Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-04-14
FRAUDS IN THE TREASURY PRINT
ING BUREAU.

Treasury Department has but re
Gently been made public. To thos
who know how often charges o
fraud, corruption and inefficiency
have been brought against this i'm
portant Bureau, and with what per
sistence previous committees, ap
pointed for similar purpose, have
either concealed entirely or CLOSED
over the facts in relation to bonds
distracted, duplicated, or unac'
counted for, the present report will
present abundant food for refec-
ton. In the earlier issues of bonds
the loss is small but as soon as
heavier operations commenced, and
the Printing Bureau was taxed to
It's utmost capacity in manufacturing
the different classes of securi-
ties authorized by Congress, the
looseness with which the business
Ofthe Bureau was conducted, and the
carelessness with which the accounts
were kept, rendered it difficult
to ascertain, with any degree of
certainty, how many bonds were
actually issued to the public, and
how many were distracted and put
into circulation by dishonest per-
sons. The following extracts from
the report Of the committee will
give some indication of the pro-
bable losses sustained by the Treas
ury, although the committee have
not succeeded in tracing the miss
ing bonds to any of the officials or
employees connected with the bu-
reau. OF the first loan of 1861 the
committee state that one bond of
81 1000 is missing and not account
ed for. OF the Treasury notes is
sued in March, 1861, being twoa
year notes, two notes Of 81, 900 are
unaccounted for, and OF these no
explanation can be obtained. The
next loan is the Oregon war debt,
issued under the act of March .,
1861. or this loan fourteen cOu-
pom bonds of $500 each we're alleg-
ed 10 have been lost in the steamer
Golden Gate, and Congress, on what
was supposed to have been evidence
of the fact, authorized those four
teen bonds to be duplicated and
paid over to the claimants. 1t now
turns ont that the bonds were not
lost at all nineteen coHpons--some
beng Of the original, and some of
the duplicate bonds-having since
been redeemed at the Registers Of
fee. ."From this it cOnclusively
appears" say the committee, "that
either the coupons were separated
from the bonds before the sailing
of the steamer, or that the bonds
themselves did not go on the
steamer and were not destroyed
The latter alternativei is no no doubt
the true one
1t is further remarkable that, al
" though a bond Of indemnity was
given upon the issuing Of the du
plicatcs, no steps have been taker
by the Treasury officers to enfOrct
it. OF the 500 bonds, lst series
only one of 81 200 is missing, anC
of which no explanation has beeI
given.
We come next to the three yea
$50 notes, I'd series. "Of this Sc
ries," the committee state, 9Th
American Bank Note Compan.
printed, Of the denomination o
fifty dollars, I15,5O2 notes, Will
the officers of the Treasury accoun
for only II5,2I9 notes, leaving
difference of 2S3 notes. OF thos
of the denomination of one hundre
dollars the company delivered 1913
900 notes, of which the Treasur
officers account for 1892 note.
leaving difference Of 3,O73 notes
OF those of the denomination c
one thousand dollars, the compan
delivered $3.50 notes, and tn
officers account for AZ, 400, leavin
a difference of so notes. OF tho!
of the denomination of five thol
sand dollars, the company delivere
1926, of which the Treasury Office
account for ., JAG, leaving 70 una
counted for. No entry in any boo
respecting these missing notes is
be found.
The hypothesis of the officers
ale Treasury is that the notes we
destroyed in the course of bushes
and that the specific character
their destruction, which, in I
course of business, should ha
been forthcoming, has been lost
Concerning the $40 bonds,
series. the committee remark Il
the evidence of the destruction
50 coupon bonds of fifty doll:
each is mot perfect, but probabl
lG4 other bonds of the same {
nomination are not accounted
at all, and of the bonds of this
sue, amounting in the aggregate
235,596 bonds Of various demon
atoms, ranging from $50 to 81 o
which are claimed to have b.
handed over to a committee
destruction, the committee 81
"The direct evidence is entirely
complete to show that the boz
wore actually destroyed, AS no do