National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-11-12
DEPARTMENT GLEANINGS.
ANNUAL REPORF or TIE UNITED
STATES EBE4SURER.

The fourteenth annual report Of General Spin
Ler ~ Treasurer o. the United States, prepared
for submission to the Secretary Of the Treasury,
A comparison Of the tables Of receipts with those
Of the year preceding sheEs falling OF from Gus
toms Of ga sss $780, and Of sl1, s1e 52o24 on 20
count Of Internal revenue. Nearly II not the
whole Of the decrease Of receipts from the latter
source IL Que to recent changes in the law. while
the falling Of in the eustomsduties seems to have
been caused solely By the panic that occurred
early in the fiscal year, and made itself felt u
the end. The people, in consequence ofthe strfn-
gency in the money market, became more econ.
omieal in their expenditures FOR foreign goods.
The expenditures, exclusive Of those on aceOuni
Of the public debt, as compared with the year be-
fore, have been decreased 81 se9, es2 90 Com,
that It will be still greater at the end Of the cur
ne then details the increased amount Of labor
imposed upon the office by recent legislation oil
Congress. He calls attention TO the inadequacy
| OF salaries, and suggests that round sum equal
to the amount now expended be appropriated and
placed at the discretion Of the heads Of the sew.
eral Departments, with the right 70 adjust the
payments from time to time according 70 the
tention TO the fact that had the reduction pro,
posed by the last Congress taken place 1t would
have been impossible 70 transact the business OF
the office, and as II WIS II was only effected BY
oTerWork and denying the usual thirty days
vacation to many Of the employees, and adds:
tit is. therefore, hoped that unless round
sum SUFFICIENT for the safe conduct OF this ONCE is
appropriated, the old roll, In ITS entirety, Will be
restored, with such additions thereto as the in
crease Of the work Of the office has made neces-
sary. No reduction Of the number Of persons
now employed can be made without putting the
public interest and myself in peril"
A chapter is devoted to the large amount Of un-
the South, with the suggestion that the act OF
March %, 1857, "shLuld be so amended and
changed as to compel the payment Of the tax by
the municipalities. companies or individuals who
make the original issue Of such unauthorized cir
enlating notes. Bankers and business men at the
South assured me that even such q tax would not
prevent the Issue Of this kind Of currency, and
that the only efeetual way to abolish the nut
sance would be to declare the issuing Of any kind
Of obligation, with Q view to It's circulation as
money, midemeanOr, punishable by fine or i'm
prisonment, or both, by any court having cogni-
Attention Is called to the fact that a large num-
Der Of national banks, by defect in the law I'm
posing the duty Cf one balfOfOne per centum upon
It's circulation and one quarter Of one per eentum
upon its deposits, keeps the use Of said money for
sThis not only works great injury to the pub
lie revenue but does injustice to the majority Of
with comnendable prOmptttude.
"To ebviate this evil, aud to force . ready COM
pliance with the terms Of the Law, the act should
be 60 amended as TO attach penalty for the non
payment, within the time prescribed by law, Of
the duty due from any national bank, Of an add
tional penal sum, At the rate OF one per eentum
per month upon tho amount due and unpaid, due
from and by such defaulting bank, until the whole
amount Of such duty, with the accrued penalty,
shall have been paid by such defaulting bank.
And If not paid before, the whole amount, lnelud-
ing the penalty, may be retained from the next
interest due on iis socks held for it 10 trust for
the redemption Of its circulating notes by the
Trea surer Of the United States.
.There remain standing on the books OF this
once open accounts Of various amounts against
public oficers and depository banks, on which
no receipts have been had for several years, and
on which It is not probable that anything Will be
realized, except through suits at law. These
accounts are necessarily carried forward from
time to time, from book 70 book, thus EN- barrass-
ing the business and deceptiVely swelling the
statements of the balance OF money in the Treas
ait is very desirable that these accounts should
be transferred to the books Of the Register OS
the Treasury. a. was formerly done; and that,
several amounts due the Government. To this
end, it Is respectfully recommended that Con-
gress be asked, At the coming session, 70 pass .
balances that now stand, or that may hereafter 50
stand for three years or more on the books Of the
Treasurer, to the books Of the Register Of the
Under the head Of the redemption Agency
the Treasurer quotes the law authorizing 1t, and
gives with grim humOr the trials and trioulaticns
proceeding with the labor.
