Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1860-06-18
ne Pc. Of6ce Dspss,nenl hereinafter pro-

tor OF the fosl Omce Dspsftnehb heEe'eal'e' F'V
Thers shall be ikbpoinsed by The President.
with the consent Of he Senate. an auditor Of she
| UeesayS fur - PSF Ofzee Department whoss
DIT il Shall b 70 sceivs ill accounts arising In
tEs Paid Depertmeul or relative thereto. to andit
- settle the same. end esrfify their balances to
| ths Postmaster Generate "iIc shall keep and
preserve all accounts. with the vouchers and set
| Element. lie shall promptly report to the Post
master General all delinqucncies Of postmasters
in paving over the proceeds Of the Offices lie
shall close the accounts quarterly. and transmit TO
| the Secretary of the Treasury quarterly state
IN. nts Of its receipts and expenditures.
The Auditor OF The Post Uice Department
shall sup-rntend the collection of all debts due
to the Department and all the penalties and f,r-
fixture, imposed on postmastcrs for failing to make
returns rr pay over the procoeds Of their Offices.
lie shall direct suits snd loyal proceeding. and
take all such measures n may be authorized by
law TO enforce the prompt payment OF moneys
due to the Department"
And again:
| regard it a. clear from the Auditors own
showing that the deficits OF Mr.. Fowler, which
were indicated from quarter 10 quarter during re-
yeral wears. sli appeared through tho debts and
credits posted upon his ledgers, except thnse two
oc.urrn, within the ak months Immediately pre-
ceding the final discovery aud exposure OF the
emhesxlement II is also evident that, when the
rest" was made in this running account on
the 18th Of November, 1858, it was known to the
Auditor that Mr.. Fowler was u defaulter to the
amount Of S76,87l. sc, up to the Goth Of Soptem.
Der. 1858. Nor does the fact that the account
WAS then balanced by appropriat'ng the revenues
Of o subsequent quarter in any manner confuse or
obscure this knowledge. This operation lett more
than six weeks Of the quarter, Tor those receipts
there were corresponding DEF osies. This ex-
hFbted u default perfectly apparent TO the Auditor,
but which could not be known 10 the finance office
of this department. because it had no knowledge
that such peryerson Of the depo-ites it had supe.
rintendcd had been allowed. The general pr,n-
ciple that debtor may direct the application Of
payment, md his failure to do 70 that such APP
plication may be made by the creditor. is not de.
niod, but its bearing on the question under CON
sideration is not received; tho weekly deposies
required by law, and tho regulations OF the De-
partment are intended to be- and are in fact tho
current revenues. and they should lie held to meet
the liabilities Of the quarter in which these reye-
MUGS arose. Such an appropriation OF them us
was made in this case, il permitted. would defeat
tbe whole object of the law, by retaining for
weeks and months in the hands oi deiaulting Off
GERS the public moneys which the statute contem-
plates shall be promptly placed in tho Treasury
for the use OF tho Government; but, whether tho
appropriation was rightiully wroneiully madc.
il disclosed to oil concerned in the act the exist
ence Of defalcation.
While prounouncing, as | feel constrained to
do. this application of part Of the deposits ot
the last quarter OF 1858 10 be irregular, and tend
ing alike To subyert the true policy of the law and
10 favor tho concealment Of the em beZzement that
was in progress, it is due to the memory Of my
lamented predecessor to shy that the statement
that the account was thus closed bv his direction
rests solely on the authority OF the Sixth Auditor
After dilgent inquiry | am justified in saying
that there is no trace in this Department OF any
such order, nor any knowledge the part Of
those concerned in its administration that such
proceeding even had the sanction Of the Postmas.
ter General.
Having, then, the knowledge Of this deialca-
ton, was not tho Auditor bound to communicate
1t to the Postmaster General2 Can 1t be suppos-
ed that he believed this knowledge had already
reached the present head Of this Department. and
TINT, with ali the endeavors he was making to re-
trieve tho postal revenues from their cmbnrrnss-
mcnts, he was capable of permitting this VAT
sum to he embezzlea and tho amount increased
from quarter to quarter without making II single
effort To arrest the crime dlsrnss tho offender
from the public service. The snrposiion liz too
extrayaglnt to be INDUCED.
With this evidence before Va, s'racted from
the report Of the Postmaster General, it is mpos-
sible to eyade the point he makes. 10 wit: " that
in the case OF tho New York rostr' aster tho Au-
ditor failed to perform his duty by communication
or intima,ion of any kind. an hence tho deralca-
ton was permitted to grow from quarter TO quar-
ter. and trou year to year. until it attained tho
startling proportions which it bore whom finally
brought to light" Nor can we escape tho concla-
sion at which he arrives that. had tho proper
Vigilance been exercised. either the deposits would
haso been entered at the times and in the amounts
due, or The postmaster would have been dismiss.
ed as delinquent from the service" With such
evidences OF crime, winked Mt and tolerated for
years by the public Departments, can wo longer
doubt tho declaration Of Senator Toonbs. that
this is the must corrupt government on earth =
or tho testimony Of MIR. Pryor that "lfom the
byways and highways of the government the rot
teness oi corruption is sending forth au insuifcra-
BILE stenchf'