, 1876-09-30

vert the puDllc6cEUOi byhtelhs aln uc Oil stlFMK
from any responsibility, cYeti SO slight q one as
presiding at il public meeting or allowing hl6
ilanio to be- used lis Il Vico-Prcsllcnt.
TEE CONTINGENTT FUND.
11B DEMOCRATIC RoHDEAs-nLuB JEANS COVERS
VI CORRUPTION.
From Our 01n C1tTe@pendeHk
WARRINGTON, Sept. 20.--TLc Democrats arc
busi,y going over the details Ut the contingent
fund Of Republican Congresses. They select q
few isulatcd itel,ls, and upon them build club
oratc theories Of corruption. Here Is one, for
INSTANCE:
paii larcs A. McDcvlu. detcctIvu. for services
in returning books atolen, 2s'5U.
suuh II sum was paid s1cDcvtt for discover
lug an cxprcss-wngon loud Of books, which were
stolen last ycar while In truns't between the
House Of Representatives and the city Post
Office. Tho thieves lad covered their tracks 30
we'll that McDcvtt, the most skilled detecttve
Of Washington, waa occupied nearly week In
discovering tic offenders. But the offenders
wcrc discovered, unl the atolen books were
found anl returned and tho thieves arrested,
arraigncd beforo the Police Court, unl scut to
prison. ........
THEFT s100,000l
What Is tho Democratic record Of this Con-
gross In this respectf There will lie no entry Of
service paid to any detoctlye for returning books
stolv1,, Tho books stolen by tho Densocratic
officials hays not been returned, nor have any
steps been taken by the officials Of the House to
SECURE their return. Unue Jimmie Williams,
Chairman Of tho Committee OIL Accounts, on
tho contrary, was occupied several weeks ln tho
investigation Of tho charges TINT bouks wcrc
stolen, This Co1n,nittce found TINT books to
! tho amount Of over SlU0, 600 were stolen.
| NLuE-1KANs WILLIAMS PROTECTS ConRurTloN.
k,,1
| Ills Committee tllu utmost aeurccy, to CONCEAL
| tho fact from the public ind from the lfolisc.
| He also declined to 1nako Fuu1rt upon The
subject from Ills Committee to the House. The
lirau Administration was this: That, in the
Forty.thlrl Congress, a fow boolss, Of the value
Of possibly $780, were stolen by sotle negroes, o
basss ut tnsr, from nni-wagons passing be-
tween tho House Of Representatives and !te
Fost~01ice; but these bags. and the books IN
them, wcre very NEARLY all of them discovered,
nnd tllo thieves caught nnd pnn!sll-
gu. Uncle Jimmie Williams anl tho
worth Of books stolen from unler their
very noscs. Tie theit las bueu pruyri untt the
thieves lavu been identified, but 'Unclo Jiullntp
Williams untl tho Dct.ocrntEc lloass have not
punish tie thieves, but have violated thur oaths
| Us honorable ,leI sWurn to do hunGst service tu
their country, by AttGllpts to conceal the whole
subject froni tl,o pnblts.
l OllElD 1lulAlG H1llluHl4 ClllNlet IlkC
h1ataut cgotlst that lc ls TINT he Is to bc With
ont rival In ceouolny. Wilnt will tho people
Of Indlana say as to the honesty Of a man who
would pursuo such II coilrse with regard "
y ssSsf: = III a5
Uncle Jimmie Williams has devoted tho whIn.
Ing v!gur of fis l!ngsa!nInatieal oratory to THO
attempt to explain that 'pcn!snlyas" +" purchased
| BY tho Housc III Representatives are hot "stA.
tfonery." liz has nsso sought to prove tIIat the
purchase Of rgnknlye5 by The Clerk Ut the
iiouse was 4 Corrupt act sir. Williams ought
to known enough nhout thu pravtieo Of the
that ho i tut telling tho tr1ltl. when ho sayt
TINT suell aI, att Is corrupt. Cnngress, at every
session, hlx allowed Sl.,5 to cnrl Congressman
for what IL called "staltonery." THAT tern
arc for sale ut . Wholesale stationery store
pcnkEIves, notwithstanding Jimmie Williams
gawky enecr,, arc usually found at s!attonet,
store. TAese knives are bought hy the oillea1s q
prize, and are charged to the E,elnbcrs Vt tht
exact cUBt. a member can draw anything tint
Gun bu purchased In any market utmost Ut thu
Document rum, md havo II charged to lin
members hays been In tho habit of annunlli
milking purchases ut the Document room Of va
rlous articles III xtesaot ths Yote! to them
rlsey l,aya pal fnr them out I'll thuir own pock
cts, ~ tbs rGcortIs Of tho Document room vii
show, Tho reason for these purchases IL, tllu
they cln Ect such articles clIcapcr at tic Docu
lacnt rouii than they Gun Rt the retail stores
The only persons who llnye any right b
complain Ot this prnetfcu nrc thu retail
atnrekcepers. TlIe custom certainly imposes n
! additional burden upon tho taxrayl1lg puslle
'rhls custom! Of having poclsvt-knives III th
stock ct ttlu Document Tnoul colHeS down Iron
thu days wien t,utlls were used In Congress
| These knfYes were tllGn necessary aud Wcro Il
fact pcAkntyes. Thu same Custun waA lntru
I ducel In a.l tho Executive Departments b
Democratic Administrations. lii UeIlorsAtl
days 1t WIS tho custom to distribute Gnu pcE
/ | Kulfu to every Government clerk eae}, yuas
This prlctlce was mt aball1tsneA until tue ~
, forms In tllu Post Oliice auA Treasury Dttmrt
, nle4ts wrrp llugl,ratcd by Secretary Jewell aM
Secretary Drtst0w. From tho ttuie thesu tw
officials entered upon tllcr rcsllectlyu Offices NJ
| rtnkn!Yra wcru aisirlGuto4 LO ti0YuruIstu
Gtgrks, und tho Democratic practice WAs thtI
r 4ban,lunGd,
, TAero IL nu record That DlueJcat, William
ever refused to acccpt tho appropriation yute
to h!Ml out of thu contingent fluid.
/ DEMOCRATIC oA1GIN or TlR CONTINGENT FUND
This use Of the contingent fund IL VI Dumc
: crattc origin, i 1atch frosn aMarrh, !, lsas
"the Clork shall deliver to tho Postmaster u
tu House surll kinus EI,,l quantities Of Atu
tfunery Id slail fruln tllle tn lllr he Ileessus
Tor tho use OF tic House." utll also IN ulctieuc
to tho SECOND sccliou Ut I'LL art entitled, tan ar
J, iegallz!ng atul making appropriations fur sue
necessary objects as have hctn usually inclutlc
d III the uenetal Appropriation bill Without III
huthority of laW, ana to TX unl provide for Gel
/ tain Incidental expenses VI tbs DepaFtuleuts III
s officers Ut thu tiuyerhNcnt, anu fnr other pul
| poses" approved Aug. ~, ISL, which require
I ihut "thc Clerk uf tAu uo.lse Vt Kcpyesrut.
!, tlyes report tu tho Huuso detailed statenlcu
i u the hauner In which the contingent fund I
D che House has Aten e&pcpled.'
| T'hut tpn La rat l..tru1 rtsNunIf{ou nf IN