JANUARY 15, 1855.-Referred to the Committee of Ways and Means, and ordered to be printed. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, January 12, 1855. SIR: I have the honor to submit an additional estimate of appropriation asked for the Territory of Kansas, together with copies of a letter from Governor Reeder and the Comptroller of the Treasury explanatory thereof. I have the honor to be, your obedient servant, Hon. LINN BOYD, TREASURY DEPARTMENT, Comptroller's Office, January 10, 1855. SIR: Hon. A. H. Reeder, governor of the Territory of Kansas, addressed a letter to the Hon. John W. Whitfield, delegate in Congress from that Territory, dated the 24th ultimo, in which he called his attention to several subjects to be presented to Congress for its sustaining care by adequate appropriations. Mr. Whitfield having handed the letter to you as the medium of communicating estimates to Congress, in obedience to your instructions, I report on the following matters: 1st. A library for the Territory of Kansas. Appropriations were made for libraries in other Territories as fol- lows: For Wisconsin, $5,000, April 20, 1836; volume 5, page 16. For Utah, $5,000, September 9, 1850; volume 9, page 457. In the 33d section of the act of May 30, 1854, to organize the Territories of Nebraska and Kansas, it is stipulated that such sum as has been appropriated to other Territories for libraries shall be appropriated for a library for Kansas, to be expended under direction of the governor.-Pamphlet, page 289. An appropriation of $5,000 made for each Territory from 1836 to 1853, inclusive, has not been made for a library in Kansas or Nebraska. An appropriation of $500 was made by the act of August 4, 1854, for a library in each of the Territories of Minnesota, Oregon, Utah, New Mexico, Washington, Kansas, and Nebraska, to be expended under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior. - Pamphlet Laws of 1853-'4, page 557. 2d. Appropriations for contingent expenses of the governors of Territories. It is stipulated in the act of May 30, 1854, to organize the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska, (Pamphlet Laws, page 288,) that "there shall be appropriated annually the usual sum, to be expended by the governor, to defray the contingent expenses of the Territory, including the salary of a clerk of the executive department," &c. The sum appropriated for contingent expenses of governor in the Territory of Kansas for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1855, was $1,500.-General appropriation act, August 4, 1854, page 557. The organic acts of Oregon and Washington Territories stipulate that $1,500 shall be appropriated for each annually to defray the contingent expenses of the executive offices. The organic acts of Minnesota, New Mexico, and Utah, stipulated for an annual appropriation of $1,000 for each executive office. In the general appropriation act of August 4, 1854, for the contingent expenses of the governor in New Mexico for the year ending June 30, 1855, the sum of $1,500, including the expense of a translator employed by the governor, was appropriated. Refore the organization of Oregon, the annual appropriations for the contingent expenses of each governor of a Territory was $350. Your estimates for the year ending June 30, 1856, include one for the contingent expenses of the governor of Kansas, amounting to $1,000. Governor Reeder wishes it increased $500-to the same amount that Congress appropriated on the 4th of August, 1854, after the stipulation in the organic act of May 30, 1854, that "the usual allowance should be made to the governor of Kansas for contingent expenses that had been made in other Territories." 3d. Governor Reeder submits "an estimate of $700, to be distributed by the governor of the Territory of Kansas, under the direction of the Secretary of the Treasury, for the expenses of districting said Territory, and for ordering, holding, and returning the election therein for delegate to Congress." On this subject I addressed you on the 27th of December, and I refer you to that communication. My opinion then was, and now is, that a special appropriation should be made by Congress to defray that expense. 4th. Public buildings. The 33d section of the said organic act, among other things, provides: "That there shall hereafter be appropriated, as has been customary for the Territorial governments, a sufficient amount, to be expended under the direction of the said governor of the Territory of Kansas, not exceeding the sums heretofore appropriated for similar objects, for the erection of suitable public buildings at the seat of government." Pamphlet Laws 289, of the session of 1853-1854. The appropriations for the other Territories have been generally designated "for public buildings," which included the houses for the legislative assemblies and their offices and out-buildings, and for penitentiaries, which designation needs no explanation. For public buildings, on a contingency to be decided by the Secretary of War-army act of August 5, 1854, section 6, page 582... FOR NEBRASKA. No appropriation has been made. $25,000 As the dates of the several acts may be of convenience to you and others, whose attention may be drawn to this subject, I shall accompany this by suitable references. These estimates should designate how much is wanted for public buildings, and how much for penitentiary, so that the entries may be separately and distinctly carried upon the appropriation books in the Treasury Department, and the disbursements made and the accounts kept accordingly. The letter of Governor Reeder to Mr. Whitfield is herewith returned. Most sincerely and respectfully yours, Hon. JAMES GUTHRIE, Secretary of the Treasury. ELISHA WHITTLESEY. Statement of the appropriations for the public buildings and penitentiaries of the Territories; to accompany the letter of the Comptroller to the honorable Secretary of the Treasury of the 10th January, 1855, on the subject. TERRITORY OF OREGON. Public buildings, act of 14th August, 1848. Penitentiary, act of 11th June, 1850 Total for public buildings and penitentiary. TERRITORY OF MINNESOTA. $5,000 20,000 20,000 45,000 Public buildings, act of 11th June, 1850.... $20,000 $25,000 Deduct amount applied for penitentiary. 12,500 Public buildings, act of 31st May, 1854, for the completion of the public buildings and penitentiary 10,000 This sum has been partly advanced to the agent as appropriated; but, as it is supposed only onehalf will be eventually applied to each, the deduction of $5,000, in this statement, is made and carried to the appropriation for the penitentiary, as will be seen below 5,000 5,000 20,000 12,500 5,000 Penitentiary of Minnesota, act of 11th June, 1850........ Total for public buildings and penitentiary...... 75,000 TERRITORY OF NEW MEXICO. Public buildings, act of 30th September, 1850.. Total for public buildings and penitentiary. TERRITORY OF UTAH. Public buildings, act of 9th September, 1850 Total for public buildings and penitentiary. TERRITORY OF WASHINGTON. Public buildings, act of 3d March, 1853 Total for public buildings. TERRITORY OF KANSAS. Public buildings, (see act of 5th August, 1854, the 6th section, page 582, pamphlet edition of Laws, 1st session 33d Congress) (There has been no separate appropriation for a penitentiary.) Total for public buildings. $20,000 20,000 40,000 $5,000 5,000 $25,000 25,000 Estimates for the Territory of Kansas for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1856. The above are the salaries of the current year, and I would suggest that those of the district attorney and marshal be increased for one year, at least to $1,500 each, for the reason that the state of the Ter |