The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-09-06

life, they have sprung from most limited
means to be men of opulenoe. And il is still
more inexplicable TO US (uness upon theory
we shall hereafter mention) why the depart
ment at Washington has made NO striking re-
movals or changes, in the face OF this admitted
fact, that the collectors and assessors faa
utterly TO execute the law.
The action of the Treasury Department in
organizing the Metropolitan Board, is oOnfes-
sion of inability to collect the taxes imposed
by law through the machinery directly pre-
vided by law. The Board was contrivanss
to supplement the regular officers of the inter-
nal revenue. II was avowedly an attempted
repair of broken-dOwn machine. If a cor.
rect history of the inception of this Board
We're written, we think it would appear to be
the device Of those in New York WhO
despalred Of any effective thorough re-
form coming directly from Washington, and
bearing Immediately on the inspectors. as
SCISSORS, and collectors. It is said that Mr..
Tracy, the Federal District Attorney for tha
Eastern District of New York, was mainly in
strumental in getting up the Board. It is To
him that the Commercial refers as can in
domitably honest District Attorney and it
is admitted on all hands that he brought mora
labor, ability, and persistency to bear against
illicit whisky distillers than any one in the
public service. But he found that, acting
alone and with no more power than be uoS
giant who was stalking defantly through New
York and Brooklyn. He made efforts, there
fore, to induce the Treasury Department To
change its regulations about removals from
bonded warehouses, class B; but when that
was accomplished, bogus bonds, improper COM
promises, infrm prosecutions, fraudulent Off
GERS were still beyond his reach. Hence the
metropolitan Board, which required the
three adjacent district attorneys to act in
COncart. and nQrnitfan oh f0 ~
official acts OF the other and which placed all
internal revenue officers in this vicinity under
surveillance. Whether the project of this
Board was at first acceptable at Washington
we do not know. It was, at any rate. adopted
in the end, end we are informed and believe
that, early in its operation, there was an ire
pressible jealousy, rivalry, and finally open
hostility between Mr.. Tracy and certain other
members, which was carried before the Com
missioner, and involving the action of the
Deputy Commissioner therein. We have OBJ
served with curiosity that the Internal Revenue
Record, weekly publication in this city, the
official organ of the Bureau at Washington.
which is in the habit of discussing with free
dom matters of public interest in the internal
revenue service, says hardly word in oOp-
mendation OF the Board, but does express with
much force its conviction that no reform will
avail anything which does not start upon a
basis OF honest and efficient inspectors, asses
sOrs, and collectors. It's idea is that il is be-
ginning at the wrong end to select Board to
watch rogues in the subordinate offices. And
in this it is right The reform must begin at
the bottom, under the administration of q
penetrating chief at Washington. The Metro
politan Board may be well enough as an ex-
ceptional and temporary thing, provided it,
too, be run IN the interest of dishonest officials
who are in league with illicit distillers but
corruption in one branch of the department
will, before long, work its way everywhere.
1t must be got rid dof-not merely weeded out
1t must be eXtirpated.
In our opinion, the Internal Revenue Bureau
will never be purified until two things are
dOne:-
First. Mr.. McCulloch must cease to trust
SO implicitly certain subordinates, and must
really study into the practical working of the
Bureau. m
Secondly. There must be political harmony
between the Commissioner, the Secretary and
the President. Till that comes. all else will
be in vain, and there may be corrupt deputy
commissioners, district attorneys, collectors.
and assessors in office. As il stands now. and
there is known to be conflict of opinion as to
matters inside the Republican organization.
between these three officers, and that the
quarrel is bitter, If the Commissioner detects
and attempts to remove or otherwise discipline
an othcer, the latter instantly starts the cry
eAA"s NO 40 PoAoOSHbOO Wy tkl0 OOulLn1SSlOn0r be-
cause he is political sympathizer with the
Secretary or the President. So if the Score
tary initiates inquiry in respect to the con-
duct of an unworthy officer, the Commissioner
is made to think that the complaint comes
from the fact that the inculpated person is a
radical. The result is that nobody is re-
moved, and rogues have carnival.
We have no desire to see Democrat made
Commissioner. That would only complicate
troubles; but we do insist that the Internal
Revenue Bureau shall politically be in har-
mOny with the Secretary of the Treasury, and
the latter with the President. How that Is to
be done is matter of Republican politics.
But done it must be, or existing rottenpess
will give rise to uncomfortable stencil.
We dare say that Mr.. Rollins is amused bv
the claim set up that he is vital to the in
tegrity and security of the national revenue.
He would probably not deny that, with little
practical experience at Washington. Mr.. Traov,
or hundred other men easily named. oonld
administer the Bureau as efficiently as ia now
done. This idea that any one man is essential
to the proper on-gOing of the Government can
be pushed SO far as to make it ridiculous. It
has been carried up to the last point. and per-
haPs strained little, in the case Of Mr.. Nc
Culloch. - -