desperate fatality pervades the statements of "the undersigned" relative to the House of Correction. He says: "I find, upon investigation, that, including the amount obtained for manual labor of the convicts, nearly $19,000 have been consumed by that institution during the last year, to support an average of thirty boys and girls-being an average expense of nearly $650 per annum for each of the inmates. The details of their expense for clothing, shoes, provisions, &c., will at a glance account for the high figures of the aggregate expense." The annual report of the Board of Control of the House of Correction, shows the whole amount of expenditures made by said Board during the year 185T, to have been $12,923 74, instead of $19,000 00, as the "report" asserts; showing a variation from the facts of $6,076 26. Of this sum of $12,923 74, the official report of the Board shows the actual cost of maintainance of the inmates to have been,...................................$6,376 98 Amount earned by inmates during the year,... 468 05 Showing balance dlrawn from the Treasury,. $5,998 93 Which divided by 30, the average number of inmates, gives as the cost to the State of the maintenance of each, the sum of $196 961, instead of $650 each, as is asserted by "the undersigned." The balance of the whole amount expended was appropriated to building purposes, improvements, repairs, &c., and is not, in any proper light to be charged into the cost of maintaining the inmates of the institution. In this connection "the undersigned" insinuates some flagrant wrong-doing in the allowance to Whitney Jones, Auditor General, in the settlement of his claim for land used for the site of the House of Correction. In this matter his version is partly true, as Mr. Jones was allowed $600 for his premises used therefor; but vouchers on file show that in arranging the site for the buildings, it was necessary that some other lands should be purchased, and at the urgent solicitation of citizens of Lansing, Colonel Jones obligated himself to pay a considerable larger sum than that allowed by the Board. After re-deeding the land to the State, or so much as was needed, Col. Jones was paid a fair and just equivalent for the lands used, the remaining portion of which he now owns or is obliged to pay for. A full record of the whole transaction appears upon the books of the Auditor, a reference to which would have saved "the undersigned" the necessity of this foul and unprovoked attack upon a candid and faithful public officer; one to whom "the undersigned'has frequently acknowledged himself indebted for favors, and whom he has often alluded to as a high-minded and courteous gentleman —a distinction we fear "the undersigned^, in view of these assertions, cannot claim. 20 The attack upon the Agricultural College comes with bad grace from a member of a party which incorporated into the Constitution of' the State, a provision requiring its erection. In reference to it, we can only say that it was undertaken as an experimnent; and that having proven itself useful and successful, other States are now preparing to follow the example we have set them, by forming similar institutions. As to its cost, Nwhen compared with the difficulties to be overcome, it haa been founded, put into operation, and achieved a reputation'as as, successful and useful educational institution, at a less expense than any other College of like capacities, extent and conveniences, in the world. The next position which i e shall notice is relative to the "comparative statement of the assessment of State taxes." Upon this head "the undersigned' very complacntly says, such a comparison "can hardly be arrived at with any certainty and correctness," and ihe remark is a just one, as his previous abortive attempts a t figuring have undoubtedly convinced the reader. The statement of the "report," that the State tax suddenly fell off from -an annual average of $116,5719, or the years 1848,'49,'50, 51, and'52, to only $10,000 in 1853, and was only $30,000 in 1854, making "only $40,000 taxation for two years," will undoubtedly excite some surprise on the part of those who have not given the subject a fiull examination. These figures alone would imply that the " Democratic " administration had suddenly so economized the expenses of our government that taxation would have been entirely done away with, if it could have been permitted to hold the reins another term. Aye, more. Another two years, with a like economical stride, there would have been a surplus of receipts, with no taxation whatever, to distribute among the people But the truth is, the expenses of government were about the same as they were in previous years; and at the same time, our "State institutions" were suffered to decay for the want of necessary repairs. But where did the money come from to pay the expenses of government? The records furnish an answer to this question. The Trust Funds were resorted to, and expended. To overthrow the sophistry, the quibbling attempt to dodge the whole truth of the question by "the undersigned," we can do no better than to quote a few paragraphs from the majority report, as follows: C(om)parative Statme',ne/t f' St;te Tax,./ioin 1 -48 to 1857, i. cti's'tve 10 yeao/re. YERA R Per cent in mills. 1848,........... $ 29,908,769 Oe $150,719 00 5.04 1849........... 28,999,202 00 102,406 00 3.53 1850,... 29,384,270 00 113,768 00 3.87 185,.. 30,976,270 00 106.000 00 3.42 1852,......... 30.976,270 00 110,000 o0 3.55 1853,.......... 120,362,474 00 10,000 00j 0.08 1854....... 120,362,474 00 30,000 00 0.25 Total,..... 90,969,72900 622,892 00 1.59 1855,.....120,32,47 4 001 $40,000 00 0.33 1856,......... t 37 1,63,009 0 i; 65.0000 0 0.47 1857,...... 