American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-02-24
A STUPENDOUS FRAUD.
The Administrat ION Trying to Hide u
S6,OOO.OOO Defalca iOn---IIoW the
Documents nre D0ctored.

country 1t has been characterized from the
very beginning 10y open venality, shameless
corruption, and systematic jobberV. start
ing with the barter of Cabinet places for cor
ncr lots, fine mansions. and valuable libra
ries. the same principle Of 9,dd pro quo has
been extended to the most insignificant ap-
pointment- 1t is true that capacity has been
sought for. but it was capacity to condense
handsomely. Grant regarded the great offices
which were his to hestow, in the same light
rs he did the salary attached to his own.
They were his to do with as he chose: and he
determined to make all he could out of them.
They were merely perqusites Of right belong
ing to his office. and could he leGitimatcly
used to paw a debt or reward q friend So
firmly was this idea rooted in his mind, that
when a salutarv law stood in the way of such
disposal of one of the most responsible
offices within his gift, he demanded of Con
gresS lis instant repeal
THE ERA OF FRAUD.
With such code of morality, or rather
immortality to guide the official conduct of
the Chief Magistrate, is it strange that fraud.
corruption and bribery should be found in
every department of the government? With
such conspicuous example before them, is
ii to be wondered that subordinates should
determine to make all they could out of their
ofhees. When the President becomes spec
ulator in Seneca sandstone, and Il gold gam
bier, is il strange that poor pavmaster
should initiate him? When the executive
head of the nation uses his high official posi-
ton to promote schemes for his personal ag
grandiZement, and the people do not rise in
their might and demand his Impeachment,
shall an insignificant clerk who follows his
example. and speculates with the peoples
money. be consigned to a convict's cell, and
no word of sympathy be extended him?
CASES IN POINT.
But it is not alone the Executive Chief
who is setting this bad example. 1t is true
that he is the most conspicuous, but he has
apt imitators among his Constitutional adj
visers. Do we need proof? 1t is partially
furnished by one who but recently stood in
InSn md Sol lat
Gen Alfred Pleasonton having been re
moved from the office of Commissioner of
Internal Revenue by the President, addresses
his complaint to the Senate. In this he makes
the following charge:
George s. Boutwell, Secretary of the Treasury
has unsettled accounts to a large amount before
Boutwell, was Commissioner of Internal Revenue
and which unsettled accounts rendered the said
person to NEEDLE with the concearns of the In
ternal Revenue Bureau
But here is another quotation:
- 1t is claimed that the appointment of James
W. Douglass, as acting Commissioner NOW con-
frmed), on the suspension of. the Commissioner
(Pleasanton) was in violation of section Is of the
act of August 6. 1916. the said Douglass having
been Collector of the Nineteenth Internal Revenue
District of PENNSYLVANIA, at Ellie, when some 800
600 were embezzled from the funds in his charge
in the year 1864, and from that time up to the day
OF MS appointment as acting Commissioner he
never properly accounted for the same. and his
accounts had never been disposed of or settled
by the accounting officers of the Treasury
THE PRESIDENT INVOLVED.
But Gen. Pleasonton is not satisfied with
this arraignment of the Secretary of the
Treasury and his friend, Commissioner Doug
lass He charges the President with com
1t is claimed by the undersigned that as Com
missioner of Internal Revenue, he reported to the
PRESIDENT the usurpations of Secretary Boutwell, as
well as the unsettled state of the said Boutwells
accounts in the Internal Revenue Bureau He also
o,nts o. 20 ,ne esl6enl me condlon OF the ac
acting Commissioner of Internal Revenue. and re-
made while the undersigned was in Office that he
would enable him to establish the above facts No
such examination made -
ASKING FOR AN INVESTIGATION.
The Secretary of the Treasury and the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue are thus
ofhcially reported to the President de-
faulters, and an investigation demanded, but
he refuses to order it made This is shield
ing persons accused of being criminals and
makes him. in the eyes of the law, 5,ryficeDs
cltnii'sis. 1t is alone sufficient, if proven to
warrant his impeachment We are ready to
furnish the proofs, and will, at the proper
time and in the proper order, lay them be-
fore Congress and the people. They are not
groundless charges, and the President and
his admirers dare not deny them. We will
merely indicate how the proofs establishing
the correctness of the charge against Mr.
Boutwell, may be obtained and perhaps some
friend of the Administration in the Senate
will move an investigation On the Goth of
February, 1869, Senator Buckalew, of Penn
sylvania, offered the following resolution
which was unanimously agreed to:
Resofred. That the President he requested to fur
nlsh to the Senate statement. if any has been
filed. OF the account of Internal Revenue stamps
issued by the Government since the passage of the
act approved July I, 1852. with the amounts re-
of such account by the Comptroller if any has
been made with any explanation of such account
its present Condition 10 see Sp G "a Of
SIX MILLIONS DEFICIT.
This reads as if it had been premeditated,
and it was. The stamp account, extending
over period of six years and half amount
ed to j6,0OO,OOO. 1t was known to be unad-
1usted, never having been audited and settled
from the time Mr.. Boutwell, was appointed
Gommlssioner The President, Andrew
johnson, had asked for statement of this
account, and Secretary Mccullough, knowing
the true condition of the account, detailed,
or rather designated, good and trustwor-
thy clerk from the Treasury Department
proper, to audit the account and prepare the
statement After some nine months hard
work the statement was prepared, and, with
the accompanying vouchers, showing the
true condition of the account, with deficit
OF about S6,OOO,OOO, was handed over to his
superiors. This statement was so distaste-
full to Commissioner Rollins and his depu-
ties, that they suppressed it, and never al
lowed it to see the light
WHOLESALE DocToRING
Secretary Mccullough then permitted Rol-
Inns to select his man from the Internal Rev
enue Bureau to audit the account and make
3" st"tcAhCHt. luls he ulu, ana submitted n
statement balancing the account to Il cent.
1t was not accompanied by single voucher,
and the balance was forced. Evidence ex-
lists on file in the registry of the Treasury
department which allows fair inference to
be drawn that the clerk was specially paid for
this work. His account, without a single
voucher, was approved by the Fifth Auditor
and passed to the First Comptroller, Robert
W. Taylor, who rejected it. President john
son was informed of this, and asked for the
account, and it was given to him. The clerk
who had made the first statement hearing
this, caused copy of his statement, which
he had Privately made, also to be communi-
Gated to Mr.. johnson.
PUTTING OUT THE FUSE OF SHELL.
1t was then that Mr.. BuckaIew's resolution
was offered. 1t was not known that it was a
bomb-shelI which might blow up the unwary,
and hence it was allowed to pass without an
objection. They rested secure in the belief
that the Comptroller had the thing safe, and
calculated that the near approach of the close
of the session and the speedy termination OF
Johnson's reign would not give him an OPP
pOrtunity to make noise. They were un,
deceived that night and were badly fright
ened when they learned the true state of the
case The next morning, Senator Conklino
moved that the resolution offered by Mr.
Buckaiew be rescinded. He was informed
that il had been sent to the President He
instantly moved that the President be re-
quested to return it ; which was agreed to-
tSec CON. Globe, p. 1873. But four more
days remained of President Johnson's term,
and there was no opportunity to take further
action on the matter
MAKING THE WORK SURE.
The request of Gen Plea sonton to Presi-
dent Grant, for an examination of this ac-
count, was notification to them that some
body still had the clue to unrayel and exnose