The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-07-13
PUBLIC PLUNDEPERS.


WAsIIIsoToN, June 30.-Some time
since Senator Davis, OF West Virginia.
offered a resolution in the Senate calling
on the Sc cretary cf The Treasury for a
list of defal,lters to the government from
1860 to 1876, with the amount of their
defalcations. The purpose of the reso
lntion was to Il furnish a little campaign
thunder for the Democrats. Some on e
moved to amend the resolution 80 rs to
have list OF defalcations from 1886 to
the present time, and it was adopted.
The Treasury clerks have been working
at the matter for several months, ard
have sent wagon load Of manuscript TO
the Senate III the form of an answer. It
has been decided not to print it, first,
because OF the great cost, as it would
amount to over $500, and again be-
cause there are in hundreds of cases
nominal balances against men who are
not really dcfaulters against the govern
ment, but in the settlement of whose
accounts there has been some misunder-
standing of miscalcclation, and 70 whose
honor and integrity it wouid be very un-
just to class them III list of thieves.
In many cases charges against officers
which stand on the books like defalca-
tions have arisen from misunderstand-
ing between the disbursing officers and
accounting officers of the government,
which cannot be explained in the few
words that can be allowed III such a re-
port. In very many cases the arise from
balances due from officers Of the army
killed in battle, or those who were
wounded and taken to hospitals. where
their papers were lost or destroyed; Off
GERS Of the navy who have gone down i'll
ships at sea with their papers with them,
and while it is apparent that the money
intrusted to them was expended honest
ly there are no papers to prove it.
Many circumstances can arise when
perfectly honest man is unable to settle
his accounts. There may be cases of
honest differences Of opinion between
the officer and the department as to the
law, which are to be settled by the courts.
A great many cases grew up before the
present improved system of keeping the
accounts, when disbursing officers, who
were also receiving officers received the
revenues of the government, disburscd
the expenses of their departments, and
turned over the balance to the Treasury.
That system prevailed until it was re-
formed in our day, and under that sys-
tenn the result of every difference OF OPP
inion between disbursing officer and
the department would stand as defal-
cation against him.
In the list there are some very funny
cases. Washington Irving is found to
be dcfeulter to the government in The
amount OF three cents; Hawthorne, the
novelist, Who was Consul at Liverpool
for several years, died owing the govern
ment 81. A very prominent officer of
the government stands on the books as
The famous banking firm Of Corcoran
& Riggo, of Washington, owes the gov
eminent $7.20. The English govern
ment owes the United States, according
to this report, 1900.
The amount OF money disbursed by
this government since 1886 makes big
list of fgures-$13, 936, $40, ,072. .O5, of
which there has been lost to the govern
ment, according to this estimate of de-
falcations many Of which are OILY nomi-
nal, as has been stated, so, ,266, 900, or
about half million year.
The amount Of real defalcations, emit
ting these unadjusted accounts which
have been alluded TO, was about half
that SUN.
1t is very interesting to examine the
accounts undcr the several administra-
tions. The report commences with Gen.
Jackson, and il will be seen that the de-
fllcations in General Grant administra-
ton, notwithstanding the constant Dem
ocratic howl of ''[fh;cf, thief 20 have
been infinitely less than those under any
other President. The losses of the gov
ernmcnt under Van Buren were by far
the largest, being more than double
those of any other administration.
The losses on every s. ,0G0 OF dis
bursements We're, in the administration
of Jackson $1055 Van Buren, $21.15;
Harrison, S10.37; Polk, 1884; Taylor
and Fillmore, $7.64; Pierce 1886;
Buchanan, nearly Sc. 90; Lincoln, $141;
johnson, 49 cents; Grant, the first four
years, 40 cents; the second four years,
2G cents This is exclusive of the Post
Office, which administers its own revenue.
In the Postoffice the loss bas gone down
from S11.18 ON the 81 900 in Jackson's
administration, and S26.19 in Van
Buren's to 81. FOR the first term of
Grant, and 1.01 for the second, with an
average of $3 81 for the whole period.
-
Mrs. SCoTT- -SIDDoNs is now in Sgd
ney, New South Wales, whence she
~, Co,,