137,663,009 00 85,000 00 0.61 Total,. 5... S688,492 0;0 00 9 00 0.47 Average valuation, ifor rst seven years,.......15,852,818 State tax, per year................. 8,964 rate uer cent., or mills per dollar, I 1 mills. For thb seconld period of three years: Average valuatiion for three years,........ 131,896,164 " Sta!te tax per yea................. 63,335 ~" rate per cent., or mills per dollar, 47-100 of a mill. During the first period of seven years, from 1848 to 1854, minlusive, the total valuation of property fior the whole period, was...................e D.O...$390,969,929 The total amount of State tax assessed,...... t622,892 And the average rate eeir dollar, i mIills. During the first three years of the present administra tion, the total assessed value of property in the State was.................. $395,688,492 Total amount of State tax,................. 190,065 The average rate per cent., 47-100 of a mill. Showing ain tverage annual tax of t$25,529 less than during the form er period; and. -that upon a valuation of $96,043,346 greater —being a difference of over one hundred per ce.tt in the rate of -taxation n in avor of the present administration. These facts and figures were equally accessable to the.majority and rminori,;. and h-ad "the undersigned" really wished to.maktte any compa-risons, they might have been made as above, with the most, bsohit "certainty and correctness." 22 Leaving the point of taxation, " the undersigned" turns his attention to the State debt, and sets up the absurd and grotesque plea that during the last seven years of its rule the Democratic administrations reduced the State debt a total of $254,012 62; that is to say, they had paid that amount of outstanding bonds, over and above all contingencies, and interest, making an absolute reduction of the debt to that amount. A cursory glance at the public records would seem to substantiate this statement; but a more close examination will establish its entire falsity. Instead of decreasing the State debt between the years 1847 and 1854, the State indebtedness was -increased over half a million of dollars. However astonishing this fact may appear, it is beyond the power of successful contradiction. In 1854, Auditor General Swegles, in his report dated Nov. 30th of that year, gives as the total funded and fundable debt of the State the sum of.......... 2,531,545 70 Auditor General D. V. Bell, in his report dated Dec. 1st, 1847, gives asthe "total debt of the State for which she is liable, without contingency,".................. 2,290,768 51 Which figures show an actual increase of the State indebtedness, from 1847 to 1854, under Democratic administrations of............... $240,777 19 Add to this the sums appropriated for the use of the State from the Trust Funds up to that date,................... 676,288 80 Thus making an increase of the general fund indebtedness in the last seven years of Democratic rule of........................... $917,065 99 Deduct from this for bonds surrendered and canceled in 1852,'53 and'54,...... 254,012 62 And we have as the actual increase of this class of debt, under these economical Democratic administrations, the sum of.......:.. $663,053 37 And yet, in the face and eyes of these plain and palpable figures, this "report" says, to which result of its financiering, "the Democratic party have a right to look with pride." Its pride is easily flattered in these days. These results, added to the developments relating to. the absorption and expenditures of the Trust Funds, shown up in the former part of this article, certainly entitle the Democratic party to) credit, if it is not flattering to their pride. The attempt of "'the undersigned" to give a " staltement ot the cash receipts and disbursement s from Nov. 30th to Jan. 26th," "is a singular one," indeed. His constant perversion of facts and the plainestfigures; such unmitigated and wilful lying and deleit are tiresome, we know, to the reader, and for fear of wxearing your patience, we shall be as brief as possible upon this point. The "report" says: " The statement of cash receipts and disbursements from -November 30 to January 26, as furnished to the underlsigned by the Deputy Treasurer, is a singular oneallexpenditures, and hardly any receipts." By referring to the statement of the Treasurer as embodied in the majority report, we find the statement to stand thus: Expenditures,.................... 29,157 46 Receipts,................................ 19,158 67 Excess of expenditures,................... $9,268 79 The "report" continues: "That a portion of the $117,105'3, wMhi is claimed to have been expended since November 30, has been paid before the end of the fiscal year 1857, there is in the mind of the undersigned no room for doubt, and was probably kept out of the former account to make a good show at the end of the fiscal year." Neither the report of the majority or the statement of the Treasurer claimed that any such sum had been expended as is here represented. Now look at the figures of "the undersigned.'" He says the amount expended from November 30 to January 26, was.................... $117,105 73 Actual amount expended,................ 