The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-01-05
TUESDAY, JANUARY s, 1869.
Yr,p,ing and stationery Frauds.

prtn,iug and Stationery Frauds.
Tag uublic only once in while get glimpse
of the corruption aud ,wiokedness that cling
about the Government at Washington, pu'
the fsw facts that do come to light are enough
to make us almost despair as to whether
notification is possible. General Grant pro-
badly intends, and the public certainly eX-
poets II of him, to make determined effort 10
break up the rings and lobbies that lntest
Washington. 1t is a question, however,
whether the cleaning Of this Augean stable
will not be beyond his powers; but IL he sue
ceeds In even partially putting stop to the
outrageous frauds upon the Government
which have been perpetrated with impuuity
during Andrew Johuson's administration, he
will be entitled to the thanks Of every good
citizen.
The New York Iri6une'S Washington cor
respondent yesterday made statement which,
II true in all particulars, puts Secretary
Browning in the position OF sustaining most
outrageous frauds on the Interior Department
in the matter of stationery and printing. II
seems that charges Of fraud against persons
holding contracts for supplying the Interior
Department with stationery were investigated
by a committee Of Congress last session, and a
resolution was reported annulling the con-
tract. Owing, however, to the adjourn
ment Of Congress, this was not acted
upon. Afterwards, on the complaint Of the
Commissioner of Patents that the stationery
furnished was of very inferior quality, a
commission was appointed by Secretary
Browning, composed, it is said, Of the friends
of the contractors. The commission reported
that the contract had been fulfilled in good
faith, and that they ought in addition to be
paid for 300, 900 sheets of bond paper which
the Acting Commissioner of Patents had never
ordered. Eight cents sheet was charged for
this paper, when its actual value was not
more than one cent and half sheet, and at
the rate at which it is now used the amount
furnished would last about dozen years.
According to the record of the Interior De-
partment, however, not more than $500 worth
of this paper was ever received, and nobody
knows what has become of the rest
According to the report of the Printing
Committee in July last, the Commissioner of
Patents found that six index books had been
charged at $25 apiece, whereas the six re-
ceived were, at the highest valuation, not
worth more than rs cents apiece; 46 caveat
books were charged at more than $40 apiece
and not more than ten were to be found in
the Office, and they not worth half the prics.
II was also discovered that the Patent 0fice
was paying $40 per 1000 patent cards not
worth more than s., and s22 for card tags
worth about 50; brown MANILA envelopes,
which, with printing added, were probably
worth 81 per 1000, cost the Department SiS
per 1000; and that 10000 were paid for,
while only 40, 900 were received.
These are but few items among many
showing how the Government was swindled,
and between the exorbitant charges and the
difference between the number Of articles
received and paid for, the profits of the con-
tractors must average about two or three
thousand per cent. Notwithstanding the fact
that these things were proved before the com
mittee of the House of Representatives, tbs
commissioner appointed by Secretary Brown
ing cleared the contractors, and the Secretary
ordered that they should be paid an additiona
$25, 900 for goods that were not in the con
tract, and that were never ordered.
Facts like these scarcely require comment,
and yet this swindle is probably an insignif
can't affair in comparison with some of thu
gigantic schemes of rascality that eat up th'
revenues of the Government. On the 4th o
March new President and new Congress
will assume the control of the Government
and the people of the country, burdened will
debt and ground down by taxation, will lool
TO them for the Inauguration of a reform au(
q more economical administration OF affairs
Such swindles as that which We have spoken
of have been submitted to long enough, and
those who have the power do not put stopt
this systematic plunder ofthe public treasury
no considerations ofpoltical expediency shoul'
prevent them from feeling the just indigns
tion Of the people, without regard to party.