Southern Argus. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1834-1842, 1839-03-19


n1
IS
d
IS
han
n rom e
s taasnds md
cations are ripped re aQs. GRIM Esl
UPON o NE
plin qls 81 he AeM qfk
tom and tie Treasury aea.
Ind BARE report does Aek 12R 9.
past ons u by gone Rlllqnas
l million ind qual. aT loBned ~ y j ssss
Boal. and hf million 81 noI y
Price but ths sxisling abu q the arne
Custom Hou are meq manifest anu
sent Collector. loys banded Win /
scafcelV less severity than his pTedeces-
tent of SwartRoQt's dedication
Is 100 SO. alcH sl amount
WAS sulsred By woodbury. q accumulate
On the face 81 olicia quarterly returns
lar n nude. ASH The money due the
Government was regularly accounted fer
Up Is 1887 Tie amount retained being BY
The facif qcq sicseeiscc ok the Department.
His frauds, by means Of false returns.
commenced d 1887, after the dlscontinu.
ancc of tie Banks as depositorles Of the
Goyernment, and after the Sub Treasury
was practically put int operation "a def.
anee Of law. and the Lamentations Of the
people.
The cause Of SWartwout's defalcation
IS traced 10 his pecuniary responsibility
al the time Of bis appointment and re-ap-
pointnent to Office the failure to expose
TIE defalcaLion, tothe culpable disregard
of law and official duty BY the naval Of
ficer Of the pori, whose place it was to
check the operations Of the Collector.
The committee are YER. severe upon this
officer, and suggest no apology for his
Iconduct. The first Auditor is also held
responsible, and his disregard Of law and
duty, IN examining and certifying tie re-
turns of the Collector exposed. Tothese
two causes ore attributed the concealment
of the defalcation and probable loss of
more than million Of the peoples treas
IRE.
The Comptroller is handled with de.
served severity. His conduct in the
Swartwout case was culpable, and wholly
unprecedented, and the administration Of
the office shown to be so inefficient as to
destroy or render nugatory. the checks up.
on The First Auditor, Collectors, Receiv.
ers, DC.
The discontiauGace Of the use Of Backs
and the negligence and the failure of thC
Secretary Of the Treasury to supervise
} the settlement of Swartwout's account
arc also assigned as causes for the i'm
mense loss. The Secretary is charget
with having, of late years, discontinued
the use of important books of records, il
f his department, designed to contain state
ments Of the accounts and liabilities o
Collectors whose weekly, monthly ant
quarterly returns have in consequence
been passed over without the salutar,
, checks provided BY law, and The time no
, nored practices of the Department.
The criminal neglect of the Secretai,
in suffering Swartwout to retain $4,000
IN his hands against protest suits, when il
fact but a few thousand dollars were in
volyed in dispute, is also commented on.
+ The most uDblushing abuse of the De
partment, however, is found in permitting
g the present collector to retain the immens
: receipts of the Custom House under hi
8 unofficial control, amalgamated with hi
+ PT1Uate funds, and deposited in Bank t
E his individual credit. The committee al
: tempted to look into Hoyi's affairs, bu
he positively REFUSED leave, and the De
partment and the PRESIDENT sanctioned
by their silence, his high-handed conduct
: The mode adopted by the collector for tn
collection and deposit Of the Custom Fe
ceipis is pronounced illegal, unsafe, an
direct means of perpetuating fraud an
! population in the Revenue department
n The interest of the money held in thi
) way at New York alone, is matter G
II grave consideration, and yet the Secreta
is ry quietly permits it to inure to the indi
d viduai use of the Collector! Errors i
i the returns Of the Naval Officer sine
q Hoyt's appointment have been discovered
4 which fact, coupled with the refusal Z
Ioyt 10 permit his returns to be probed
authorizes the suspicion that rank corrur
ton still corrodes the whole Custor
z House establishment.
% Touching the defalcations among Re
ceigers of the Public money in the Ian
IN Department, no less than FIFTEEN CA
al SEES Of the most palpable fraud and DE-
a falcation are reported by the majority, an
E E the conduct Of the Secretary in regar
:; thereto, freely commented on. Ever
/ statement is supported by documentar
& proof, and no loop is left upon which
y hang ;sll:ss,lbt as 70 the criminal guilt an
negligence Of these land ,e,llssndeTers an
their oyerseer at Washington.
ut The committee conclude by stating ths
i, these defalcations are not attributable /
n the defect Of the existing laws of Cor
s. gress. All law, they maintain, has bee
s. SET at defiance, and in such way as to nj
s thorize the belief that no legal restriction
whatsoever would lead TO a more CORE,
administration of The revenue department
s particularly while DE ministers Of the +,
y ecntive set at defiance the very rules an
y practices of their own department. Tt
% Sud Treasury therefore is tie very "a
g remedy that ought q be entertained. Ul
der Tie authorised operation ol rs
scheme, have already been pc
e oi1sd from fhe people