New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-04-06
TREASURY IGNORANCE.
EXAMINATION OF SECRETARY RICHARDSON |
AND HIS ASSISTANT.

NOT BE EXPECTED TO KNOW hNfihiN" AMY
WHAT HE sIGNs-EvERYIHING Is PREPARED ID
| HIS CLERKS, AND HE HAssONLY TO SIGN fAfhh,'
On the 3lst of March the Hon. VIM. A. Richard
! son, Secretary Of the Treasury, gave TO the WAYS
and Means Committee of the House of Representa-
tives such oral information concerning the sanUorh
contracts az he appeared TO have IN MS pos
| session Assistant Secretary F. A. sawyer aiso
! appeared before that Committee on the foiioWihe
! day. The testimony of these two gentlemen was
remarkable IN many respects III showed no" nun.
| was known, apparently, by these lsh oinciaiS Va
the nature of the enormous business when Johh ~
| Sanborn had done while collecting taxes que INC
Government In order to give the official record Oh
the case so far as it understood by the Secretary
of the Treasury and the Assistant secretary 'noA
testimony is herewith printed in full
William A. Richardson, s cretary OF the treasury "p
| pearcd before the Committee
| The CUAIRMAN-We are examining into the proprIeV
of repeating, amending, or continuing as IL Is Oho "
under which sanborn contracts, as theV are caeu'
are made II you have views or facts hat you uco'
OF service to the Committee, would like to have you
state them.
| ALL THIS CLASS OF LEGISLATION OBJECTIONABLE
Mr. RIcHARpsoN-AII can say that subject is that
| have been always entirely opposed 10 that "ho'c
class OF legislation when came here In 1862 az hsslst
ant Secretary Of Treasury found good many con-
tracts of the kind outstanding which have never yeueu
|
t,onable and think that in every instance where the
matter was brought TO my attention declined to mako
onv contract the legislation Objectionable for several
reasons; it brings odum on those who make III III VI
der TO enforce it, even though you may employ appoint
and contract with good men, they must OF course
afterward employ detectives spies, informers-a CLASS
OF people as to whom you never can tell what 'hey WI"
do after is made the whole matter passes
into the hands Of subordnates; you never can Kho"
what Will become OF ii II entirely out OF the hahds o
the Secretary OF the Treasury he cannot Wach every
thing he cannot watch anything in fact Tor he Knows
nothing about them suppose that the system anorus
revenue 10 the Government to some small extent oat IL
is questionable whether does not cost more OK uoupe
all that is derived from it; came 10 ths concur
| sion long before this matter came up.
The CHAIRMAS-Would you advise its absolute repeal
Mr. RfcHARDsoS-I should advise its absolute and I'M
conditional repeal; the only case among those "hleh
you have before you that much considered, OF
any way considered by me- was tile Pendery cohHaeti
the reason why happened to have that under my con-
sideration was that Mr. Pendery used to come In very
frequently TO my and talk abouit; he wanted the
contract very much he seemed to be very Respectable
man. lie talked good deal about his cases, which
thought lthen as think now, were cases whch ought
not TO be put under such contract, and always de-
clinod TO have anything TO do with it, for the reason
which l have given in my letter. to the other con
tracts the making Of them never considered by me
! personally. -
| A Profession OF IGNORANCE
| Mr. FosTER-Do you consider that the law eonfers
power on you to authorize the appointment OF speela
| agents and detectives to aid Mr., Sanbornf
| Mr.. RIcHARDsoN-I have never considered the law
| with regard TO that subject
Mr. FosTER-You authorized the appointment OF those
| partesi
| MI RIcHARDsoH-No Sir not by my own direction;
business is done the Treasury Department IN this
manner from 500 to zoo letters day come to the De-
| tla tarVO
they are opened by clerks and referred sometimes
the chief clerk signs the reference sometimes tile sec
rotary signs the reference and sometimes the Assistant
Secretary signs it the reference written on the back
of the letter by clerk and brought In and signed with
out the letter being read by the Secretary himself at
all the matter contracts seems to have belonged TO
he Solicitors Office and everything that came 10 the
Department in connection with that matter was ime
diatey sent to SOLICITOR do not think that single
paper on the subject ever read by me nave read
more of the matter since these proceedings were eom
| menced than ever read before
Mr. FosTER-Then you really do not know much
| boutiti
Mr. RICHlRDsoS-I do not know the least thing about
IT, any more than thousand other things that
are done in the different divisions Of the Department
MR. RICHARDSON'S OPINIONS on MATTERS OF WHICH
lie KNOWS NOTHING.
| Mr. FosrrR-suppose for the sake Of making a case
| that there has been some wIoDg committed py some
officer your Department, WHO'S fespohsio'c ioA -"
Mr. RICHARDsoN-I should DO responsible for turning
! him out IL l discovered him.
| Mr.. FosTER-But you would not know about III
| Mr. RICuARDsoS-I could not know aboutit.
| Mr. FosrER-ShOud there not be some way OF Know"
Mr. RicHARpsoS-No, Sir. unless you can make the
days longer, ami unless you Can make inc aDy " ie
Mr. FosTER-There Is an important letter, which we
have not cot vet from slant Secretary sawyer 10
Mr. Green, authorizing aud requiring the cobtclos "
| an
Mr. RIcHARpsoN-No, Sir; presume the letter was
written in the Solicitors office aud signed by the Assis
am Secretary he signs almost many papers as 90
| Mr. FosIER-You have examined the law uhder winch
| these contracts were Inadei -, - $500 rb,s
| Mr. RICHARDsoN-NO, Sir, not with any care inis
first contract was made by my predecessor Inc whoi
business was established and fixed and settled wnen
with me III this law had passed. and the first con-
| tract had come TO be made under III through nv
should have looked into the law, ana sOulu ndve nau
something TO say in the management OF 'ne e
| MT FosTER-Then know but little ABOUT inc ia" ]
| Mr. RGcHARDsoN-I do not know any thhg aOout u:
Mr. FosTER-TEen are you not a little hasty IN sug
costing the proprety Of ITS repeal n.,,or oil that
| class of business wrong. 1 thought that some laws
which we had in our own state giving parties shares
were all wrong. II man has rowing commission you
can never tell where II Is going TO END. - a,.,,o,
Mr. FosTER-I going TO ask you some qnesl1H 10
about law, but If you 40 not Know anything aoou'
| I do not see the necessity OF asking you.
| Mr RIcHARDsoN-I have never examined the law care
Ten nv me that is my but most OF the papers
are not; knew of the Pendery contract shpy oecsu,o
Mr. Pendery very much III the baDit VI coming h'o
| my ofice, and made his personal acquaintance
| SIGNING THE sANBoRN CONTRACT " MERELY ACCl-
| DENTAL"
Mr. wooD-I understand you to say that you had 10
of the Sanborn contracts and had nothing 10
| do with themi
Mr. RIcHAKDsoS-Nothing special; the first contract
was made by my predecessor entirely; IL was mauo
with Mr.. Kelsey. 49,.
| Mr. WooD-Your name appears as b aving signed this
nj I hayf I'M