The Portland daily press., 1874-03-05
The Sanborn Contracts Again.

Although the House has received another
installment of the correspondence in con-
nection with the Sanborn contracts, it is
Enough, however, has been brought to light
to make it certain that a change was made
in the revenue laws by the instigation of Gen.
Butler in order that one of his INSCRIPTIONS
followers might have the business of collect
ing internal revenues unpaid, using for this
purpose the regular officials and retaining for
his own use fifty per cent of all receipts.
This change in the revenue laws, ON the face,
appeared all right, as do many other trans
actions of the Essex intriguer but the intel
ligcnt public have come to regard all meas
ures emanating from him as concealing some
trick or fraud. There can be no doubt but
that the purpose of the Butler-Sawyer amend
ment to one ofthe appropriation bills OF last
year, providing that the Secretary of the
Treasury" shall employ not more than three
persons to assist the proper officers of the
Government in discovering and collecting
any money belonging to the United States
whenever the same shall be withheld upon
terests of the United States" however fair
upon its face, was designed to steal from the
public treasury, millions of dollars which
were legally due and for the collection of
which the Government has an ample corps
of well paid officials.
John D. Sanborn ap pears to be one of But
lers's own, being one of the camp followers of
Gen. Buffers army during the war whom
that meanest of generals mistook like Sim
mons for a soldier. Indeed, for all we know
Sanoorn may be poor boy, soldier and a
christian just like Mr.. Simmons. This man
was the principal actor with Butler. The
other party mixed up in the matter is Assis-
tant Treasurer Sawyer, who, as Senator from
North Carolina, secured the passage of the in
nocent amendment above referred to. The
partial report furnished by Secretary Richard
son declares the nature of the contract made
by Mr., Boutwell, as Secretary of the Treasury
with Sanborn by which the latter was to re-
ceive fifty per cent. of such collections as he
made; while the later correspondents fur
nished shows that Mr.. Boutwell, instructed
the regular assessors and collectors to aid San
born 10 his work, and that the latter obtained
the information upon which he brought his
actions entirely from the books of the regular
official land in some cases authorized the latter
to make the collections, which was a part of
their sworn duty, and report to him, he set
ling with the treasury department and re-
ceiving Lis fifty per cent. Among the docu-
ments published is one from Mr. Banfield, So
hcitor OF the treasury, giving notice to regu-
lar collectors not to receive payment of taxes
IN cases embraced in Sanborn's contract,
thus giving him complete monopoly and
halfof his leceipts for doing the work belong
ing to the regularly appointed and paid Off
GERS.
1t seems hardly probable that Messrs. Bout
well, Richardson, Banfield and Others, would
knowingly lend themselves to conspiracy to
rob the public treasury, and we cannot be-
lieve that they would. Indeed, we believe
that they were only intent on bringing to JUS
tice large class of corporations and individ-
uals that had for years detrauded the reve-
nue.; but the fact that the Department is
Obliged to resort to such means to collect
taxes honestly due, is not credtable to its
Simmonses, Manleys, etc., who are paid to do
this business. But so far as Butler, Sawyer
and Sanborn with his associates, are con-
cerned, it is almost beyond question con-
spiracy TO rob the treasury of over seven mil
lions. Fortunately The scheme was defeated
when Sanborn and his associates had only
pocketed quarter OF million. Perhaps it
would not have been investigated had it not
been whispered about that "Butler was in
it." He is the patron of thieves and from
long practice at plundering is specially fitted
to prepare scheme to rob the nation.