, 1874-05-05
CHICAGO, TUESDAY, MAY S, 1874.

aovernmont hs,c ben made te assist them:
work 10 greater or 1ess o1ton OF tho
sars ouse wording foreg nasr tho 1ntsrn.l
Tho Committee, feeling alarmed at
rHR APPARENT LooaENEAa
with which tho law Inn been Adminthtered wcre dt-
siros Of hacertnining whern tho responsibility rcated
They have had before them IT, Secretary Assistant
gsssy s nj ttS nSor S1 Tho
An KNr1nR WANT or hNowLEDaE
TO tho Of tnskInE tia contracts, admnater
only connocion, 80 far lie coull remember, with
these transactions was in af1xtug hia signature 10
varona nspeEs :pFeaentod to hin a. moro matter of
WITHOUT KNOWING THr1n ooaTEaTs,
tho Assistant Secretary disclancd any particular
or sseed 81 M sn.rs a. a.r II ooe roas
The ocretary and AsHiatant Hecre.aEy by ther testl
s1Sw s goeS,
Solicitor, in turn, tostiaed tha he is simply tho law
officer Of tho Treasury Department, and subordinate
ssr e bo q
expressly given by tho 6ecretaFy that ho had con.
ssa
simply
oDErEn THE DIRECTIONS Of uta SUPERIOR oFErcEna,
ent well knorn to tho Secretary and Assistant
Becrotary.
givcn respectively By these aene1nen appear from
their testimony is q matter greatly deplored bJ tne
Committee, as by It they arc unable to fix upon any
ninis.ratlon Of ths l.w, and thus ,thoy look with
serious approximations upon the apparent efforts Of
these gentlemen to trsnsfer the responsibility each
Whio liz Committee, therefore, ars unable to de-
torns wlcro tho responsibility rests they cannot in
iustco 10 themsevaa Ignore ths fact that heas thres
pEsEnvE SEVERE CONTAMINATION
Tor tue 1nenner i Which they hsye permitted III law
y criticae these octas Of the Treasury Department.
directly charged With the administration Of this aw
tary DoutwclIs Or Richardson's action, and tho tea-
monY does not prove that tbs eecratartea o. any Of
lsrLuEnoxp NJ CORRUPT MOTIVES.
It Ia duo TO tho Treasury o9cias to any that, Al far
back al The Administration Of ths Treasury Depart
for tho collection Of moneys the United States In
extraordinary cases, and ttat this practice was con-
tnuoa Up t. The time alas NJ Boutwell, became 10 socre
md his Solicitor cses that, aftor thorough md
law permitting them to De made. md The Secretary Of
the Treasury 1t onoe annucd hem, and that nothing
Of any VA e1er coeeted from tai. class
il waa represented 10 tho sAcretary that. largo
len making eSt1ss Ss profsseS 70 b Da ab
colect what was due tho amount collected was very
small. With tho light Of the experience Of th: Treas-
ury Department n the contract business, here 70.
fofred TO- the oicers ara told, concluded that the
parties proposing to take contracts under tho law ol
siderable anount, md ibis fact may aceount for he
apparent neglect Of this Department to carefully and
strictly enforce tho aw; md 1t y further dus to the
iaw enacted While tho predecessor Of the presen Sec
rotary in oice but that tho frat contracts wert
oy witt
| Mr. Boutwell, was serretsry Of tho Treasury,
Ths Committee sro Of opinion that any syatem o.
farming the collection Of any portion Of tile revenue
| Of the Government III
FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG;
thst no necessity Tor sGn law exists io1 tns M 5os1o'
ternat Toycnus Bureau arc fully empowered BY law II
make all collection. Of taxes The Internal Reyenl
la.!ng the collection Of hns all rnachiner
necessary for their full aud complete enforcement, AMI
t.
lily other method of. collecting taxes, til. duty .
Hieh collection Or any Department M Of II
msnt charged with hat duty.
aented bsiava Tilt tho law ot Nay g. 1a72 shouid
repealed and contracts uade therannder should be re
vokcd and annulod They alao believe that for OYER
ward haa bee1 nade for every equity they mi9f
clam more than enough hna already lean paid fe
sss 9sen tsn On
Rattafed moneys hhye been paid to the contractor
which he was not entitled under the law: Now, whe
tlo wholo subject has becn investigated In order
snd forever all demands against tue Treasury on th
account, and to avod danger that laI administrato
under careless officers may ut eono future t1no afor
these cont1acts tile statuts should IN terms e1clud
them from tbs Jurisdiction Of the Court Of Claim
and ali further claims on their part, to accomplish Il
purpose here indicated.
it, COMMITTEES report to ths House bill embodyin
thu Aboye conclusions.
| THE BILL.
Tho following ia the full text Of tho bill +,
ported from tbs Committee:
Be tt enacted, ttc.. That much Of tho act entitlt
at e a 9fr hs for
for the year ending Juns 80, 1878. and for other pu
poaoa" approved May g. 1874 - proyides for the Ell
ploymons BY tho secretary Of the Treasury of n
moro than three persons to absst tho proper office
Of The Government In tho discovering and collocti1
[ Of any money belonging 10 tho United Btates wht
the eams nhhll be withhold by any person corpor
Secretary Of tho Treasury is hereby directed to reyo
and sunul n contracts for the collection Of Ruch tux
mado under and by authority Of anid act.
.horty o IL cor eopsSsr M or dectJa unon INV Claims
damages by reason Of d1sconsinuance Of contrae
| aforesaid, Or for my profits or percentage und
them.
THE DISTRICT INVESTIGATION.
Spteiat Dispatch 10 The Chicago Tribune.
sAMpLE WITNESSES FOR THE DEFENaE.
WASHINGTON, D. c., May 4.-H the three
four witnesses thus for introduced by Go
Shepherd In his defonss before the Distri
Committee OF Investigation arc a FUR sample
| those to come hereafter, liR chances OF oyt
coming tho testimony Of tho memorlalisss 4
slim indeed. In many instances they are dol
him mora harm than good. For instaut
Francis Reosido, brick-mason. Who 6uporj
tonled tho construction Of the 3 streot Rew'
WAS placed on tha stand to prove tlat the !