The sun., 1873-10-29

reported for those years and substitutes
others, just as If official responsibility was
farce and deception public duty Here
is the contrast.
prnr BY sIIlsos's srrcr DEBT rY ris, Nrro"r %
1899 .'.. llssoq iso ise9 ..... q Ss it2 9la o
leV.''..+. <seh SN'y' oV....... si'o-'t-' u
tis15soig7y bOoo,l2i,6il ij
Between these two official statements of
Mr.. ALLISON. both claiming to state the
public debt exactly for the same two years,
there is IL difference of s193, 7G3 5G25j. How
did tins come about? Nothing is clearer
than tha' the Registers figures have been
forced tu agree with those Of the Sccrc-
tary, and that they are untrue.
One of two things is certain: either that
the public debt as reported in 1859 and 1870
was falsely stated by both Secretary BoUT-
WELL and Register ALLISON, or it is falsely
stated now. They first dispute each other
and then discrcdit themselves. And it Is
wholly impossible to reconcile this conflict
with integrity. The books and archives
that were employed for the statements in
both eases of 1869 and 1870 were precisely
those used in 1s72, when the last reports
wcrc made, unless they have been altered
and fal~incd.
Mr.. RICuARDsoN is mainly responsible
for this alarming condition OF the Treasury.
lie was instrumental in invcnting these
schemes and imposing false figures on the
country. 1t is believed that the orders
were issued 10y orthrough him as Assistant
Secretary to fabricate balances of agree
mcnt when the books refused to tally and
t..II tI
same story. That he is reckless and fully
capable of such Il desperate resort 10 serve
a party purpose Is shown by his utter dis
regard of the Currency act and the obli-
cations of his oath of Office in Withdrawn ing
sls7 900 from the vaults of the Treasury
and loaniug il to CooKE's First National
Bank without even the form of security,
when hc must have known the whole con-
Germ To bc rotten.
The belief that bonds to the amount Of
tens of millions have been stolen, rcissucd,
or forged, Is fcarrully strengthened by
these official facts. For according to the
various reports the true amount of the
public debt is not known at all. aud all
confidence IL di missed by such glaIing
contradictions. 1t may well be asked, i'll
view of these disclosures, what reliance
can be placed in any exhibit made by this
Administration, where there Is an interest
to conceal or TO falsify?
Congress cannot pass over an investiea-
ton of this matter. 1t is due to the public
credit that the exact truth should be
known to the bondholders Mt home and
abroad, that they may feel secure in their
Investments, and TO the Treasury Depart
lrent that IL should he purged If there has
been collision aud corruption in Office.
No committee could perform thi, duty
thoroughly, and it must he isohargcd if
begun, without the aid OF the best experts
II l. work Of great labor and VIII require
much time. Therefore the movement
should be made promptly so that the in
vestigntion would start with the meeting
Ql Congress.
Resolutions Of inquiry cannot bc shutllcd
aside, soofTcd down, or smuggled into
pigeon holes. as they have heretofore been
Tho eyes Of the people have been opened
to frauds and plundcr, and they demand Il
searching scrutiny into every dark corner
of the public service.