any particular objection to the motion of my
colleague (Mr. Stirling,) except that it seems
to me that it is raising the question here about
the lieutenant governor, which would come
up more properly in the report of the com-
mittee on the executive. Perhaps it would
be better to delay this matter until we have
fully determined whether we are going to
have a lieutenant governor or not.
Mr. KING. What would be the effect if
we adopt this amendment, and then deter-
mine to have no lieutenant governor?
The PRESIDENT, The convention would
have to reconsider and modify this section.
Mr. DANIEL. I think we better determine
first the question about the lieutenant gov-
ernor.
Mr. STIRLING. If this amendment is adopt-
ed it will go far to determine that question.
I have understood that the committee have
about determined upon that subject.
Mr. BRISCOE. It seems to me that the rea-
son why the committee designated the officers
named in this section was the fact that the
duties of the governor, comptroller and trea-
surer relate particularly to the financial af-
fairs of the State, and they are therefore bet-
ter prepared to consider these matters. The
commissioner of the land office has Other and
particular duties to perform. The labors
upon this board being without compensation,
it is very likely that be will not be very de-
sirous of encumbering himself by taking upon
himself the performance of these duties. 1
do not see any particular reason why he
should be placed upon this board, while I do
see some reasons why the officers mimed in
this section should have the immediate dis-
charge of these important duties. I shall
vote against the amendment upon that
ground.
Mr. MILLER. I was not aware that the
executive committee had decided in favor of
having a lieutenant governor. If that is the
determination of the committee I should have
no objection to placing that officer upon this
board.
Mr. DANIEL, I think we better not change
this section now. The duties of the officers
named here, as has been well said, is to in-
vestigate and understand the financial mat-
ters of the State, if we have a lieutenant
governor, it remains to be seen what shall be
his duties. It is a new office in this State,
and certainly the determination of a question
of so much importance deserves more con-
sideration than will be given to it by simply
adding this amendment to this section. If
we should determine not to have a lieutenant
governor, then we would have to come back
to this section and strike this out again. I
think it is about as well as it is. Threse large
bodies do not work so well as the smaller
ones. I think these duties can by safely in-
trusted to this board. I am opposed to any
alteration. |
Mr. NEGLEY, There is a solid and substan-
tial reason why the governor, comptroller,
and treasurer should constitute this board.
The governor is the chief officer of the State,
and therefore a higher responsibility attaches
to the proper discharge of his duties than
to those of any other officer, in the next
place the comptroller and treasurer are the
sworn and bonded financial officers of the
State. They understand all the finances of
the State, and therefore they are the proper
officers to take this matter into consideration.
Put any other man on that board, and he
will be controlled, as the governor will be
to a great extent, by knowledge obtained
from the comptroller and treasurer. If they
want to understand anything about the
finances or the public works of the State,
where do those officers go? where does the
legislature go? to whom do the people look
but to the report presented to them by the
comptroller and the treasurer? They are the
proper officers; within their cognizance come
all the financial operations of the government
of the State. They have before them contin-
ually the operation of our public works;
they know all about them, just as the mer-
chant knows the goods upon his shelves, or
the banker knows the accounts in his books.
They are the only parties in the State that are
perfectly cognizant, of these matters; there-
fore there is peculiar wisdom in constituting
them the board. I do not care if you multi-
plied the number of the board a thousand
times, they must depend upon these two
sworn and bonded officers for the information
they act upon.
Mr. STIRLING. I lay no particular, stress
upon this matter. In answer to what the
gentleman from Washingston (Mr. Negley)
has said in regard to the governor, I will
merely say that there is one reason why he
should not be a member of this board. Some
of the duties which this hoard will have to
perform will put the State in the position of
an individual, upon an equality with other
individuals. The State is a stockholder in
public works, and goes there to vote upon an
equality with other stockholders; and the
governor of the State is to wait upon the
company in order to cast his vote as a mem-
ber of this board. You will find in the con-
stitution of the State of New York that the
governor is excluded from this hoard, proba-
bly on the ground that the place was too un-
dignified for their governor. That constitu-
tion provides:
"The lieutenant governor, speaker of the
assembly, secretary of state, comptroller,
treasurer, attorney general, and state engi-
neer and surveyor, shall be the commissioners
of the land office.
"The lieutrnant governor, secretary of
state, comptroller, treasurer, and attorney
general, shall be the commissioners of the
canal fund. |
