WRITINGS OF 5AM HOUSTON, 1860
106
funds sufficient to meet the entire appropriation for Frontier defence, and to redeem all the proposed issues of 10 per cent scrip within six months from this date." It should be borne in mind that at the time this letter was wi·itten by the Comptroller, there was only about $55,000 in the Federal Treasury subject to the order of the State of Texas. The fault lies not in the Executive that this money has not been received by the State Treasury, for on the 16th of March, I addressed a letter to the Comptroller, ordering him to forward to the War Department at Washington, duplicate pay rolls of the Six companies of mounted volunteers called into the service of the United States by General Persifer F. Smith in 1854, and with his certificate of the correctness of the same appended. Up to this time the Comptroller has failed to forward them as I directed. You again speak of the money in the Federal Treasury. Within the last three days I have been officially notified of the passage of the act making appropriation of $127,000 which added to the amount formerly appropriated makes $182,000. To obtain this it will be necessary to furnish the vouchers, upon the first of which amount, up to this time, the Comptroller has thwarted me in my endeavors to bring it into the Treasury of the State. I am as unwilling I am sure as you can be, to be driven to the neces- sity of issuing another batch of these warrants for the pay- ment of the ordinary expe~ses of the Government. The Treasury, I have to remark, was exhausted previous to the commencement of the present administration. My object in addressing the first note to you on this subject, was merely to ascertain whether any effort would be made on your part to carry out the law, as passed by the Legislature, regarding the redemption of the 10% interest warrants. I infer from your communication that you do not consider it practic- able, in the present condition of the Treasury, as this is a duty expressly imposed upon you by the Legislature, and in which, in my opinion, you have the discretionary power to decide whether or not it .will conflict with the proviso which requires the current expenses of the Government to be provided for at all times and against all other appropriations, I shall remain sat- isfied that your wishes are, as far as possible, to carry out the laws and protect the Treasury. Sam Houston.
iExecutive Records, 1859-1861, p. 200, Texas State Library.
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