29,157 46 Variation of "the undersigned" from facts,.. $88,048 27 The reader can place the proper estimate upon the intention of "the undersigned" in making this statement. But he proceeds: "How can it be otherwise, when the undersigned discovers among the disbursements during the short period of fifty-seven days, salaries for State officers, $8,000, vouchers for warrants, $8,000, redemption certificates, $5,000," &c. This wonder is easily accounted for by the fact that the salaries fall due, and these balances are always settled upon thle 1st day of January; and hence could not be incorporated into a report made on the 30th of November preceding. The "report" continues: "As to the receipts since November 30, the undersigned 24 is astonished at the smallness of the figures, the gross receipts being only $19,158 67, of which $12,000 were lately paid by: the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad for specific taxess; leaving only $7,158 67 for nearly two months income from;all other qua-iaters. This looks, a.lmost like an improbability." Yes, and it is an:iLnmpobabiJity, as the sum of' 812,000 iad;not been pai bby the D. & M. R. R. for specific taxes. TrLue $10,000o 7ad been deposited with the Tr eas urer',, but no.credit had been:- given on the books of the office, nor'could it be done until the whole sumn was paid. So instead of ithe cur-.rent.:receipts having. been only 7,157 67T thely were just $19,158 6,, to which atdd the specifi.c tax mentionled and cde, and the sum would have been 31,158 67, or over 02,000 mnore than the current expenses for the satme.period. Per-haps it:is not improper to state, th,.t, while large drafts ase annually made upon the Treasury.ti the -m onths of Januafry and February, for the payment of interest, expenses of the Legislature, salaries, &c., full one-half of the total receipts in the Treasury accrue in the mon'ths of M{aruch, April and May; thus, while the expenditures always show an-. excess during the winter months, the re(eipts always show an excess in the spring and fall monoths thhus is explained that marvelous and incomprehensibie woonder, which seems to have so greatly exbrcisedl "te t l-undersigned" inl this particular, We have now fll.y met and refhuted every charge of the "report" againsthe epblica ty a the epresent administration-have, by a fair, honest and truthful exhibit of oficial and indisputable figures disproved every assertion of extravagance made therein-have by unimpeachable testimony convicted "the undersigned" of most wilful and unqualified perversion of facts and figures-have exhibited the unparalleled recklessness and extlravagance of every position and assertion, and flily shown. up the despicable and lying chara.cter of this pretended "report." The reader is already convinced of its utter want of' candor, reliability, or even decency. Here, perhaps, it would be proper for us to close our review, but in justice to the Republican party, and in the hope that no reader is so bigoted as to refuse us a full hearing, we will venture to criticise, and enlarge -somewhat upon the concluding portions of the "reportt," and such other facts as we may deem intimately connected itherewith. Firstly, in this connection, we shall notice some of the frauds coramited on the Treasury by this Democratic party during the last days of'.its power, in ansiwer to the apoloyies contained in the "minority report." That"'the undersigned" should feel slightly distressed at the state of facts presented in the majority report relative to these frauds is not a matter of surprise The unparalleled extravagance of tie Democratic Boa.rd of Auditors, during the month of December, 1854, in a.llowing claims to the amount of $53,568 29 in a, single month and tha t, too, the last of their official life, is a matter to excite surlprise; The "dubio s character" of all these claims, including that of the Phoenix Bank, to Job Brookfield, G-ilbet & Co., Bronson, Knight & Ingalls, and others; -ll claims that had been for years before the people and often rejected by the Legislature and by previous agents of the State, certainly demanded an apology at his hands. Hence, the "report,; says: ~' In reference to the charges made against the last Democratic Board of State Auditors, during the last thirty days of their existence, the underisigned would observe that the action upon the claimus allowed on the old Internal Improvement contracts, have never been defended by the Democratic party, by resolution, or by the support of its press." Fully believing in the triteness of the old saying that one should "never spoil a good story for relations sake," we simply desire to call the attention of" the undersigned to the fact that these same men are still classed among'the leading, influential men of his party, and that while his party press have not dared to (dtend these alowances,'1 i has uniformly sought to ridicule and defeat any attempt of the present Administration to recover any portion of this enormous plunder. Of the truth of this assertion let the course of the Detroit Free Press and the remarks of "the undersigned" himself, referring to the Phcenix Bank case, bear testimony. But these allowances are not alone a. monument to the knavery and dishonesty of the Democratic party. During this same month of December, other and more monstrous allowances and expenses were made by this pure party "the undersigned' so humbly apologies for. We subjoin some of the items, as follows: salaries, $2,997 87; extra clerks, one month, $791 37; fitting up the Legislative Halls, $2,717 27; Legislative printing and publishing laws (twenty months after the Legislatu'e had adjourned,) $2841 07; stationery to Auditor General, $674 55; printing paper, $651; to commissioner of fire-proof offices, $782; improvement s on Capitol Square, (which square " the un 26 dersigned" was unable to find,) $3,406 13; postage, $427 61, or at the rate of over five thousand dollars per year!! uncurrent funds, $458 55!! and other like items, swelling the whole amount of such expenditures to the sum of $83,962 71, or costing the