Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-02-20
The Present Civil Service.


III UOlu parties WOhiN hofO W oSliSf y
that the civil service under President
Grant is exceptionally corrupt. Just
the opposite is the case. This is not
random assertion, based on partisan
prejudice, but proposition which
can be fully demonstrated.
The opposition point first and most
triumphantly to the defalcations and
entertainments which occurred in
quick succession during the last year
or 80. These oHtcroppings of crime
not only were not the result of q
decline of official integrity, but they
were the direct result of the fact that
The Government is holding its subor-
dinates to y strieter accountability
than ever before. The records of the
Treasury Department and of the
Department of Justice prove this
beyond question The number ofsuits
hegnr; the number of indictments
rendered the number of convictions
obtained, which are all matters of
record, conclusively establish this
fact. 1t has been the rule on the
part Of every Department, whenever
a fraud or embezzlement occurred,
70 investigate it thoroughly and
prosecute without let mp. Under
Democratic rule, and in JohUsonian
Jays, compromise and concealment
were the order of the day. Default
ters were shielded Now, they are
exposed, and. if possible, made to
fork over. To show the laxity Of
he former Administration, and the
rigor of the present Administration,
take the Collectors of Internal Reve-
nue.. A correspondent having access
% the books. and who mas made
thorough examination, writes:
On tho 1st OF March, 969, of the
entire number of Collectors of Inter
nal Revenue, who had, at any time,
been in office during the existence of
The Bureau, there were but sixty
whose accounts were finally closed.
Since the 1st of March, 1869, the
accounts of four hundred Collectors
have been closed, and out of $50
Collectors who have been superseded
IN Office since March 4, 1869, the
accounts Of 148 have been adjusted
and closed OF the books Of the office,
and those Of sixty five more are in
\ favorable condition for that result
In forty cases of Collectors, suspend
ed since March 4, 1869, the Bureau
has ordered suit to be brought on
their official bonds for tho recovery
of balances found to be due. These
suits include not only the cases where
embezzlement or defalcation is charg-
ed, in which criminal prosecution has
begun, but the cases wheI from neg
lect, want of due diligence, official
lncapacity, or other cause, settle
ment has not yet been obtained. In
most of these cases the crime of de-
faIcation cannot be charged, though
so long as the Treasury books show
an unsettled balance against them,
they are technically held to be such.
We give in another column of to-
days issue, under the head chow the
Administration deals with defaulters,"
an article of special interest in this
connection. Mono Of the prosecu-
tions referred to were inaugurated by
the johnson Administration. The
following shows to whom belongs
the moral responsibility Of appoint
ing these delinquents, and the amount
of both money and taxes for which
suit has been brought on their bonds:
No. OF Amnt Of cored aud un-
Collectors. money. Abatsd taxes
Appointed by Lin
Appointed by John
nacd5,:i {, ess3s %
To put the case still palmer, in tho
forty cases in litigation, three-fourths
of them, four ffths of the money,
and nine-tenths of the uncolected
taxes are chargable to previous
Administrations mainly to Johnson's
The especial aim of the opposition
at the present time is to impair con
fidence in the customs bureau Of the
Treasury Department, especially the
New York Custom House. We pub.
ished table a few days ago, which
shows that the net proceeds from
the collections at that port were
greater per cent. under Murphey
han under any of his predecessor RS
for at least fifteen years. This fact
is an abundant answer TO the Custom
House charge. Doubtless there are
abuses still unchecked, frauds still iu
vogue, but the reforming process
which has steadily been congo on ever
since President Grant was isaugurs-
ted, compeIs us TO believe that he is
doing his "leyel best" TO purify that
stable.
II unnecessary to follow in detail
each Department OF the Government.
The net revenue receipts and ex-
pendituros for the three last fiscal
years, and losses by I'll official blum
ders and frauds, foot up as follows :
Receipt. ~ S. Ids SPA 1879 "a
Expenditures 924esT, OBS 80
Aggregate .............. ....... s2oeO,22o, 1875 IS
Defacati0ns 81 ,262 so3 ~
Tnis 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 bro I
suitpnoSt IF which will he repovar.