Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1828-06-20
No. 3.
TKEAsuKY NErNnrMnN,r,

TREASURY DErARTMENr,
March 5, 1928.
SIR: L had the honor 20 receive, OH the 18th of
last month, your letter ofthc 18th, addressed TO
me I'm pursuance oi a resolution OF the Committee
on Rctrenchmcnt OF the House of Representatives,
requesting 10 be informed whether. in my opinion,
there bc any officers in this Department whose
services may be dispCnsed.wiih, without detrimcnt
TO the pubc interest, or il the salaries of any Of
them can he reduced, consistently with Justice and
pfoprieiy; and, III general whether any Of the X
penses incident 70 this Department can be re-
duced, without impairng the efficacy Of its opera
lions.
lnrcply, beg leave to state that there arc, al
present, ten Offices annexed to this Department,
viz: the Comptrollers, the Treasurer's, the Audi
tors, the Registers, that of the Commissioner OF
the General Land Office, the Second Comptroi-
iers, the Second AUDITORS the Third Auditors,
The Fourth Auditors, and the Fifth Auditors. :
There have, heretofore, existed appendages
20 the Department. the offices Of Assistant Score
tary OF the Treasury, Commissioner of Revenue
Accountant of the War Department. Purvcyor Of
Public Supplies, Accountant Of the Navy Depart
nent aud additional Accountant of the War De-
partment-all of which have been abolished.
Oh the ten subssting Offices, srst above enumer-
ated, SIX have been coeval nearly SO, in effect
though not under the names, with The earli-
est establishments Of the Government. Those OF
the ten that were ere ated last, viz: the Second
Conptro!ler's, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth
Auditors, were created by the act of March the
Sd, 1SlI, under special report, embodying the
reasons for the same, made to the Senate in Pre-
sident Madison's time, December rs, 1867 BIZ
, the Heads oil the Executive Departments. BY the
same act the Offices of Accountant and Additional
Accountant of the War Department and Account
ant OF the Navy Department, were abolished.
The further recommendations of that report TO es-
| tabiish an entirely Executive Department,
10 be dcnominated the Home Department; and
Soiiciorship to the Treasury, were rot adopted by
Congress.
Of the officers, therefore, who are now auxilia-
ry 10 the business of this Department. there are,
in my opinion, none that can be adv antageously
dispensed with, whose salaries can be reduced
consistently with justice and propriety. They
have all been created by Congress- on full delber-
alton. Dividing the time since the formation OF
| the present Government into three periods, the
urst from the 18th of March, 1888, 10 the close of
1905 the second from the LIST of January 1901, to
the close OF 1914; the third from the lst of January
1915, to the close Of 1927, and the average annu-
al revenue of the nation for the first period Is
found to be S5,63T $50; for the second period
$4,000 ,l56; for the third period S22277 =
9oS The average annual expenditure for the fl It
period stands at 81 ,690, $50: for the second at
Sl7,6l2, i3I; and for the third, at S27 ,908 f6O
The various loans obtained since the formation
oil the Government not included in the receipts
oil revenue. The expenditures embrace all pay
ments on account of the debt, as well Revolution
airy as that contracted since the purchase of Louis
ana and FLORIDA, and other heavy payments for OBJ
Jects not belonging to the ordinary and annual
crease in the public revenue and expenditure, the
result OF the increase in the population, wealth.
and general-businsss of the nation, marks the ne
cessity OF progressive increase in the establishm
OF this department.; under the review OF which as
TO a common centre, every item Of revenue and
expenditure is brought.
How far all the details of business in the sever
al Offices of the Department might be carried on
without detriinent to the public interest, after dis
pensing with the services of any portion of the
clerks at present employed in Them, or how far
the salaries ofany might be reduced, consistently
with justice and propriety; or, general whether
the expenses incident TO any OF them could be re-
ouced without mpairing the efficacy of their op-
efauons, nave not, on my own view, felt able TO
decide, without more opportunities of investigation
than could command at this season, or more de-
lay than would be compa tible with the duty of af-
iording the committee timely reply. But call
ell, by letter. upon each of the officers charged by
law W it'll the immediate direction Of the business of
the ten Offices IN question, to make report 10 me
under each OF the points above specified and to do
so IN as iull and precise manner the terms and
spirit oil the resolution appear 10 demand Their
reports have been made accordingly, and have
the honor to enclose them, herewith, numbered
from TO TO- inclusive
Regarding the business Of the chief office Of the
department, that OF the Secretary it is my opin..
Ion that no retrenchments can be made, with ad-
vantage to the public. On the contrary 1 take
leave respectfully TO state, that think the public
interest requires that there should be another prin-
cipai cierkship established in it, Besides its own
proper duties, which of daily detail a, well as
OF extensive range, its duty of superintcndence o.
yer other Offices of the Department is constant
thence, whilst each Of the other Executive De-
PaTtnents has had principal clerk allowed TO it,
IL mas been the past policy of the Government 10
allow to the Secretary of the Treasury two from
the more mutilarious and complicated structure of
the Treasury Department The old act of 1892
made provision for two principal clerks for the
oecretary's Office. Two were also allowed du-
ring the incumhency Of Mr.. Galiatin; each of
ceived compensation Of two thousand dollars per
annlin Under the conviction that the business of
inc oince would go on more 10 the public advantage
IN all respects, and especially as regards pronpti-
tude and method, by having two pincipi clerk 9.
Instead Of one, asked the Committee Of WAYS and
leans Tor an appropriation for two in 1926 The sp-
preparation was not granted The whole number Of
clerks in the Secretary5 Office ut present ia nine
lhc number was six during the whole of the first
period oil time indicated above, when the average
annual revenue OF the nation was but a fraction
more than one-Ourth OF its present amount Du.
ring part oil the first period, the Office also had at
tached TO 1t an Assistant Secretary. The act of
TIE 7th ol May 1922, which provided tiat all mo.
neys appropriated for the use Of the War aud Navy
departments, should be drawn from the Treasury
~ warrants OF the Secretary, under special rcoui
siliOns, in every case from those Departments In
stead oil being drawn directly upon the Treasurer
~ capacity OF gent OF those two Departments. a.
mad been the case before, created Of Itself consi.
derabie increase OF clerica labor in the office of
secretary OF the Treasury, epart from the foureod
increase Of revenue
IL belongs 10 this communication TO add that he
SIDES The recommendations for creating new offices
ana new Department. contained in tho report tn
ihe Senate by the Heads of the different Ezecr-
i've Departments. in 1916 and which vysc c,...i