New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-12-04
TILE XLIID CONGRESS.

THE XLIID CONGRESS-.
| The long session of the Mild Congress
begins at noon to-day, and VIC trust the PrCsi-
dents Message will be transmitted within the
next hour or two. The state of our relations
with Spain growing out of the instruction in
| Cuba, with the novel Congerics of international
| lawsuits through which we have agreed TO
| settle our claims on Great Britain and hers on
| us growing out of our late civil war, invest
| this Message with unusual interest.
That Congress will do little at this session
is generally assumed the only reason assigned
being the tendency of Presidential Election.
| We do not perceive the Legitimacy of such a
| conclusion from such premise. That many
more bills will be introduced than will be
passed, is probable; what novelty is there in
that q? 1t seems to be generally understood
that the SantO Domingo Annexation project
will be allowed to stand over: but public senti-
ment is not ripe for its adoption and, if il
were pressed, it would probably be defeated,
even though no Presidential election We're at
hand. That good deal moro Twill be said
than done ms to changes in the Tariff, is pre-
dcted but that is safe prophecy six sessions
ont of seven. That the Income Tax and
several other internal taxes will be swept away
with very little opposition. (Sccretary Bout
well, if he should still demur, standing nearly
| alone,) is as clear as anything future we'll can
| be. That land grants for Railroads must stand
back until the country shall have been satisfied
that the grants already made have been provi-
dent and wisely bestowed, is morally certain
| On the whole. the portents argue session OF
moderate interest and uncomfortable results.
On one point, we hope to witness generous
rivalry between the two political parties; W,
allude to defacatOns and embellishments by
those intrustcd with Public Moneys, whether
for disbursement or safe-keepng. If the mi
nority will but approach this subject in a
spirit of candor and liberalIty, we are conf
dent that they will have no reason to com
plain that the majority do not meet them
frankly and fairly. 1t is the interest and the
right of the People that the whole truth should
he known; and resolutions of inquiry, no mat
ter how searching will, if cOuched in proper
language encounter no serious opposition.
| We arc confident that such inquiry will elicit
| facts proving that the sum total Of recent
| losses by aefaulters and peculators is far less
than il generally supposed-tliat 1t has been
less under Gen. Grant than for a correspond
ing period under his immediate predecessor.
In either case, false popular impressions are
produced by the fact that a collector of internal
revenue stands charged on the Bureaus books
with all the assessments placed in his hands
for collection: if he dies or is removed, or
abscOnds, the amount collected and paid over
by him is deducted and balance struck which
makes him q debtor for many thousands, when
most of this usually consists of sums which he
could not, or at least did not, collect. Until
lis accounts arc finally settled, this may be
unavoidable; but it gives the impression that
five to twenty times as much has been stolen
as the facts will warrant.
We adduce these considerations without the
faintest desire to preclude inquiry or fOrestall
criticism. We are anxious that tho whole
truth should I've developed at the earliest pos
sible day. We would know how and why
losses have been Suffered in the past, in order
that losses in the future may be prevented. 1t
gives little satisfaction to be told that Pay
master Hodge is in the Albany Penitentiary:
we want to know how he was enabled to
steal and squandcr over 100000 80 that little
or nothing can DO recovered. Had lie been
Paymaster in Alaska, or even Arizona, we
could easily suppose that he was necessarily
intrustcd with large sum and had rare Op-
portunitics for embezzlement; but that, while
stationed in Washington, under the very eye
of the Paymaster- C eneral and of the Treasury
accountants, he should have been drawing
checks for $4,000 each on the Now-York Sub
Treasury payable to bearer, and using the
proceeds in safeguarding, we do not yet
understand; and the fact that tle Treasury
and the Paymaster- General seem each to
throw the blame OH the other is not assuring.
Let us have all the facts In this and every
case OF embezz!ement developed and we shall
not only know where to lay the blame but
how to guard against kindred losses eycrmore.