State, in the month of December, 18:4, alone, only $4,682 52 less than for the whole year previous. Is it any wonder that this benighted and afflicted representative of an unscrupulous and defunct Democracy, should attempt to capologise for such bare-faced frauds and peculations, or that his apology is very lame? "The undersigned " does not even so much as attempt an apology fr the double allowance to lion. Geo. W. Peck,. (and with this we should find serious fault did we not know that gentleman had the supervision of the whole report,) State Printer, nor to the Timber Stealer Fox, norifor the defalcations of St. Johnr Swegles. He pleads conveneient iynorance in these matters, and tries to slide out by the simple remark that those individuals alone must bear the responsibility —truly a new method of escaping the con-sequences of political dishonesty. Upon the point of the origin of the State indebtedness, "the undersigned" says he "deems it sufi.cient to quote a single paragraph from the first message of the present Executive." Perhaps this is satisfactory to him-it is not at all unsatisfactory to us —yet we d3em it of some trifling interest to investigate a fact or two not there stated. That the negotiation of the "five million loan" was "prompted by a wild spirit of excitement and speculation; that by it "an immense debt was created:" that our "gigantic system of internal improvements' yielded "little or no revenue," and as a natural consequence "the State was soon brought to the verge of bankruptcy a.nd ruin," are all facts which no one will deny; but the mere recital of these facts will not in the least relieve the Democratic party from the responsibility it incurred in yielding to the temptation, and thus burdening the State, in its infancy, with this debt and its still enduring lega.cy of interest and taxation. From the first inception of our State indebtedness to the close of the Democratic reign in 1854, was one continual chain of monstrous frauds and reckless triflingu with the interests of the people. We have prepared the following figures only as: a sample of the management during the' iron rule of the Democracy.' 27 The amount of Bonds issued, May, 1838, was, $5,200,000 00 Of which the State rec'd pay and in full, only, 1,387,000 00 Remaining unpaid,............ $3,813,000 00 For which sum the then Democratic Administration took the Morris Canal Co. as security, and delivered the whole amount of bonds, and upon which the State received from said Company, previous to its failure, only $955,960 24. Showing in this transaction a loss to the State of only $2,857,039 76, upon the original bonds for the "five million loan." Instead of promptly adjusting these Bonds and paying the interest upon them annually, the Democratic Administration, after disgracing the State with an insane attempt at repudiation, allowed this indebtedness and the accumulating interest to remain unsettled and unpaid during their continuance in power, and it was not until the present Republican Administration came into power, that a law' was passed requiring the prompt surrender of the Bonds, and by cutting off the accumulation of interest, secured their adjustment. Up to the Ist of January, 1858, the total amount of indebtedness thus adjusted by the Republicans, including the interest which had accrued under the Democratic regime, was..........$1,809,395 73 Amount still outstanding, Jan. 1, 1858,..... 113.399 72 Making the present indebtedness on the five million loan,....................... $1922,795 45 Deduct from this the original debt,......... 955,960 24 And you have the sum of........... $966,835 21 Or $10,874 97 more than the original indebtedness as the accumulation of interest during the rule of the Democracy, and showing a dead loss to the people of the State of On account of the principal,............... 2,857,039 76 On the interest......................... 966,835 21 Or a total loss of......... $3,823,874 97 Besides the sums unknown, for exchange, expenses, &c., upon the five million loan alone. And yet in the face of such figures as these, this "report" eulogizes those Democratic Administrations, and says the people "understand too well the faithfulness with which the public interests were consulted in all measures of State policy, to require any defence before them of those administrations." Well may "the undersigned" close his "report" with the UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN 3 9015 01674 0865 28 jubilant assertion that "the people have too o/ten and too e.m-;pharica&ly endorsed the Administrations of Gov: Barry3 and Gov. Felch." Yes, indeed! the people have i;elized the truth of that say mg, and in the last campaign ga ye them each an equally ermv.hatic endorsement, after a full knowledge of the facts -by leaving Gov. Barry in a, minority of stix thousand votes ir his Congressional Disttict, ad by refusing, by a majority of near twenty thousa,,td'votes to again entrust the manag-ement of our State finances to the hands of Gov. IFeleh I:m,phatic endor.sernent, indeed / And this same pedple, with a more full understa.nding of alt these facts, and'after sifting the silly falsehoods ofi he "minority report;" are now waiting impatiently to re/cord another and a like etdorsement, only ore withering Land alnnihilating, of the-financiall policy of th.is Democraitic pa, rty. Yes'"too often"-altogether too often did they embrace its sivindling extravagance'and ir, respon csible demagogyues; axnd now that the facts are before tehem, and they are reapinge the full fruition of that;dishonest and disastrous policy, their future endorsement willt be like the last- utter condemnation.