Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-01-18
THE BUREAU I'M MEMPHIS.
: be W2y Il is Used to 0efraud lie
Negro.

/ We extract the following from the Gin
/ ciuuati E1sqgi5 sT OF The ljth instant, where
/ IL appears over the signature OF Lex
/ Whether true or not we cannot say, bat
! syc would not BE- surprised, remembering
I tho report recently made to the Pension
Bureau at W -hiuelOu, II IL were Jrue IL
/ every word. line and suggestion:
/ "Ths Erssdmen's Bureau, too, must
/ keep Itself alive in the same way. Could
I the whole country see the manner IN
which uJuuties arc paid TO COiored troops
/ IA tho south. ali would conclude that iJ l.
! not only b fraud upon the Government
/ but also upon the soldier. BY way OF pro
/ leo.inE tAe parties to whom the bounty
I belongs, Gnd uador the prssenSs that the
wards Of the Republic will be greatly
I swIudied unless paid by the Immaculate
I agents ct this Bureau, these parties are
! stationed az different points IN tl6 south,
I Ihroulb whom the money Is disDUrsed.
/ THESE very honorable uen, 10 whom the
Government has given the whole matter,
/ all receive handsome salaries, and employ
dS many clerks as their IudOlenC5 and
( creed may dictate. Al tAls point, one
I Palaior does tho Sllty work of this Bu-
reau. TO maintain yls and live isy, he
/ has two clerks OF ike kidney with hinl-
self, one Of whom does the swearing ia
/ the Office, and thus the outside world may
/ not know Oh Wbat authority or 10 whom
! disbursau aulents are being made,
faiS very cuuBlngi y devised scheme
covers up transactions that would ether
wise gee rhe. light OF day. II some fiCti-
/ lioUs son OF the ebony race IS paid on
/ proofs equally fictitious, 80 the report oi
/ this secret conetsve is all right, who would
/ Tor a moment doubt the gcnuiness Of the
| transaetionY Bar ali this would cost
! money, beside opening wide th3 door TO
/ frauds upon The Treasury. Not less than
one thousand dollars monthly Is thus use
| lesSly ca peud5d at this point alone, We
/ say useisssly expended, for the Reason
/ tn4t there is rot reiisbie bank III Menu
/ phis but that would gIadiy disbulss this
/ Iund Tree Of charge. And yel IL IS LEFT 70
the management cg irresponsible parties,
/ without even selng required In many in
stances TO furnish Jbg security required
/ by Jaw. This was the case at New Orleans,
! Lake Providence, and other points ia tue
! south. where the kf0F6fnD5nc lost largely
/ by ths the deialo3lt0n OF bureau Agents.
! :" Not only is this relic OF the war ox-
.remely expensive and fraudulent in its
! workings, but imposes heavy burdens
I upou the men and women 70 whom these
| b5unties are due and payable. After col
! lection by the attorney Or claim agent, an
unnecessarily long ngns elapses before
payment Is made 20 the rightful claimant.
/ Instead Of facilitating payment, eyerv OBJ
/ slacia Is iutsypossd 10 cause delay and ex-
Dens5 10 the soldier. Not less than
/ lWo and often IS many as three aud i0uF
/ pllgrimagys must be made 10 MeGIghls
/ before Jhs mousy can Ge obtained, and
/ this, 100, after it has been collected Tor
months by tie attorney.
The negro comes 10 the city expecting
/ TO receive his money; his attorney informs
I him Il has been collected and in The hands
1 of the Bureau for months, perhaps years.
| With light heart and buoyant hopes be
| starts out in search OF the agent OF this
! asylum for dead beats" He is ushered
| iulo the august presence only 10 learn
/ that '' bis money Is liot Jhere, Dat may he
at Washington" and be "wilI write and
/ ascertain;'' TO come back in ABOUT two
weeks and Sign vouchers" On this an
/ nouncemeut, the negro goes home, per-
! haps one hundred and Atty or two hundred
miles distant. aud returns again at the ex-
/ pIregiou OF The tiuie allotted, signs his
! vouchers. and Is then very graVely in
/ formed shat hs must come back il two
/ weeks ard he can have his bounty. Thus
/ is the poor ignorant negro imposed upon
/ and Wronged by his pretended guardian
/ and protector.
/ b" I is amusing to see how these disin-
1 tereS ed phiianthropis;s work to retain
position and continue tbeAXistenee of this
( w8rt upon the body pOliti0 OF the South.
! Whenever they thuik there IS prospect
Z of the Bureau being abolished, the R4di
/ cal press teeids win blood aud thunder
r ports OF K1-Klux Outgages and swim
/ diiug claim agents, and that, were it not
/ for their projecting care. the poor African
! would bs robbed OF everything and killed,
or forced 10 leave the country; when the
! tru Is, the negro prays as often as good
/ old uaniel did to 10 delivered nom these,
/ his pretended friends. And as for the
white people of the South, no one vino
/ prelends TO responsibility would be seen
I in the company of these sharks.
+" so the payment OF bounties to colored
! troops drags its slow length along;' and
! though they should all have been paid in
( six months, the work at present rate will
not be finished IN the present century, noE
4 even 10 the next, unless the business is
taken out Of the hands Of these philan-
/ throgists"