The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-11
FRIDAY, MARCH II, 1870.
DEFA ULTYNG NA VAL PAYMASrBRs

DEFA ULTING Ma VAL Pa YMASIBRS
TIE Secretary of the Navy has transmitted to
the House of Representatives, in answer to
resolution, the following names of naval pay
masters who are reported by the Fourth Audi
tor of the Treasury Department as defaulters
to the amounts specifed:-A. MoC. Bishop,
S9941 81; b. J. Cahoone, $23, 1874; Wash
ington Irving, $76,637i W. G. Marcy, $12l,-
s37,99; T.. @. Masten, $1261'sl; Emanuel
Mellach, $50, 470'60; Richard Washington,
S30,Si7'42; @. H. Lockwood, 1921, 226' '57;
Charles w. Hassler, $2304 OF; W. G.. Black
well, late acting assistant paymaster, $l23,
5S8'62. 1t is thought that some of these may
yet be able to get their accounts Strengthened,
and Secretary Robeson states that there are
others who are reported as deficient for va
rious amounts, but that their returns are not
rs yet complete enough to class them as de-
faulters.
The amounts given above figure up to
more than half million dollars, which sug-
gests the serious inquiry whether some addi-
tional safeguards cannot be devised to protect
the Government from the dishonesty or care
lessness not only of naval paymasters, but of
all who have the handling of the public
money. There is possibility and proba-
bility that some of the smaller deficiencies re-
ported in this instance by the Secretary of
the Navy may be attributed merely to the
want of proper attention on the part of the
paymasters in keeping their accounts, but
with regard to the large amounts, the only
reasonable presumption is that the tempta-
tions offered by the constant handling of
I,
3 of those to whom it was entrusted. The
system of keeping accounts adopted
by the Treasury Department is per-
haps as perfect as can be devised,
at least SO far as the army and navy are con-
cerned, and it is practically impossible for
paymaster to commit defalcation to any
large amount without being discovered. He
is also under bonds for large sum, and
every practical method of protection seems
Z to have been devised by the Government.
1t is absolutely necessary for carrying on the
operations of the army and navy to place in
The hands of the paymaster money and goods
often exceeding greatly in value the amount
of their securities, and then the Government
has to rely upon the system of checks pro-
vided by the method of keeping their
accounts If the amount of the bonds were
to be largely increased, it would be impossi-
BILE to find men to fill the position of paymas-
I ter, and the Government is consequently
often Obliged to run some risks, and to trust
this class of officers to an extent that is not
warranted by their securities. That the
Government has lost SO little through the
negligence or dishonesty of army and navy
paymasters is highly complimentary to the
paymasters themselves, and is proof of the
excellent working of the existing method of
keeping their accounts. That any naval pay
masters should be able. to abstract from the
funds committed to their charge amounts as
large as some of those named above, shows,
however, that some additional check ought to
be devised. A very effeetual method of putting
a stop to peculation, and of giving pay
masters an additional idea of the response
bilities, of their office, would be to prefer
criminal charges against the gentlemen who
are reported as deficient, and all others who
may not be able to straighten their accounts
in a satisfactory manner and to lock them up
in the penitentiary for term of years, as
punishment for their own misconduct and as
warning to others Indeed, it would
be to the advantage of all
branches Of the public Service if mon
who handle the funds of the Government
could be made to feel their responsibilities in
the samo manner; for there are men in
Offices of trust and honor who unfortunately
are only to be deferred from helping
themselves to the money committed to
their charge by the fear of such a punish
ment as we have indicated. Greater care,
too. ought to be taken in the approval of the
bonds of men who accept positions of pecu-
niary responsibility, SO that there will be a
reasonable amount of certainty that the Gov
ernment will be able to recover to that ex-
tent at least We hope that such an inyesti-
cation will be ordered In the cases Of these
defauiting offices as will lead to their punish
ment, unless they can give a satisfactory
account for every cent of the money in
trusted to them. This is due to the honest
men in the Paymasters' Corps, and to the
people of the country whose money has been
appropriated.
The POST OFFICE
aHEeE seems to be some misunderstanding