Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Wayne County, Ind.) 1831-1837, 1837-04-08
STARTLING FACTS.

STARTLING FACTS.
The following is an extract from the Report of Mr.
Wise's Committee to examine into the Execu.
tive Departments:
'Notw outstanding the committee refused to in
q,ire into the appointment and removal 81 officers,
fraudulent officers wh.pse malfeasance was made
known to the President and Heads Of Departments,
have been proved beyond cavI or dispute.
The clearest ,se ofthis KIND, and there could be
none clearer; is the case Of J"seph ". Reckless,
collector at Perth Amtov, New Jersey. He was
charged on the third Of January, 1885, with the
grossest official misconduct collector. The
charles were embezzlement and fraud, and the
specifications were made. His excuses and apolo-
xies for his misconduct were proved to lie know
ingly and wiifulIy false, before commissioner ap-
pointed by the department to make dePOsitiOns in
he case and to report thereon. He actually con-
(essed himself be guilty. Of the serious Of
fences, and offered no testimony excuse which
could IN any respect, be considered exculpaiory
or in palliation. The evidence YVES fully reported
to the department; most false and expart abstract
Of that testimony was laid before the President,
by the Secretary Of the Treasury containing
~ any Of the main charges and only the exculpato-
~ testimony on another; the President, however,
as proved BY the Secretary, and by Nj. Pearce,
read all the evidence in the case; and vet he made
decision in fragrant contradiction the tes;imo-
nv Oh one OF Tue wtneSSesS \DIRIS, making MN dc-
knowledge what he expressly testified to the e n
trary of. found tina, to be merely irregular which
was proved and confessed 10 have been corrup, ;
and what was more shocking still to all moral
sense. he acquitted the officer, and yet ordered him
to pay back the money which he had embezzled
and desrauded the Government Of accordance to
an account: thereof BY the comptroller. The a.
mount involved in this case small, being onl y
some three or four hundred dollars Rat though IL
was hu petty larceny the inferior Officer II was
the grandest declaration Of duty and Injustice to
the Government the part Of his superiors, the
President and Secretary. (Sec the entire testimo
nv Of the honorable James Parker and Wm. Hook
Eco contained in the printed journal hereto appen.
ded. pages 100 to lSS inclusive. See all the tes
,imony ofthe Hon. G. d. Wall, and the Hon. d.
Pearce) This officer thus detained in place. is ard
was stated BY Mr.. Parker verbally, warm ans
active partisan Of the present and coming admins
trai,on, taking Jealous part ia political meeting
and arrangements in New jersey.
4 Another case Of precisely similar character wa
proved in the instance Of retaining land receive,
Spencer, at Fort Wayne, Indiana, after he ha
been proved guilty Of official neglect in not maxim
his deposies, Of retaining balances due the Govern
ment for unreasonable periods If time, Of receivin
tpr.hihiied bank notes Of the denonlnasioa Of fiv
dollars, and of shaving the money brought TO hi
office 10 purchase the public lands. (See III
4 printed documents sppended to the testimony q
the Hon. Ba,lie Peyioo, and his statement in rela
ition thereto, hereto aPpended.)
/ AnosheY instance y the casa Of Samuel Gwia,
Register Of the land office in Mississippi, Who Ia
toeen repeatedly changed with the groesese o66ei
aod violasioa Of hv in purcbaan
)lssd q alss q ~ puhlc lads ss1ss ~ suresi