The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1872-04-20
9olitital stfairs.


How The Peoples Money Goes.
The answer Of the Secretary Of War and
the Bureau reports accompanying il, TO the
inquiry of Mr.. Beck, shows what little con.
sequence public officers attach to expendi.
lures, which are frightfuL to contemplate.
and how loose, ifnot worthless, has become
system of accountability, which once
served to protect the Treasury against fraud
and peeulation. The resolution directed
the Secretary 10 report the amount Of pub
lie property sold or otherwise disposed of
by the War Department, since June 80,
1866 by what Bureau the sales were made;
the disposition made Of their proceeds /;
how much, ifany, Of said money has been
covered into the Treasury, and how much
has been spent by the Department without
reappropriation by Congress.
These plain and direct questions have
been most unsatisfactorily answered hy
some Of the bureaux and evasively by others
An evident Intention is manifest to keep
back perfect information and TO suppress
facts, the exposure Of which would be fatal
to the party that is responsible for the
plunder, criminal waste and corruption.
which dishgure its history during the last
eleven years We know that the immense
stock Of material OF war, which was on
hand when Lee surrendered, aad had cost
more than thousand millions of dollars,
haa all gone, and that not dollar from
the sales has ever been paid into the
Treasury. Repeated attempts were made
from time TO time TO ascertain what amount
those sales produced and what became of
the money. ALI such inquiries were re
sisted until recently, when that now under
consideration was passed, and the Seere.
tary had once refused TO answer.
Let us see what sort of information
has been sent to the House in reply TO this
call. The Acting Quarterinaster General,
answering for his office, says:
Making the total amount received by this
Department since June 80, 1865, in sceess of ia
appropriations, Sl07, 1865, ,4l6,62. All of hi,
has been used 10 payment q: Indebtedness Of
the Department, except as before stated, the
sum of S2,277 ,sO7.64.
Here is the startling admission, that over
one hundred and FIVE millions Of dollars
were expended ''in excess Of the appro.
priaiions made by law ia single Bureau
aud used in payment Of Indebtedness -
In plain terms, the Quartermaster General
obtained from sales Of public property and
by transfers Of money from other sources
this enormous amount, beyond what Con
gress had voted, and spent il all in the
payment Of claims against his Office. This
Imperfect glimpse at the interior working of
the war machinery enables us to uuder.
stand how hundreds Of millions have been
absorbed by the claims OF Radical con
tractors aud politicians, whose s'loyalty''
was thus rewarded al the public expense.
No returns are made by which the validity
oil these claims may be tested or the names
Of The claimants subjected TO scrutiny. The
hundred and h7e millions Of dollars, to pay
which the people are now oppressvely
taxed, are Jumped together and treated as a
mere 0dgdtelte, while Congress is coolly
told that ''all this has been used in pay
ment of indebtedness. Such is the
satisfaction given TO the country tor the
outlay of its treasure
Quite in keeping with the general evasion
IS the report from the Freedman's Bureau,
The acting Commissioner SAYS;
The proceeds Of salos OF Freedman, TlureaY
property were Herer ''eorersd inio" ths Teas
Hry, but ACCOUNTED for" 10 the Treasury. and
expended as other funds belonging to The Bu-
reau.
That is to say, Howard and his specula
ting phiianthropists sold all the property
they could lay HANDS on, aud never paid the
proceeds into the Treasury, but 'iaccoun
ted for it. after the fashion which was re
Gently illustrated here Ly one Of the chief
officers OF that Bureau. Tens of millions
we're squandered and stolen in the pama of
humanity and fraternity and the poor
negroes were plundered Of their bounty
and pay by the Christian thieves who
blew the loadest blasts about their patri.
otism.
We have now the Official proof, that the
money received for all the property sold by
the War Department-and the same is true
OF the Navy-since the war, was never
covered INTO the Treasury" bEt expended
In the payment OF claims, or Indebted.
ness, which IS the polite phrase, without
an appropriation by Congress. The Con.
stitunon expressly prescribes, that mo
money shall be drawn from the Treasury
but IN consequence Of appropriations made
by law" In spite OF thIs wise precaution,
which wns Designed to prevent the misap
piication OF pubic money aud to protect
Its custody with every proper safeguard.
means have been found by artful contri.
yaHces aud construction OF law, TO destroy
the efficiency OF this restriction, and 10
give the departments control over the mon
ey derived from sales Of public property.
AS a necessary consequence, oil the ships,
arms, supplies, wagons, horses, mules, nu
nltions OF war, clothing, stores, aud the
like, which existed at the ene OF the war,
and placed us at the head OF all nations ia
military resources, have disappeared en-
tireiy, aud there is nothing to show for
this great property but vulgar shoddy aris
toeraoy, the sudden wealth Of Radical
chiefs, and SAD decentralization, which has
shocked our whole social system,