Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1872-01-31

are the "clearingsn of the Treasury office
for the periods designated:
$751;. 1921, ASS. SAG 07ls67...$5 $40 467 a4l 90
1862. 2294,674, 642 09 o go 36l, l60 05
1862. 4S4S, 4s4, 2s9 5eIls0S..., soSa ol2oi4 15
isS5.... Sii5SS6'0i2 5sis7i..... 4s4S Sss' sos 50
1867, 64oS, 2o8 800 721s72a.. 1,74S 1893, $40 90
Aggregate ......,......,... sos, 1o4, 232, 2s2 81
Total net loss by defalcation and
embezzlement in Treasurers Of
fee to JAN 8, lST2,..,,,."..,,....... S55, 037 As
Six months and nine days.
/ The three Clerks who embezzled this
amount, Edwins, Madden and johnson, were
appointed under Mr.. Lincoln and continued
thereafter.
Here are transactions involving an
amount of money almost beyond human
comprehension, .ftyJfce thousand mil
lions, covering over eleven years of time,
and passing through the hands of three or
four thousand different people during that
period, with losses sustained through
a lack of official integrity on the part of
the Treasurer's appointees of less than one
dollar on q n,ilIion--a percentage so small
as to almost defy calculation, and intimate
ly less than the loss from the abrasion of
the gold coin paid into and out of the
Treasury during the same time. 1t is
firmly believed that no parallel for such
success can be found in history.
INTERIOR DEPARTMENT.
There have been discovered in this De-
partment since March 4th, 1869, thirteen
defalcations amounting to $216,09 95, of
which $107, 900 have been recovered of
these defalcations nine were Johnson's ap-
pointees and four were Grants.
Out of nine Pension agents who have de-
faulted five were appointed by johnson,
four by Grant. The three land officers who
Aafa tod xnrar al tod h.y I'll,
as was also the Disbursing Clerk, whose
defalcation was dicovered at the very out
set of the Present Administrations, and
who was last week convicted and senten-
ced for his crime, which was committed
before this Administration came into of
| flee. II, every case, it fell to the lot of the
new Administration of the Department TO
expose the crime of the offender, and TO
! recover the embezzled money.
| THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT.
| Since March 4, 1869, one hundred and
five postmasters have been prosecuted on
account involving defaults of S9l, 1883.
Johnson and t,oe,aty by Grant. In the
Money Order Office sixteen defalcations
have been discovered, involving S156, $780,
! SO. OF these appointees one was Lincoln's,
| ta0etue Johnson's and three Grants. One
of these defaulters appointed by Grant was
| induced to use government money by
bohemian adventurer, now circulating
through his newspaper vile ISLANDERS on
the President.
Thus, in three years, the defalcations eX-
posed and prosecuted by the Postoffice De-
partment reach the sum of $192, 638 SO, of
which at least sixty per cent. has been or
will be recovered. The responsibility of
less than 900 of this is legitimately
chargeable to the want of official integrity
on the part of the appointees of the pres
ent Administration. The receipts and eX-
penditures of the Department for three
fiscal years last past are as follows:
Aggregate receipts for three years$5S, 153, 77G 70
Aggregate expenditures for three
Money-order Office transactions
for three years 1881, 1888 96
Total. S230, O52 633 80
Now, concede that every cent in f .
volved in the suits against post
masters and in the defalcations
Of money-order accounts is in
jeopardy, and the amount ISL. 284, ST. 81
or about one-ninth of one per cent. on the
dollar! And this money tempts the Gu
pidity and want of official integrity of over
10000 persons. Is there better record in
any civil service in the world?
THE WAR AND NAVY DEPARTMENTS.
OF these departments Mr.. Crounse says
that the officers in the army and navy can
not be held to belong to any party. Hold
ing their positions different from civil of
ficers, it is hard to hold any administra-
ton responsible for their defalcations,
Thus, Hodges defalcatlon, discovered by
this Administration, had existed for years.
30 of the four navy paymasters, detected
and punished by Secretary Robeson.
Mr.. Crounse then gives list of officers
detected, prosecuted and punished by
Grants Administration, only one.f0urth of
the number being his appointees.
A CONTRAST OF LOSSES AND TEMPTATIONS.
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 subord-
| mates.
The net revenue receipts and the expen-
ditures for that time are as follows
| Aggregate receipts for three
years....,.... $1,lO5,52S, 100 70
Aggregate expenditures for t-
three years",..,...,....,....... 924, CO., O26 50
Aggregate. ................ $4,000, 22O,l96 50
| Now the actual net ascertain
| ed losses caused by the dis s...
| honesty ofGovernment Off
clals during Same time, in
| GLIDING war and navy de- -.-l
| falcations, amount tO.,.".".. Sl,2G2,9G3 CA