The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1873-12-19
,yuERETuE MONEY GOES.

WHERE THE MONEY GOEs.
la view OF the feet that the national
debt is increasing monthly and that
the Secretary Of the Treasury insists
upon the imposition OF additional taxes
upon the people, there is good deal Of
INQUIRY As 10 what has become of the
vast sums tea. have been collected.
We are tod that the Congress will
make no appropriations this winter,
even Tor works OF much national I'M
portance, aud that rigid system OF
economy must be practicei. Nothing
can be had for Custom Houses at Par
kersburg or at Charleston and nothing
for the James River and kGnawha
Canal: Naturally the people want to
know why these desired appropriations
cannot be bad and what is the reason
for this sudden spasm OF economy and
this talk Of increased taxation.
Some light has been thrown upon
the matter by the investigations made
by the House committee on Ap2ropria"
tons. A few OF the Items in the coz
tingeu; fund OF the Treasury Depart
mert as revealed by that committee sre
thus stated 10y correspondent OF the
HcraN: For instance, in siogle
year $4,000 were expended for carpets,
over $1,000 for ice at cent pound,
amounting to nearly 1000 pounds q
day, and gas $4,000 1t is alleged that
private ice and gas bills Of officers OF the
department are charged to the govern
ment account; that is, no bills are sent
10 certain officers. An estimate OF the
amount consumed, taking q fair aver
age, indicates that there is a leak some
where. A still more perplexjng matter
10 the committee are the accounts
respecting the Treasury horses. 1t is
presumed that four horses and two eX-
press wagons will meet all the require
ments OF the department for official
business. In this connection, however,
some inexplicable accounts are rendered
for a single year. The care OF these
horses cost $1,000; their grain, 50 500,
their hay, 5000, ard their shoeing over
$500. The cost OF repairs of the two ex-
press wagons for the year was
5000, there being one item
of repair amounting 10 5000
aud another OF 800. The repair
Of carriages amounted to $500, and re-
pair OF harness 81 ,O00, one item Ct re-
pair amounting to 1884, and another
SOL. There are also accounts Of the
purchase Of one pair o! horses for 5000
and carriage for 500. The expenses
Of four horses aud two wagons account
ed for shows an outlay OF over 81 500.
The average cost OF keeping horse.
not at the expense OF the government
is $500 year. The amount expended
WAS 5000, or an amount sufficient for
tue maintenance OF twenty horses. 1t
woulI appear that the contingent funds
OF the department were mainly con-
sumed in furnishing horses aud cars
riages for officials and favorite clerks al
the expense Of the government. 1t is
notorious fact here that the finest
turnouts in the city are those o! the
government The Treasury is not the
only department given to this abuse.
Under the convenient cover OF mail
wagon, splendid establishments, used
exclusively by the families OF officials
are purchased and maintained out o.
the public treasury
This affords clue 10 where q por-
ton OF the money has gone. There is
no doubt that millions OF dollars wrung
from the people by taxation are direct
ly and indirectly stolen by faithless
officials. To still further enrich these
plunderers, we are called upon to pay
additional taxes and to forego ex-
penditures for public buildings aud to
abandon enterprises OF great importance
to the taxpaying people OF the country.
II the robbers will only retrench and
practice economy and make their de-
mands little more moderate the debt
may be paid without any increase
of national taxation. |. IS the plum
de7erS who are asking for more.
The Secretary Of the Treasury, Mr..