The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1874-05-07
THE SANBORN CONTRACT.

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For long time there has been a.
practice to pay moietY to informers
In relation to the evasion. and non
payment Of internal revenue. Con-
tracts were made with five deterrent
persons, John D. Sanborn being one.
Of the numbhr. There being cRare-
ed to De fraud In the execution oft6e
contract with Sanborn the COMMITTEES
on " avs and Means of the House Of
Representatives were authorized to
investigate the case and to report to
the House. bless kzsa
The Committee has just made un~
'animously very able report, giving.
IA complete history ofthe contractand
recommending that the law be repeal
led and that all the contracts under It
be annuled aad that the statute in
terms exclude the cases from the
Court of Claims and from all claims
on the taeasury under color Of these
contracts. ..... 81. ss-..... ...
We take the following from the.
report which is in our opinion too
lenient with the heads Of the Treas
ury Department. which permitted the
abuses under the Sanborn contract,
but as q whole is sufficiently condem-
natory Of the detective contract sys-
to secure its entire abolition by Con-
gress. ts pal IS H.. Tia
"The Committee, feeling alarmed
at the apparent looseness with which
the law has been administered, were:
DESTROYS Of ascertaining where the
responsibility rested. They have
had before them the Secretary, AS
sistant Secretary Sawyer, and the
Solicitor Of the Treasury. The Sec
rotary gave little information. and ex-
hibited an entire want Of knowledge
as to the manner of making contracts
of administering the law, or of the
provisions tot the law. itself. His
only connection, hofar as lie could
remember. with these transactions
was in afixing his signature to va7i-
Gus papers presented to him, as q
matter Of Office routine, without
knowing their contents. The Assist
ant Secretary disclaimed any particR-
lar knowledge of the law Of contracts,
and In like manner affixed his sigma
ture as matter Of Office routine. The
Secretary and Assistant. Secretaty show
that the papers We're prepared by solic-
/ itor who, in turn, testified that he is sim-,
ply a law officer Of the Treasury ana d
subordinate Of the Secretary, with3lt
/ over IN T. gaId 20 me administration Of
this law, * :ep: that expressly given "
the Secretary that be consulted in
every jnrtance, with the Secretary or
Assistant Secretary !. that he bad, in ali
eases, simply o;eyei he s1irec: ions Of his
superior officers. ana that the contracts
AID the various orders of the Depart
ment were wel;.kn0wn 10 the Secretary
aud Assistant Secretary Tie disagree
ments and contradicti ms given respet~
lively by these gentlemen is master
greatly deploretl by the committee, as by
1t they are unable tofx npon any enc or
anywhere the responsibility for the ME-
administration Of this law, and they look
with senous apprehension upon the Gp-
parent efforts of these gentle men to trane-.
fer the responsibility each from himself
to the other. While the committee
therefore, are unable to determine saaere
tine responsibility rests,they cannot, in
justice to themselves, ignore the fact that
these three persons deserve severe con
demEatirn for the manner in which they
have permitted this law to be admins
tered. While the committee thus
severely criticise the officials of the
Treasury Department, directly charged
with the administration Of this law, theE
find nothing impesching the integrity o
Secretary Boutwell's or Richardson's &C.
ton, and the testimony does not prove
that the Secretaries, or any of their asse-'
ciates, were influenced By corrupt mo-
tives. s*
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NJ, NANCv f. GLEN who WAS on her