Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1839-01-03
LYNCMBURG, JANUARY 3, 1889.
PUBLIC DEFAUL TIERS.

highly complimentary terms Of the speech recently
delivered by Mr.. Wise, in relation TO the proposed
enquiry into the circumstances connected with tho
recent Swartwout delalcaton, which, had it occur
red but few years ago, would have startled
the nation, and covered with odium and disgrace
the administration which permitted this long.
continued system OF robbery to 60 on unde-
tected. until, from single Sub Treasury Office.
the vast amount Of million and a quarter of dol
lars had been purloned The defa,ter was even mar,
United, so late as april last, with upwards of a mil.
lion oil the public money in his possession, or profit
gately squandered, to retain in his hands more than
s2oo,o to meet certain alleged outstanding caim.,
gans him as Collector although the amount of,l,eseg
claims was less than $4,000 True, Mr. Wood
bury politely requested him to retain only 100000.
and to place the other moe,y in bank, to the credi,
of the Treasurer, alleging the poverty OF the Treasu
ry for urging him to disgorge so
much of the "spoils." But Swartwont was deaf to
his request and Mr.. Woodbury., instead of at snce
coercing settlement, and asceraining the truth Of
the Collectors statement, permitted the retention Of
the public money; and now, it's gone" remored,"
like Mr.. Attorney Price, to England, enable these
pet swndlers enjoy the spleador and the luxury Of
arstocratic society
Again-It appears, by the Spc cal Report Of See.
reary Woodbury., that Swaitwout's defacaon was
known to several officers attached TO the New YORK
custom house in August last-and the Suspicion !,
apparently we!l-founded that Nh Jesse Ho,,, his
successor in office, ignorant Of the fact IL
is presumable that Mr.. Hoyt's subordinate,
would have hesitated, moment after making a dis
covcry so fatal to Mr.. -Swattwouts character to
make full disc losure to the by whom he had
been susperseded; nor is it presumable that Mr.
Hoyt was less eager to make a similar revelation to
his superiors Washington, who. as he well knew
hated and were not disincned to destroy Mr. Swart-
won't That the fact of Swanwoui's defalcaton ,cas
known to Mr.. Woodbury. in August last there can
be no doubt. Why, then, was all knowledge oft
withheld from the public until November, and an op-
portunity thereby afforded to Swartwout, of which,
he ascerained that the custom house Off
GERS had smell out the rat he eagerly availcd him.
self, TO make his escape g.! Why not the robbery
proclaimed, and the lobber arrested, and arraigned,
as Tobias w atkins in 1929, before the civil au-
thorities! For this aone-that the election,
were about to take place in Pennsylvania. Maine,
Massachusetts, Mary land, New York, &c. &C.
aud il important that the gross carelessncss of
the administration. to call it by no harsher and just
err name, should be concealed until they over,
1t was important, moreover, that the hazard the
public moneys, under the Sub Treasury system, as
illustrated by this immense robbery, perpetrated by
Sub Treasurer,w had fled even alterhc was detect
ed,beyond the reach Of uslice, should not be exposed
to public scrutiny, until it late for the people
to profit by the discovery. Hence the profound Sc
crecy which the Government officers preserved of
this spoa,ion and plumber of the peoples money
hence the escape OF the robber with his pockets
filed with the wages of iniquity." But no soon
the last election ovcr-no sooner had tls
voice ofthe republican victory in New York, loud as
the thunder other mighty cataract, rung in the Of
the ofce-h oders-than we were officially apprised
of the -obbery and Of the flight of the thief! And
scarcely had the news ofthis splendid SubTreasury
operation died away, before another came-Priee,
The chosen Orator of Tammany Hall, and the pet
and pride Of the Democracy which assemble within
its walls followed his colleague Swartwout, loaded
with the "spoiIs" Of another Sub Treasury Office
Aud yet another soon followed in the tr,n-Gritio,
the pride Of the army. srrpt Of reputation
and rank, and fallen from his PRIDE of place"
Indeed, it is difficult say, when such are faint
cd by guilt, who should be free from suspicion of alb
that have had i, in their power TO enrich themselves
at the public expense Who, for example, believes
that an A - X - has failed to feather his
nest when pronlgacy and corruption have reached
and conquered such as Graotl If the hon
est have not been proof against temptation and OPP
porrunity how can we hope that Others less confd
ed in, have passed through the crucible with clean
hands We do verify believe. that, if the truth
could, by any possibility, he ascertaned it would be
discovered that the public has been plunLered ss4o,
less than hoenty millions, ofdollarS in the nsr ten
years.
We repeat, what said in the outset Of these re-
marks, that had these developments been made
few years since, it would have convulsed the nation
with mingled rage and astonishmen and would
have proved milestone around the neck of the ad-
mnisraon by which the existence and growth of
such deepseated and far-extended corruption had
been permitted. Why is it not so now1 Why do
facts of such stirring character fall as upon the
Of drowsy crowd' Is public virtue extinct Is
there no latent spark Of honorable indignation in tho
public mind, which incidents like these can quicken
into consuming fire ! Or are the people so stupt-
fed by party spiri, and blinded by devotion to party
names. that they perc GIVE no distinction be-
tween honesty and crime, or, seeing it, have yet mel
Their disposition energy to arrest the march oil
corruption, and to stay the tide Of venaity which
sweeps over the land, breaking down all the barriers
to vice. and giving it impunty, by connecting 1t win
on -honOred names, enjoying its fruits in ronnd