Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1830-08-27
THE ADVOCATE.
FRIDAY, AUGCST 81.

and insight into the malversotio, of , mar,
of the late administration. Il has ,rulv Nc.
'onished US, and we doubt not will open the
eyes OF the American people generally as
10 the io'thlessness. fraud and pccuaiion of
public servants, who have been mostly re.
gardcd tn be at least honest, if not oopoble
The facts disclosed are documentary--f1und
among the official records-thereE,r. we
should suppose, can't lie and must afiiy an
'ndelib'e mark on the dciaul,ing culpri,s,
ahat Will insure their names To descend To
Pos'ority, as abusers Of The public conf.
dence, and robbers of the public treasury.
as we'll as secure to- them while here. n
salutary share Of the public scnrn and con
tempt The picture is u mechanically one
to behold at this early stage of tine RepubIc
but may have a wholesome effect by reason
OF its exhibiting, in bold relief. the naked
deformity of an unexampled villany, alike
calculated to astound and shock the moral
feeling Of every honest man. Read and
judge.
Bnney was navy agent fiom 1879 10 1894 :
was nominated by Mr. Adams for n roam,
pointment, and rejected Conscious that he
was defaulter tn a large amount. he Sc, nm
sciaim in 1928 for So, 81 81 loss on treasury
notes, besides Commission of ID per cent for
paying ont treasury notes, and of = I.2 per
cent for purchases and payments, amounting
to Sll ,l37 81, all of which were allowed cx-
cept the loss on treasury notcs. When tins
account was rendered in 1925, il was all Bin
ney pretended To claim, and these we're for
commissions and services as early as 1914
l5-16-&c.
In 1896, he again preferred his claim for
the loss on treasury notes, stating it at 1922.
597 %.
In June, 1928, his account was sc,tled and
new, and until then unheard of claims for old
services and commissions presented. They
consisted OF 1884 30 for commissions, Sc
In 1877, rs, NC. &c not heretofore chrrred ="
and interest thereon: Then of Sl6.S66 81
interest on moneys borrowed FROM certain
banks from 1879 To 1916: Then of interest
on The interest, and on all the preceding sums.
amounting In IL, 1854 81. making an ggrerate
OF $45,5S4 Sd. These claims were allowed
BY Mr.. Southland and the fourth auditor CTnbv
Watkins y and Binney was still defaulter,
according to the report of the fourth auditor,
in the sum of 903l 93; though Watkins in
order to save his specializing friend from paw.
ing even this balance, says in his report that
the amount (still) claimed by Mr.. Bmney is
very nearly the same that which stands
charged on the books of the office"
The reader will recolect the " contingent
fund the abuses of which were exposed by
the committee on retrenchnent, the first SEES
zion after the going Out of the late ntminis-
tration-In order to Conceal the nalurc of
these allowances, they were in pant charged
to " contingent prior to 1914" and the inter
estmPon interest was charged to 80 pay afloat,"
provisions and repairs of vessels"
On the same day that Binney was report.
4 Il.
above extraordinary and illegal allowances,
and after he had been two years out of office,
Mr.. Sec'ry Southland issued requisitiou adj.
cancing him 500 900 out OF the treasury
Binney then stood charged at the treasury
with n balance of $30, 93l93
On the thru Of -Haroh 1929, the last dav
Of the late administration, Binney rendered
another account for old commissions and ser.
vices, claiming additioaai orediis to the hr.e
amount of 1896 IL. This was all in al
duion TO his claim of 1928, which was evil
IDENTIFY patched up for the purpose of meeting
his defalcation, and which then was all b..
pretended to claim, tbo,.y his friend Wat
kins suggested that he might make up fur
Their claims To very nearly" the balance
charged against him at that time, viz -
S9,03I.
Watkins allowed his additional account to
the amount 1T S3S .065 IL among the items
a
ury notes of S3o,i53 20, in addition to .S22.-
597 81 and interest S7.4I1 . (ihe whole a
mount previously claimed but now increased
TO $780, lS)
All this was allowed by Watkins, without
being submitted to Secretary Branch ON the
principle settled by MIR. Southland on the for.
Iner settlement
Thus (says Mr.. KendalL in April, 1923,
MIR. BiDney's claims were :! very nearly the
thnf t,yit rh oil, 4.
books of the office"
In Jane, l523, Secretary Southland adj.
vanced $4,000 more to be " charged against
him.
in March, 1929, torWatkins passed 10
his credit $79.033 gilmore than was enlarged
against him" in April, 1923.
And in March, 1922 Mr. Binney claimed
Sl73.6l9 20 more than stood " charged a.
gainst him in April, 1893" and more than
he then 90 ci0imed' according TO the Secreta.
rvs statement TO the President.
As before stated, this settlement was re.
ported to the Second Comptroller on the 7lh
March, 1899.
After the changes made in these officers
on the 2lst March, 1929, it was ascertnined
that this account had been withdrawn from
the Second Comptroller, The report cancelled.
and the entries erased on tho ledger in this
office. The papers, however, were still in
=
clerks
The b1iance now standing against Mr.
Binney is, e,efore, $30, OBI 80, of which
10000 dolls is Mr.. Sputhard's advance to him
after he had been two years out of Office and
was still in debt to the government, by tho
Fourth Auditors report, upwards of 5000
dolls.
Conscious guilt induced the erasures from
the books Of the department, as the climax
OF transaction which bears its own image and |
superscripton.
What became of the additional $50 900 |
advanced TO the dofauter by Mr. Snuibard-- |
1T being then in the midst Of coffin. hanabills |
and other expenditures under the immediate
direction at Toby Watkins-what were the
degrees of collision between that unforlu.
nate gentlemen and MI Binuey-and
whether the money was shared between them
may not he easy 10 know but the people
WIN Jndgo--They will at least perceive the