The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1838-10-24

bank in New York, and the transmission Of il
by an armed guard to the west. To the ex-
pense Of upwards Of $1,000 for transportation,
we now have TO add the loss by plumber OF
5000 dollars more. The Subtreasury, We
are told, is in actual operation, in spite of
lamentations" and this is the way il works
This money was deposited, we suppose, in
the Sub-treasury at the Fort Crawford, Wis
consin, liable, as all Sub-lreasurics are, as the
Globe informed us in 1884, ito be plundered
by an hundred hands" The Sub-treasury
was undermined, and we are informed that Sc
veral kegs Of specie, containing 5000 dollars
each, were distracted and carried off. Iron
doors were broken, and bars and bolts"
proved no security. Thus the public money
would necessarily disappear, by defalcaion,
embezzlement, fraud and plumber, If we per-
init the Sub-treasury system to be established,
which viii be only to legalize this exposure Of
our money to the plumber of an hundred hands
where one cannot reach it under the State
bank deposite system. Have the people no
care for the public money! Will they pay
taxes for the encouragement of Sub-treasury
plunderers, defaulters and rogues! Do they
wish to encourage lying, cheating, false swear
ing, and every species Of sin and abuse that
will grow out of system which places all
their money in the very palms Of political par
tizans and Office holders! Ifthey do not,
they must oppose the establishment of Sub
treasury system. Do they think that we ex-
aggerate the immoral and dangerous tenden-
cy of the SYSTEM Are facts exaggerated,
and do they not illustrate and prove it? We
have already given them abundant evidence of
the loose morality Of the atmosphere of land
offices. Let those who doubt it, read If
they are Of the same opinion still, they must
be doubtful of their own existence.
In connection with this subject, we subjoin
letter addressed to us from Michigan. tits
a further practical illustration Of this wretched
and demoralizing system.
GRAND RIVER, Michigan, Oct 9Th, 1888.
DEAR Sin: You are doubtless well advised that
Ionia, the County Seat Of Ionia county, Michigan,
Is Inc place WneTe the Ldnu omce loT tue
River District is located Gen. Joseph w. Brown
was the former Register of this land district He
moved from Lenawe county with his family to Ionia
at great expense, and expended some five thousand
dollars TO purchase suitable building to transact the
business of Register in, and dwelling house and
out buildings TO accommodate his numerous and
respectable family What then 7 Why soon as he
was comfortably established, he was removed; and
u,hy The IN raa con aSsipned that the C,a-
neral trusted too much to clerks in the Office Allen
Hutchins the Receiver, you will remember, ran
away defauter to the Government in the sum of
1923, 900. Under these circumstances, Benjamin
Sherman, of St. Joseph county, Michigan, and a
Mr. Richmond, of Kent county, Michigan, the for
mer Register, and the latter Receiver, of the afore-
mentioned land office. Well, has Benjamin Sher-
man taken up his residence at Ionia, and does he
attend to the business of his Office personally2 No
Far from It. He never lived an hour in the place;
never performed single duty appertaining to his
Office; in short, he trusts entirely to clerks This is
not all. Does the Receiver, Mr.. Richmond, live at
Ionia No. He never lived there an hour-he trusts
entirely TO clerks. This is not all. The present
Clerk of the Register is Bank Commissioner, and
the duties of his office compel him TO be absent
considerable portion Of his time. In his absence,
what do you think takes place? Why the Clerk Of
the Receiver, (Gen. Browns old clerkD does the
duties of Register and Receiver both. The story is
not all told yet In Detroit they take New York
Safety Fund notes in payment for land and, indeed
those notes do command, and have commanded, a
premium of from ! to per cent. in exchange for
gold and silver. Yet these same notes are not re-
ceived here in payment for land-and why Be-
cause they cannot be converted the identical spot
where received into gold and silver And yet every
dollar received at the Land Office here, finds its way
to Detroit where the notes aforementioned are worth
more than gold and silver. Nor is this all. Not
withstandng nothing but gold and silver is received
by the Clerk of the Receiver, at the Land Office,
aforesaid yet the said Clerk stands ready to sell the
gold and silver in the vault and receive for land, to
any person or persons, for New York Safety Fund
notes for premium of II per cent Now, would
ask, what is the effect of these proceedings. 1t is
this the Government get paper in the endthe clerk
gets II per cent upon the gold and silver, ard that
comes out of the poor mans purse These are facts,
and can be fully substaniated Yours, &c
Party spirit is debasing public morals to
the lowest degree. The practices which
have grown into vogue have nullifed the