The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1875-05-21
'ExAs AND PACIFIC.
WASHINGTON.

The "ContrnDand Fund" swindie 10 be
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS of n Rev
enue OnIcer-tumos IN Regard 10
whiskey Seizures, Etc, Etc.
WASHINGTON, May 20.-The fact that
I'm 1862 Secretary Stanton issued an or
der assessing five dollars month Oh
the pay of all colored employees OF the
government serving with the army,
such rs teamsters, cooks, lab0rers, ETC.,
had beer almost entirely forgotten Till
recent occurrences revived II. There
were probably one hundred thousand
such employees, and they were paid
from twenty TO twenty-five dollars per
month. The money arising from this
assessment was denominated the "con-
traband fund.- and was TO be used for
the maintenance of the freedmen's
camps In various sections Of the coun-
try. Az no record Is in existence,
showing the sums collected In this
way, the total amount cannot be pre-
cisely arrived at, but from the
data available II is estimated
that it could not have been less than
fifteen millions Of dollars. The order
was in operation from 1862 till the
close of the war, April, 1865. There
was no authority in law for the order.
IL was issued and enforced as a militia
nv operation. The fund was collected
by the quartermaster, WHO paid OIL the
employees, and upon final settlement
they were not required to account for
the moneys 30 received by them, mas
much as there WINS no law authorizing
them either to receive or to eXpend the
same. The order of the secretary was
all they had to act upon. An effort
will be made at the coming session of
congress to have an appropriation
made TO refund to wards of the nation
the amounts thus unlawfully withheld
from them.
The secretary of war has been APP
pealed to- but has replied that he will
not consider such claims, and has no
money to pay them If he should con-
clude to pass upon them.
The commissioner OF internal reve-
nue. to-day appointed Mr.. II. T. Var
van, of Indiana, to be chief of divi-
sion of the internal revenue bureau,
which will have specially in charge
the detection of frauds. This work is
of the highest importance. Mr.. Var
yam was quite prominent In the recent
exposure of the frauds of the whiskey
ring, and in long service ms special
agent, has won most enviable repu-
tation for fidelity and shrewdness, hav-
ing had extraordinary success IN the
difficult duties he had to perform. lie
will not have entire charge Of the
force of special agents attached to the
bureau.
Supervisor Mum, of Illinois, arrived
here to-day to find if there were any
charges against him on file in the
treasury. He was informed that there
were no such charges, but upon init
nations received from the secretary
he will OF once tender his resignation.
Rumors have been ahoat all day con-
eernipg another raid on the whiskey
ring, but internal revenue and treasury
officers are very reticent concerning
their plans. 1t is not thought, h0wev-
er, that there will be any decided blow
struck, for distillers everywhere are on
the lookout, and have probably de-
stroyed all the documentary evidence
against them they could reach, AFTER
the warning of last week. The matter
has been turned over to Commissioner
Pratt, who will hereafter manage the
crusades himself, and arrange for,all
future seizures. The secret service bu-
reau has also been relieved from fur
ther duty in this direction, which two
facts signify that there will be no iulr-
ther general action, but simply the
usual process of investigation carried
on by the supervisors and revenue
agents. The late seizures have proVid-
ed the department with all the work
of that sort they can wei carry
on for some months, ana nave
developed evidences OF fraud III
other establishments than those seizeu
which must be attendedto in due time.
A large number of houses IN New
York, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Balti-
more. Charleston and other Atlantic
cities are involved, and the new COM
missioner announces it as his iDten-
lion TO make them an example. Sollc-
itor Wilson will turn over to the attor..
new general all the business connected
with the ring prosecution. A new as
sistant attorney general will be APP
pointed in place of Mr.. Hill, resigned,
who will conduct the legal proceedings
I'm these cases. Judge Pierrepont VIII
enter heartily and vigorously into the
work. and will see that the district az
torneys in the west have ample ASSIST
ance. SO rs to cope with the legal aDii-
ity the ring will secure.