The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-07-26

Morn GovTRSsrHr DTsAICArroNs-TaS HEADS
Or DEPAasMSrs n FAcLT.-We perceive that
aoother defaleat.on in one of the departments
Of the general government has come to light at
Washington this time to the amount of $50, 900.
The pasmaster OF the marine force, it appears,
has become defaulter in that sum, and has
been dismissed the service. The stable door
has been carefully locked and bolted after the
horse is stolen.
We stated several months ago, upon credible
information, that numerous defalcations existed
in many of the government departments. where
upon the Constitution at Washington few into
violent passion, denied the allegation. and &C
cused Us of malice and all the crimes in the cal
endar for insinuating such a thing of the respec'
table persons at the heads of the public depart
mentA But now it seems the defalcations are
coming out one by one. First, there was the
New York Post Office deficit of $I55 900; then
here was default in the Post Office at New
Orleans Of some $4,000, to which we briefly
alluded before; and now in the Marine Depart
ment at Washington, under the very eyes of the
government, we hear of o defalcation TO the
amount of $4,000 We will venture to assert
that. if all the shortcomings Of our public de
partments were fully investigated, defalcations
would be found, not only in the sum of half 3
million. but Of many millions of dollars.
The reason for this malfeasance is clearly TO
be found in the incompetency of the heads Of
the departments at Washington. They do not
seem to know what is going on among their
subordinates, or how the affairs of their depart
ments are managed, until after the mischief is
done. The manner in which the defalcation in
the New York Post Office was effected proves
that the Postmaster General knows nothing at
all about keeping accounts. The fact is that
the heads Of the departments instead of attend
ing to their business are looking after the gene
raj politics of the country and the election for
the Presidency.
When any Of these defalcations are discover
ed the opposition invariably charge the blame
upon the President, who is wholly innocent in the
matter, and who is perhaps, after all, the only
honest man in the government. Take, for ex-
ample, the infamy manifested by the Covode
Committee, where the very men who gave EVIL
dence which was designed to inplicate the
President in all kinds of trumped up charges of
fraud and corruption only testified to their own
villany. Wendell and Forney and the rest of
them were mixed up in lot of corrupt jobs in
which they expected the President to assist
them; but finding that he stood firm, and that
they could not use him, they turned round and
endeavored to fasten upon him completely with
their own base schemes How completely they
failed in doing so, and how thoroughly they
exposed their own rascality and meanness,
everybody knows.
The truth is that radical revolution is need
ed in every administrative department of the
federal government, as may be clearly seen by
the repeated dafalcations and Encouragement
which are being brought to light every day.
We want competent business men at the head Of
the governmental bureaus, not mere politicians
and President makers; and until such men are
placed there we will have no end Of deialca-
tons and frauds.