41
WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1837-18tll
18. No disbursing or commanding officer can draw pay until his accounts are all adjusted with government, except his pay account, which can never be audited until all his other accounts are settled: great care is to be taken. 19. No resignation of any officer of the army or navy, or any disbursing or receiving officer of the republic, shall take place without first referring the case to the executive. And no appoint- ment shall be made of any officer whose nomination has to be submitted to the senate until the same shall be sanctioned by the president. 20. When any question shall arise in any department respecting the law, it shall be referred to the attorney general, and in the event of non-concurrence in the opinion by the head of the depart- ment who may have referred the subject, it shall then be referred to executive. 21. No papers or accounts once placed in any office or with any officer, shall be withdrawn, unless it is by order or leave of the president, nor shall any book or document belonging to any office of the government be loaned ;--copies of papers may be granted when applied for, but they shall be executed by a clerk and certified by the chief of the office from which they may issue. 22. No clerk for extra service shall be employed until the neces- sity of the case shall be stated in writing to the head of the depart- ment in which he is to be employed, and referred to executive. 23. No discharge can be granted by the war department or by any officer of the government, in a case where the applicant for it alleges that he has lost, or otherwise been dispossessed of it. 24. When private property is required for the use of the repub- lic, application shall be made to the owner of the same and if he will not dispose of it and it is indispensible to the public neces- sity, it shall be the duty of the officer applying, to select one person on behalf of the government and the owner to select one on his own behalf, who shall proceed to value the property, and if they cannot agree as to the value of it, they shall choose a third person who shah decide, and a receipt shall be given for the property, stating its value and witnessed by the appraisers; and should no appraisal be necessary, the receipt shall nevertheless be witnessed and signed officially by the officer. 25. All officers shall be chargeable with the property which they may receive on public account, and when the same shall be dh,- posed of by any officer, he shall take duplicate receipts, one of which shall be transmitted to the proper auditor's office, and the other retained as a voucher, both having "duplicate" written on
Powered by FlippingBook