Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1864-01-13
THE ERA OF cRIMINArIoN.

but parody upon the similar accusations with
which the press and Parliament of England
resounded almost throughout the Crimean
war In q great measure the circumstances
giving rise to the state Of things there at that
period are identical with those by which our
Government has been surrounded since the
rebels first Nred on Sumter. Our system of
military disbursements was arranged to cover
comparati vely small expenditures, conducted
by men OF great experience and long tried pro-
bity. The war suddenly increased the aggre-
gate Of those disbursements twenty or thirty
fold, and necessitated the employment Of almost
an army Of untried and mex perienced men to
make them. Under the baneful custom OF
making all selections from civil life Of even
such employees on the recommends tion almost
entirely OF members Of Congress, which has
grown up here in the last thirty years, the
measure Of the applicants fitness to receive
the requisite congressional endorsement, is
what he or his have done, or what they may
be expected to do, to advance the personal in
terest Of the endorser, as public man.
While capacity to manage cross-road and
bar room caucuses is a capital qualification
Tor such utility to the member Of Congress, it
is really prfma fdcie evidence Of un11tness to be
entrusted with heavy disbursements on Gov
eminent account. The truth Of this axiom is
evident in the result of hundreds Of so made
appointments Men, whom none who. knew
them would entrust with the management OF
500, either because lacking confidence in their
integrity or in their discretion, once made as
sistant quartermasters, are necessarily en-
trusted with almost discretionary power in
disbursing from tens OF thousands to mil
lions OF dollars of the public money, each. In
many such cases, Were the money their own,
they could hardly take better care of it than
n ka NJ fha
SO frequently becomes the prize of the sharpers
who gather around them like 80 manv sharks
or alligators around scented prey
1t is but fair to say that the most difficult
vexatious and constitution wearing labors of
the heads OF the War Department-the Score.
rotary, First Assistant Secretary, Quartermas.
ter General and others charged with the duty
OF conducting its pecunary affairs-seem
have been in connection with the business Of
ferretiDg out, Furnishing ana preventing such
malfeasance as that to which we refer above
In this work their energy and sagacity have at
length secured for them such success, as that
they bid fair to cure the evil in far shorter time
than could have been reasonably hoped not
long since. They will doubtless succeed in
putting in operation changes in our system OF
military disbursements which will prove val
liable pre- ventatives for the future lea wing them
but to close up their SO successful labors in the
matter OF discovering and Furnishing frauds in
their department that have already taken place
We have always held that one most psrnlcious
source OF this evil has been congressional
jobbery. The opposition newspapers which are
now daily gloating over every development Of
success in the labors Of those at present respon-
sible for the conduct Of our public affairs, in
bringing to light malfeasanee, seem to ignore
the fact that for the last quarter Of a century
arfv fri
and House, have been notorious originators of
the state OF things thus being torn up by the
cots. moments reflection will enable the
well posted In congressional history to recall
mind the names OF dozens Of opposition
Senator'S and Representatives who came to
Congress poor, lad lett it rich through voting
and urging schemes into laws, and after wards
in procuring them to be SO administered by the
Departments as to fill their own pockets enor
mously-swamp land grants, railroad land
grants, steamship contracts, navy-yard site
purchases, renewals Of patents, and special
legislation generally. Once successful in push.
ing this specializing legislo ton through Con-
grsss, such Senators and Representatives had
but to use their influence as members OF a co.
ordinate branch of the Government, under the
specious plea of practiclng" their sprofessi
OF law" before the Departments, to make their
flching schemes triumphant. Such legislators
are justly responsible, in great part, for much
of the malfeasance of the times, in the examples
they thus set to men in hum bier positions We
may, however, truthfuIly point the public to
the energy and torce with which the authorities
are now endeavOring to extirpate this great
chronic evil wherever 1t has been discovered.
Never before was much earnestness dis
played in this good work nor was there ever
before SO great promise held out that the axe
will be applied to the root of the evil, as in the
apparent certainty that Senator Wade's anti
congr,s ional jobbing bill will soon become a