The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-07-16
Frauds on the GOvernmeut-NecessIt of
Immediate Action by Congress.


FFon the Herald
The amazing and lately discovered frauds on
the Government, through the evasion or non
collection of the tax on whisky and other arti-
cles, cannot fail to arouse the attention of the
people to the utter ineficiency of the Secre-
tary of the Treasury. The evil has reached
such a magnitude that Congress will be guilty
of gross neglect of duty if it should not 'imme-
diately demand the removal of Mr.. McCulloch,
and thorough investigation into the ruinous
mismanagement of the Treasury Department.
His incapacity is costing the country some
thing like two hundred millions a year. and is
fast bringing the republic to a state of bank
ruptcy. Should Congress be so unmindful of
this startling fact and adjourn without de-
manding his immediate removal. we shall nro-
badly lose another hundred millions between
this time and the meeting of that body in De-
cember. We shall find ourselves having de-
dciency in the revenue and unable to meet the
expenditures of the Government at the same
time the people are taxed to the limit of for
bearance and at time when there ought to
be supeTabundant income.
The facts are so astounding that even the
friends OF the Secretary cannot ignore them
One of our trimming contemporaries of this
city, while attempting to expose some of the
frauds in whisky, tobacco and petroleum. en-
deavors to whitewash Mr.. McCulloch. In the
face Of these revelations it speaks of his skill
and wisdom in managing the financial affairs
of the nation, and tries to shift the RESPONSE
bility on his subordinates and on President
johnson. But no forced apology or labored
MISREPRESENTATION can deceive the people as to
the really responsible party. Mr.. McCulloch
is to blame. To blame, we say, but that word
is too mild; guilty is not too strong word for
such gross neglect of duty. Suppose a man
at the head of any large business establish
ment should permit fraudulent agents and
outside rascals to steal more than third OF
his employers income, and bring them to the
brink of bankruptcy, how should we charac-
terize his conducts We should say 1t was
little short of being criminal, if at all though
the delinquent might not be reached by the
laws. What is the difference between the case
of such a person and that of the man at the
head of the Treasury None, except in the
Ofense being magnifed in proportion to the
amount of the loss. The guilty manager OF q
business firm may lose his employers ten
fifty, or a hundred thousand dollars; Mr..
McCulloch has lost the people and Govern
ment, whose servant he is, hundreds OF mil
hors.
Let us repeat the facts which we have stated
before, in order that the public may not lose
sil ht Of them. Sixty or seventy millions Of
O., Ions of whisky a year are manufactured II
us country. This must be regarded as low
es mate when we consider that ninety millions
a ear were produced before the war. The
Ia is two dollars gallon. The revenue from
I'll article alone should be from hundred
and twenty millions TO hundred and forty
mi lions; yet according to present returns th'
amount will not reach twenty or thirty mil
lions. In plain terms, Mr.. Mcculloch ha