The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-11-15
HON MOLTKRS SNUFF.

How Things arc Managed In the Ger
20 "a man Army.
The Berlin correspondent of the London
Daily Telegraph fecounts a pleasant story illus-
trative of Prussian administrative thrif,iness'
which, has lust gone the round of the French
and German papers:
sfecordlpe 10 the narrator-the correspond
ent of q well known Belgian journal-Count
von Moltke. Temporarily rssldent at Versailles
during the winter of 1S70=7l, one day ran short
Of ann6, and failing to find any "sneeshin" OF
the brand he especially affects In the local
De iaba easO ens Oh ols
10 him racketof his 't0wn peculiar" rappee
without delay. The snuff was bought, paid for
and cent on to Versailles with military promp-
titn1e, and Jiwas duly. charged to the
account of the nation. When, peace
having been concluded, the time came ior
examining the books Of all the different de-
partments that had been spending money
With horrible prodIgality for nearly three
quarters Of year-when the indemnity began
TO orop In BY small instalments OF f20,O00,0O0
s.piece or 80, which were at once approprla-
ted TO the betrayal Of the actual war expenses-
one Of the officials intrusted with the revision
of all the petty cash transactions OF the war
ONCE, came one day uponthe following start
ling and rochntc chtdage ge,oeSeres Item: :AsFor one
pound Of extra fine, f-Tonquin- bean.
perfnme-hi e-highly-impregnated,s snuh, oy nls E4-
: cellency. the Count Won Moltke commanded.
three thalers seven andia halt silbergroechen."
The5figid conscience of the accountant did
precedented item; so he made memoran-
dun Of the entry, and referred 1t up to
his immediate official superior, with an explain
atoFy essay, learned parentheiical and ex.
hansttye, going q good deal into the origins OF
things, and logically demonstrating That snnn
could not be held to be material or muDltiea OF
warAergo, that outlays Incurred for It's pnr-
chase could not in equity be saddled upon the
national excheqHer, or betrayed from the IN
coming property OF the State purchased oy Inc
lives OF Germany's sons-and 30 lorth. The
demurrer thus raised was submitted Dy one
authority TO another: enriched with a5nota,
of the question lasting some sixteen months.
Egentuaiy the7crowH lawyers having. .consid-
cred thA whole case. and pronounced the snuf
ciaim to be one that the State could not admit,
Won Meltke was oflcially addressed upon the
ness, to pay for his snuff-a demand with which
he at once compiled. There is nothing grossly
inprcbable I'm this story, which has eiiclted
good deal OF unfamiliar moralizing from some
OF the most light-hearted French newspapers
OF the day, and has been gloated over with
intense enjoyment BY local Journals OF me me uae
1aatogsNo country In Europe is 80 much and
.at;,ther same time 30 cheaply governed as
Prussia. Thrift is as integral part OF the
nati6iial character as Incredibly itself. The
administration wastes nothing except time;
and government employees are 30 badly paid
thst their lime represents much smaller
money. value than that of officials In other
countrieS.t It ls true that there are more oi
them, pefhaps, relatively to the number OF
thepopnlation than In neighboring states,
but they are cheap-yery cheap-hard-w WORK
ina, and as rule, honest. It is In the army
administrator par excellence, that the infn-
itsssiniad economy of which the above anec-
dosd contains. go striking an example Is
shown OF 3nto, the greatest advantage. The
war Department has succeeded In attaining
maxiI1nni Of effectiveness and minimum OF
eTpednse.. It can and does spend money Law
ishiyWhen an enemYrequires smashingi but,
when, the, riay of reckoning comes, woe TO
the, official who may have exceeded the exact |
limits OF bis instructions, or neglected to ac- |
ic06Rf fuIly!for every pfennig of the moneys
.c6lmitted 10 him for outlay on behalf OF the
government, /, No allowances are made, no |
maiRinis tolerated. Such an item as "gene- |
raj exp4nsesn Is not known In any Prusslan
bureSns no sum ls 30 small that detail OF It's |
o4nendffHra IA not reUuired.