The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1872-02-09

: o. the officisl integrity of the appoint
, ments of any administration. Th'
only responsibility to which the civil
administration OF these department:
: can be held is the degree of rigor
, with which the rules and regulstions,
designed to protect the disbursement
I of public funds are enforced; and it
/; has been because OF the fesrlessness
with which these regulations have
been enforced by the men now in
charge that the defalcstions which
are charged against these depart.
ments have been brought to light.
The most notable instance, to wit:
the Hodge defalcstion, began in 1866,
and entirely escaped notice during
, the whole Of the last administration,
to be exposed in this, because Of the
enforcement of q regulation which
] rendered its further concealment i'm.
possible. Although the present ad-
i ministration can in no wise he held
responsible for the appointment of
: Hedge, or any like HIN, i include the
net amount of his defsleation and
that of two small cases in the Freed
mans Bureau in the aggregate. The
cases in the Freemen's Bureau are
those of William Wiggins, agent for
payment OF bounties at Wilmington,
Del, forging checks and collecting
moneys due claimants for back pay
and bounty, viz: $3.50 70. The
whole amount was recovered. Wig
gins was tried, convicted, and SEN
fenced to ten years. imprisonment.
The other case is that Lieut.. Graham
ana 5 g. Burbridge, OF Kentucky,
who were charged with conspiring to
defraud the government in the pay
ment Of bounties. The amount IN
volved is So, 500, and the arrest and
trial of the parties has been ordered.
The system now enforced in the
War Department renders it impossi-
BILE that any large defslcation should
occur. The inspection Of disbursing
officers accounts under the direct
order OF the Secretary has been 60
ing on with great severity for sever
al months, and the reports are Of q
very satisfactory character.
THE NAVY DEPARTMENT.
Like the War Department, the de-
falcations in the Navy Department, i.
e., among officers in the navy service,
afford no criterion by which the re-
sponslbilIty of any administration
for the appointment of the defaulters
is to be judged. Nodefalcations have
occurred in the Navy Department,
any part OF which have accrued since
this administration came into power
The department, however, since the
4th of March, 1869, has unearthed,
by its own action, four cases where
the defslcstions had been carried on
for years undiscovered. In July,
1869, the Secretary OF the Navy (Mr.
Robeson ives appointed June 25,
1867. issued an order compelling
all Paymasters to deposit the bal
ances they reported on their books.
AS fast as Psymasters came home
this order was enforced, and it dis
closed four cases OF defalcation, viz:
those of Paymasters Marcy, Lock
wood, Giraud, and Parker, the par
ticulars of which are well known.
They were all tried, convicted, and
cashiered. The net loss in these
four csses is about Sl65, 900. In
politics, three out of four were
Democrats, and they were all ap-
pointed years ago. The only re-
spOnsibility to which either of these
departments can be held In these
matters Is for the prevention, dis
covery, and punishment OF such
crimes. That responsibility is sat-
isisctorily assumed. Not a single
offender has escaped
HOW THE ADMINISTRATION DEALS WITH
DEFAULTERs.
1t Is instructive TO note the manner
in which the present administration
deals with deiaulters. / will take all
the prominent cases that have come
to the notice of the public during the
past two years, and whose defalca-
tions cover nearly the entire amount
set down as the net loss during that
time:
Marcy, Naval Paymaster, defaulter
at Mare Island. California eashiered.
Lockwood, Giraud, and Parker,
Naval Paymasters, defaulted on dis
tant stations cashiered.
j. Ledyard Hodge, defaulter in
Paymaster-Generars office; in Albany
Peniteatiary for ten years.
j. F. Bailey, defaulting Internal
Revenue Collector, New York fed
the country to avoid arrest
Bowman and Wilson, defaulting
Deputy Collectors of Customs ut Bal
timore convicted and in prison.
j. w. Norton, defaulting Money
Order Superintendent, New York
under arrest for trial.
Geo. b. Wellmsn, defaulting Dep
uty Collector of Customs at Savan-
nah; under indictment.
Internal Revenue Collector Gould,
and Supervisor Kizyzanouski, con-
spiracy to embezzle, Georgia; indict-
ed; former fled the country latter
held for trial.
VIM. Wiggin, defaulting Freed
mems Bureau Agent convicted and
sentenced to ten years iDprison-
ment.
F. A. Mccartney, defaulting POST
Office Disbursing Clerk; died in in
sane asylum before he could be tried. |
C.E. Edwins, embezzling Treasury
Clerk; convicted and in prison.
F. A. Marden, embezzling Treas
ury Clerk convicted and in prison.
Seth Johnson, embezzling Treasury |
Clerk; under Indictment and will
certainly be convicted.
S. b Kendig, defaulting Disburs-
ing Clerk, Interior Department /;
convicted and in prison.
The responsibility of the appoint
ment of only four of the above sew
enteen cases rests upon this admin
istration but it has inflicted punish
ment on all who have been tried,
while two have fled the country.
A CONTRAST OF LOSSES AND TEMPT
ATOMS
Let US now contrast the business
of the government, for three fiscal
years, with the losses sustained
through the want of official integrity
on the part of its subordinates. The
net revenue receipts and the expen-
ditures for that time are as follows
Aggregate receipts for three
years -.-.--sis sloO o-1slOS 20 Il
expenditures Tor
three S-iioSiUZO ~
Aggregate s3O9O, go. 1876 So
Now the actual net ascertained
losses caused by the dishon-
esty of government officials
during same time, including
war and navy defalcatiOns,
amount Sl lr2o2So5 oi
which is barely equal to one Sixteenth
of one per cent. ON the dollar. And
if we add to this amount of loss by
defalcation every cent. in jeopardy,
for which the government has
brought suit-most of which will be
total would be $2,-