The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1874-07-16
FOR GOHIENpR
Joseph Titcomb,
Is this Stealing, or Not !


Mr.. Blaine, in his recent comments upon
the Democratic resolution for II better
revenue system, very wisely retrains from
touching upon the vastly increased cost OF
running the government Exclusive OF
the interest on the public debt, the en-
penses of the administration are more
than three times as much as under Dem
ocratic administrat ons The most OF this
is simply stolen 10 support and enrich
party thieves The way in which this IS
done is shown by a recent exposure made
by the Washington correspondent OF the
Tribune He has been Investigating the
transactions of the treasury department
with reference to the compensation OF col
lectors of internal revenue, and appears to
have discovered some facts illustrative OF
the general system OF extravaganza and
tavoritism which has characterized the ma
tional administration since the close Of the
war
The act of March ., 1860. establishing
the compensation OF collectors, contains
the proyiso That the secretary of the
treasury ~ authorized 10 make such
further allowances from time to time rs
may be reasonable, in cases in which.
from the territorial extent Of the district,
or from the amount OF internal duties COL
lected or from other circumstances, If
may seem Just TO make such allowances"
Under this proviso, it appears that sec
retares of the treasury have been in the
habit not only of arbitrarily fixing the
COMPENSATION Of collectors, with whose
duties the secretaries could no. have been
very familiar, but they have assumed the
right TO reopen old accounts of collectors
which have been settled and closed-some
of them even before the passage OF the act
and to increase the compensation of
those officers for services for which they
had already been paid. IN this accommo-
dating spirit the account OF one sweet, col
lector of Nebraska, was re-opened within
about one month after the passage Of the
law. and he wa allowed the sum of So
500. % by way Of extra compensation Tor
and March 1865, and once settled and paid
for. This munifcent double payment for
services would have been satisfactory to
almost anybody but a federal official, and
even Sweet seem to have been content
with it for several years; but when the
preliminary notes of Grants second prcsi |
dental campaign beTan to be heard in the
land Sweet began to feel A. if lie would
like to he paid again for those services,
and in March, 1879, he persuaded Secre
tary boutwell, to allow him 95,45G,S1 for
two and half years devotion to the pub 1
lie interest between 1867 and 1860, and
already twice paid for, making in the ag
gregate something more than SO, 600 for |
two and hall years services, in addition |
to the legal fees for which they were
and the adequacy of which |
may be fairly presumed from Sweets I'M
retention Of the office for that |
period With the success that has 50 far
attended his efforts to collect his wages il
is hardly reasonable 10 suppose that Sweet
is willing to quit and call it square until
secretaries OF the the treasury refuse long
en- to listen and respond financially 10
Sweets compacted lie
One Merriam was collector of .hc Fifth |
district, Wisconsin, from September, 1862,
to June, 1864, More than a year after the
expiration Of his term, the secretary, com
the hard lot of a federal official
who is restricted to the wages agreed up
on, fixed his salary for the term expired
at 81 800 a year and allowed him about
81, 600 for expenses. The soothing inHu-
ance of this treasury anodyne did not en-
5irely cease until the spring Of 1872 came
With its stimulus Of a second Grant cam
oaign to revive the dormant energies of
fraudulent government creditors into eff
ective activity. Merriam saw, as clear
Y as did Sweet, that the exigences Of
presidential campaign demanded the u.s.
;imilation of all available elements that
night contribute to the success of the
party. Merriam was conscious that he was
)ne Of the elements, and he relied upon
Boutwell, to assimilate him.
That official justified the confidence of
Merriam by increasing his salary in Feb
uary, 1872, $500, and in September,
872, $500, together making an increase
# 81, 800 per annum, for services per
ormed eight years before and already
vice paid for.
Douglass, the present commissioner OF
Internal revenue, was collector of a Penn /
ylvania district from 1862 to 1869, at a
alary fixed in l8G8-G9 at So, 500 a year
t would seem as if Douglass ought to
AVE known, in the last year Of a seven {
ears experience, what his services were
worth; but these modest federal officials
ever seem capable of adequately estima-
ing their own value at the first attempt. +;
nd Douglass never quite appreciated his !
WIN worth until that apocalyptic season, c
f 1872, with its campaign fund subscrip- t
ons, convinced him that he had been /
lrowing himself away, as it were. Bout I
7ell readily concurrea and supplied Doug /,
lss with the means of contributing to the 4
'iumph of "moral IDEAS" by raising his a
llarY 81 600 nor ann111n for The -eza1i | G