The daily gazette., 1874-11-02
From the New York World.
The Treasury Scan daL.

The full meaning of the extraordi-
nary confessions made by Secretary
Richardson concerning the Treasury's
looseness and corruption does not APP
pear at first sight, nor is it as yet ap-
preciated by the public. The suppress
sion OF the receipts and expenditures
account of the Government for many
years, taken in connection with Rich
ardsOn's confession that the Republi-
can party, after thirteen years control
of the Treasury, have failed to make
even decently safe the vast sums they
have wrung from the people under
pretence of putting down rebellion and
paying off the war debt, shows not
only that no confidence can be placed
in the Departments statements, but
that all the figures wherewith Jay
Cooke, Boutwell,, Richardson and other
Republican financiers have fattered
and deluded the public, are not worth
the paper whereon they have been
printed nor the space which respectable
journals have given them. The tables
showing the reduction of the public
debt since March l, 1869," which
bristled with lying figuress and pre-
vented the return of Democratic major
tiles to Congress in 1870 and 1872, are
now admitted to be as false as he who
published iswas contemplate. When
those who knew the truth dared to i'm
peach the truth of Richardson's "debt-
reduction" tables they were ridiculed
and denounced for venturing to ques-
ton official statements. Without
dwelling upon the character of the
average Republican official we now
commend to the persons in question
the bitter chalice which they then
held to the lips of honest men. They
insisted on our believing the Treasury
was well managed because its mana
gers said it was we'll managed. They
must now believe that the Department
is loose and corrupt because the same
managers say it is loose and corrupt.
It must not be supposed that the ex-
Secretary is the real author of the con-
fession we have printed. That impor-
tant document was carefully prepared
for his signature by the ring that has
for years ruled his Department. 1t
was framed not to inform but to con-
ceal, and everything its writer's admit
indicates much more that they seek to
hide. .-.#.. -....
The document in question, and its
relation to other documents, reveal
another fact of the utmost Importance.
As the Treasury is not to be believed,
NO oNEKNows THEyoLUME OF THE CUR
RENCY and all the elaborate figurings
wherewith Morton Butler, Kelley and
other imitation wind-bags try to prove
that we have not currency enough,
arc as worthless as Richardson's fig
ures on which they are based. The
Treasury having maintained that there
were honesty and safety throughout
its transactions till it suited the mana
gers purpose to admit that there waas
not, how do we know whether the
FoRTY-FoUR MILLIONS (which they
saw fit to call reserve" was not, and
is rot, all afioat, though it be stoutly
denied a.
No man knows how much the delt
is. how much paper pretending to be
money is afioat,. how much money is
taken from US nderpretencc Of taxes,
nor what becomes of it after it is ta-
ken and, moreover, no man will know
| these things until Democratic Con
gress has Investigated them in earnest.