NThere are now employed in the agency one
hundred and thirty-hVe persons, with salaries
ranging from IS, 900 for the superintendent, down
to t432 Tor the famale laborers. A large majority
Of the assorters receive pay at the rate OF $500 the
average 70 each person being tribe over 81 900
per annum. In order to do the necessary work,
thus far all Of the employees have been over
worked each day, and many Of them have been
obligedto work until late at night and on Sun
days. This course answers for 4 short time, but
II Tong continued without any respite, as has been
and Is now the case, will AFTER time yield less
and less valuable Wefk than when labor Is re-
quired only In the regular ONCE hours
He recommends that the law should be 50
amended as 70 make the redemption agency q
In he re- n the auh1aef IN
the control Of the Secretary Of the Treasury as q
part Of the TTeasury Department, and that there
should be o stringent provision in the law to com.
pei the banks 20 make and TO keep their 5 per
eentum redemption deposit"
The report closes with the suggestion for Ger.
tain other amendments to regulate the mode Of
receipt and return OF the notes from and 70 the
banks, and also "to direct IL Comptroller Of the
Currency, with the concurrence Of the Secretary
Of the Treasury, on complaint OF the Treasurer Of
the United States that a national bank has ne
elected TO keep Its per centum redemption fund
good, after being notified to do 90, 70 appoint Z
special agent to examine into the affairs Of such
defaultiDg bank, and on the report OF said agent
II the circumstances warrant IT. appoint areeeiVel
in the same manner as is now provided in case o.
q national bank refusing on demand 70 redeem it'
circulating notes"
SEIZURES AND DEFINITIONS.
The Secretary Of the Treasury yesterday or
dered the detention OF seven freight cars at the
Niagara Suspension bridge, loaded with goods
not on the manifest. II Is aseertained from re-
ports Of customs inspectors and agents recently
appointed that large degree Of earelessness has
obtained at several points on the Northern
frontier in the maAliesting Of goods IN fransftu
under the international customs regulations. II
is the determination Of the Secretary to correct
all such abuses immediately. All goods shipped
in Canada designed for expectation through the
ports Of the United States must be manifested
regularly and bonded for export, or they will be
liable to seizure and forfeiture. Those not de-
signed for expectation, whether liable to duty OF
free, must be manifested and entered In order
that thev NAV forfeiture. and TO provide
for their Identification.
A seizure Of twenty cases Of valuable dress
goods took place IN New York auction house
yesterday by the officers OF custom upon orders
IRON the Department. These goods were to have
been sold at auction to-day. These irregularities
mate fruits Of the repeal Of the moieties and the
release OF vessels from forfeiture on account OF
the smuggling Of Isolated packages Under the
new law, which subjects only the Struggled arti-
eles 70 conscaton the risk Is so light as to CON-
pensate for the occasional venture. Where one
detection occurs 4 is probable that many articles
escape and slip through BY the bribery and con-
niVanee Of dishonest officers. In two days more
the goods comprising the present seizure would
have been sold at auction and passed beyond the
possibility OF Identification. How many cases
have successfully preceded this lot must be iet TO
conjecture. The Department is exercising the
utmost vigilance, however, to prevent smugg iingi
and is also wedding out ali inspectors and detsc-
tiVes from its force who appear to eonnive at or
assist 70 cover up frauds.
THE CASE OF MISS JACKSON.
There has been some adverse criticism in pri-
vate circles for day or two in consequence Of the
employment in the Treasury Department OF q
Miss jackson, daughter Of the man who shot
Cel1nel Ellsworth at the beginning u the war.
Finally an account Of her dismissal and restora-
tion by order OF President Grant has been pub
lished. Il Is not even an incorrect and garbled
narrative, but IL Is absolutely and unqualihedly
false. The facts are as follows: Miss jackson
was Appointed during Judge Richardson's Secre-
taryshfp, but Il was not known q the time that
she was the daughter OF the Jackson who killed
Ellsworth. She has proved herself an excellent
clerk, and has been at least once promoted for
efficiency. II was not until few days ago that
Mr.. McCartee learned the unpleasant fact above
noted, and he at once recommended her dismissal.
Secretary BristoW having learned the story, as
sumed the sole responsibility Of retaining the
lady In the Department There vas no ground
whatever for her dismissal, except the relation
ship, for which she can hardly be held respon-
Her record in the Department was excellent,
and 30 far as it went warranted her retention.
Secretary BristoW says if Il had been question
Of giving her the appointment In the irst In
stance, BE would probably have decided i "a;
widows OF soldiers IN the Union army seeking
places should have the preference. To dismiss
her now, for no reason but her parentage, he
would regard as punishment which he was not
authorized 70 administer. At any rate he as
Iumes the responsibllity, and says, 90 far e. he
case. Col. MOsby did not appear In IT, and he
was Influenced alone BY his own feelings and
Judgment. No doubt the raid on Miss Jackson
was organized By some one who wanted her
Mace. and ft is noticeable that most Is made Of
the affair by those who have been lOudest in de-
handing that the war should be forgotten
WashfRqfOH dfspdfch 10 hew York Times.
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