The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-08-23
Astounding Corruption.

WASHINGTON, D c., August T.
Mr.. William P. Wood, late Chief of
the Secret Service of the Treasury
Department, publishes a card to-day
severely assailing Secretary Bout
well. He vas for a long time in a
position to know the secret working of
the Department, and he threatens 10
publish a pamphlet in which he says
he will have the following facts:
L. That there are q million of dol
lars of Government bonds which have
been, and are now, in daily progress
of exchange and redemption, while the
true owners are receiving the interest
due on said bonds. The identical
bonds drawn have been received or
exchanged by the Government under
Secretary Boutwell,, as also his pred
ecessor, through the connivance of
inscriptions bankers and ignorant
and corrupt officials of the Govern
ment, by erasures and fictitious num-
bering of genuine bonds, the result of
which will be that the Government
will either have to suffer the loss of
these bonds or be relieved from loss
by some special act of Congress, in
which case the government will be the
loser of thousands and thousands of
dollars on the article of registered
bonds alone.
2. 1t will be shown that the paper
transactions of the Treasury Depart
ment are of such character they will
not bear a fair examination without
exhibiting the Secretary's ignorance of
the subject or his connivance at the
glarirg frauds and favoritism which
has been in practice under this adj
ministration of the Department. Al
so showing that fiber paper for bank
note and other purposes as a preventive
against counterfeiting is a delusive
theory which will be established by
statistic details and mechanical expe-
rience. 1t will also be proven that
the honorable Secretary disposed of
the valuable paper making machinery
of the Government at fourth its
original cost, and at less than one-half
the sum offered for the machinery by
parties who were not his favorites.
3. That through George S. Bout
wells want of manliness he stoops TO
petty, mean resorts to defame those
around him who do not volunteer
subsereience to his dictations, indifer-
ent himself as to whether such dicta-
tons are in accordance with law or
otherwise ; and such examples will be
| given as should make every honorable
man detest the political demagogue
who now presides over the Treasury
Department.
4. A synopsis ofhis clerical, mer
camille and political history will be
given, as we'll as his career as Com
missioner of Internal Revenue; and
by example an inquiry will be sub
United to know in what other light
than a defaulter to the Government
the now Secretary Boutwell, car be
regarded because of the amount x
pended, malappropriated or p%urloined,
equal in amount to between two and
administration of the Bureau, which
remains unsettled to the present day.
Mr.. Wood closed his communica-
lion as follows: During the interval
l may forward n communication to
General Pleasanton, the present Com
missioner of Internal Revenue, in
curing of him under what law and
from what specially appropriated fund
1 am to be paid the amount condition
ed by virtue of the commission and
written agreement which 1 now hold
from Hon. George 5. Boutwell,, Sec
rotary of the Treasury, it being a well
known fact that Congress refused to
pass a bill giving him authority, as
Secretary of the Treasury, to make
conditions in such cases. 1 will in
close in the said communication of
inquiry the original commission to
myself from the Groton financier by
which the Commissioner may compre-
bend the reasons taken for the interest
in that speciality, and with the proof
and explanations 1 will furnish to show
the unblushing ~hypocricy and sneak
ing treachery of the man who most
unfortunately for the country is now
DESTROYS of running the Treasury De
partment as if he owned the whole
concern.