The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1872-09-03
From the Washington Citv Patriot
FRAUDS in the Treasury DepaSl-
& Dlent. 4"

plated and mutilated, that interiineatlOns
are COMMON, that false figures are pub
lshed, and that balances have been forced
when agreement was impossible. There
is every reason to believe that many mil
lions Of bonds have been issued iii dt1pli-
cate, and that the people are now paying
interest upon these fraudulent bonds by
the connivance of the Secretary of the
Treasury. ttE
We assert, and challenge contradiction,
that the aggregate of the public debt is
not known, and cannot be established by
any official statements emanating from
the Treasury Departments and we are pre-.
pared to prove by Mr.. Boutwell's own re.
ports, made up in his own Office, and un-
der his own direction, that the exhibits Of
debt are false, fabricated, and utterly
worthless. These are serious charges,
but they are made with full knowledge
Of all The responsibility which is involv-
ed, and with the documents at hand to
make good every allegation. And now
for the proof:
In the Finance Report of 1869, page
XXIX,, Mr. Boutwell, states the public
debt, or 50th 5tihe, 1869, '%'& 'ai +
to be af $9,b5G6O3,95s rs
The monthly statement Jnly1, -s'r
, 1869, signed by Nr Boutwell,,
gives the debt on that day 2,6f5, ,ttO,294 I6
IN the Finance Report for 1879,
page XIV, Mr. Boutwell,
states the total debt for June .-.,
80 1869, at 9,5S8, ,452, ,2fS 81
Here are three separate official state
ments, all from the Secretary Of the
Treasury, protesting to give the aegre
gate of the public debt en- the 30th Of
Jtne, 1863 and each alphabetically con
Lradicts the other These are Mr.. Bout
wells own figures,with the exact day and
date as he published them. Who can say
which of the statements is correct, and,
as they disagree by many millions, what
reliance can be attached to either?
The fiscal year being JHly l, 1859, was
the starting point for the financial policy
Of this Administration. BY it all com
parison must stand or fall. Consequent
ly the alleged reduction of the public
debt siuce then. when tested by that stan
itlard, is subjected to the confusion o.
three different sets of figures, and neces
sarily produces three different results -
Mr.. Boutwell, chooses the one which suits
his purpose best, and the public chooses
another. So that direct and irreconci
liable conflict must exist in any attempt tc
reconcile the discordant statements
Take an illustration to simplify this prop
osition. On the Est of July, 1872, Mr.
Boutwell, certified the reduction of publit
t debt between June 80, 1869, to that date
three years, at S350,2l3.152 II, and tht
total debtto be 50, ,294, ,95T,142 05.
Now, let us apply the test of his previ
Gus figures to this exhibit, and see Tha
result will be produced
Boutwelrs statement, see Finance Report, pag
XAIX., 1869, of public debt on June 30
1869, $2,656. .603955 q
Boutwells statement July /,
| 1872, of public debt, 1884, ,957, ,142 O.
Reduction in three years by
| these statements, S361, ,646,S13 6
| Reduction as published on July
1. 1872, 350,213,152 1
Difference, 81, ,433,66l 5
Again: .,l ,.a. raa
Bout%ell's statement Of public debt per Financ
/ Report of 1870, page XIV, for July
1858, $2,5SS, ,452,G1 8
Boutwells debt statement of
July /, 1872, 2,294.957,142 6
Reduction in three years by
these statements, S2S3, ,49o,0T
Reduction as published by
Boutwell,, July /, 1872, 36l,G46,S13 Q
Difference, S7S,121,741
1t is utterly impossible to tell which @
these results is correct, or, in fact, wheth
er any of them is reliable. But. accord
ing to law, and practice too, before thi
deceptive system was introduced, tn
Register of the Treasury is the only off
Ger charged with the care of public az
counts. and whose statements are entitle
to credit. The act of September 3, 1871
which created the Treasury Department
lprovides: @
"Jt shall be the duty of the Register t
keep alfaccounts of the receipts and ea
penditures of the public money, and c
all debts due to and from the Unite,
States" fH Ne
The Register is, therefore, the boof
keeper of the Government, where all th
accounts are finally closed, stated, an
balanced, if that be possible. We haV
already shown that Mr.. Boutwell, ha
published, in official forms, three contr;
dictory statements of the public debt fo
July l, 1869. By turning to page 276 9
the finance report of 1S70,i will be foun
that Mr.. Allison, Register of the Treasr
ry, certifes the debt on July l, 1869, to b
| S2,4S9, 002,4S0 5S,thus disagreeing wit
all the exhibits Of the Secretary, and il
volving various differences between on
hundred and one hundred and seventy
six millions of dollars! IF the Regi;
ter's figures are true, then those of th
Secretary are false. Howis the choice t
be made between them, with any conf
: dence or certainty? 40
: But this is not all. The annual repol
of the Register of the Treasury contain
statement of the public debt for eac
year from 1871, Transcribed from the pull
lie ledger in his office. Taking 1861 as
starting point, The last three Registers
, Chittenden, Jeffries, and Allison-agfee
, precisely in their reports. They coul
possibly disagree without falsifying 9
) mutilating the public records. Since til
state OF the Treasury accounts has bee
: discussed in Congress and the press, a
, efforthas been made to force an agree
ment between the Secretary and til
Register, and to make alleged reduction
of the public debt conform. To do thi
great outrage ehas been pefpetrated, b
changes which the criminal law denour
/, ces as forgery. gao . ,r.so
We ask attention to the followin
statements of the public debt, taken frol
the two last reports of Register Allison
giving the debt from 1861 to 1871 incll
sive: s hT.a r.r
Finance Report Finance Repo
1869, p. 276. Reg. 1871, p. 369, Re