The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1872-10-10
HOW THE REVENUE is COL
LECTED
THE CIVIL SERVICE BOARD TO sENA-
TOR LOGAN.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 4, 1872.

have received an earlier answer but
for the fact that we were all in diff
ferent parts Of the country when it
was received.
"Your letter states that the charge
has been publicly made by Senator
Trumbull that twenty-five per cent,
or, as he states it, $S5, 830,986 %,
is lost to the government annually
from our revenues, and that he re-
fers to our report of December Is,
1871, as evidence Of the fact that so
much money is plundered from the
revenues when collected, and that
this IS the result Of a corrupt admin
istration of the laws by the present
authorities at Washington. You do
not say that Senator Trumbull
states that he believes that there IS
any such enormous theft, although
his remarks necessarily convey the
impression that the friends of the
administration acknowledge 1t; nor,
indeed, is it conceivable that any
well-informed man should believe it.
But as he makes the statement and
quotes our report as evidence, it ia
proper that we should explain the
paragraph to which he alludes, and
which is as follows
ut is not easy to compute in fig
ures the exact economical difference
between a good and a bad system of
the civil service. 1t is. necessarily
a matter of inference, and of compar-
ison between the probable operation
Of a careless and careful method.
But it is calculated by those who
have made a careful study of all the
facts, that one-fourth of the revenues
of the United States are annually
lost in the collection, and for large
part Of that loss a system Of the ser
vice which is fatally unsound may
reasonably be held responsible.
'The calculations to which we al
lude were made under the admins
tration of Andrew Johnson, when
the evils Of the 'spoils' system culmi-
mated, and we selected the facts of
It's worst condition as the most torci-
bic illustration of the mischiefs of
the system. The calculations are
found in the report of the Commits
sion for the Revision of the Reve-
nue. Laws in January, 1865, and
In the report Of the Special Commits
sioner Of the Revenue for the year
1858. The Hon. T. A. Jenckes,
IN speech delivered in New York,
IN January, 1869, remarked: II
have said in discussions on this bill
that the present condition ofthe pup
tic service loses to the people annu-
ally $100,00Q,000. e y NJ
When l say to you that I have
studied this matter for four years,
and taken the testimony of hundreds
Of witnesses, I find that none can
trace any other result. II
l have stated in the House of Repre-
sentatlves that by the due collection
OF the revenue by efficient revenue
officers you can gain one hundred
millions annually He proceeded
to quote the report of the Special
Commissioner in evidence Of his
statement and pointing out the eff,
feet upon the payment Of the public
debt and upon the national credit Of
the gain he had mentioned. he con-
cludes, that does not depend upon
my statement it is sanctioned by
the support Of the Secretary of the
Ireasury'-Mr. McCulloch was then
Secretary.
''These are the calculations OIL
"those who have made a careful
study Of the facts to which we al
luded, and the character of the Ioss,
which they described is apparent.
1t was chiefly indirect. It did NOT
arise from defaIcations so much as
from smuz cling, undervaIuations and
evasions OF every kind. Thus for
some time the rate of the tax upon
Whiskey was not less than seven
hundred pei, cent. in excess of the
ret cost Of production so that the
fraudulent distiller was fairly paid
if he could successfully place one out
Of eight barrels Of whiskey on the