South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1876-06-09
Senator Davis Charges.
No Report on The Trsassry Discrepancies LEI.
RExARKABLE IRREGULARITIES IN THE
TREASURY RECORDS.
From the New York World.

From the New York World.
WAsaINeroN. Nav 1S.-The investi.
cations by The House have been SO pro-
life in revealing the abuses and corrup.
tion OF Republican rule in every branch
OF the service that the Que ordered Il,
the Senate on charges brought by De.
mocratic Senator early in January has
been quite lost sight OF. 1t best illus.
trates tho energy and spirit between the
two parties in exposing maladministra.
ton. The Senate Finance Committee
was directed at the time named To in :.
vestigate books and accounts Of the
Treasury Department. particularly with
reference to discrepancies and altera.
tions in amounts and figures that have
been made in them. especially i'm the an
nual statements OF tho expenditures Of
the Government, revenue collected, and
the public debt contained in the report
thereof. Nearly four months have elaps-
ed and no reply has been made, nor are
there any indications Of one. Possibly
Republican Senators arc content with
the partial and plausible explanation of
the millions upon millions of dollars OF
discrepancies made by ex-Secretary and
now Senator Boutwell,, in reply to the
charges as detailed and sustained by
Senator Davis, of West Virginia Their
Importance and magnitude, and the ut.
ter failure thus far to refute them should
not be forgotten. for they speak volumes.
1t should be preliminarily stated that
Senator Davis in his Investigations at
the Treasury Department found no Off.
cial who could explain the alarming al
tcrations in the official reports made to
Congress. Here are some Of the remar.
kable discrepancies. copied solely from
the official figures. IA to tie annual ex.
penditures. Prior to 1870 all of the
finance reports agree as to the total an
nual receipts and expenditures but take
the finance report of 1870 and it differs
as to their totals from all previous re-
ports between 1901 and 1866. For
instance, in the report of 1869. page
32l. it appears. commencing with 1860,
that the total annual expenditures were
S5.SS8,9l7,l 100 16. Now, take tue a.
nance report Of 1870, page 275, it will be
found that there is an increase of s..
271,970 As. The greatest discrepancies
are i'm the years 1868, 1865, and 1866.
In the year 1869 alone there is an in
crease OF nearly million Of dollars If
this discrepancy appeared in the cxpen.
ditures since 1870 il might possibly he
explained in the difference between the
Secretary's table (which Mr.. Boutwell,
originated and the Registers statement,
but the totals here given are from the
Registers statement-the Register be
ing the chief book -kee per OF the Treasu-
ry-wlich cannot be altered by any new
fol, Ia ,<v;r I'd IN
And lest it be claimed, as il is frequent
ly, that the discrepancies ut the close of
the fiscal years arise from the amount of
warrants issued by the Secretary. and
the amount Of warrants actually paid by
the treasurer, il should be stated that
not only is the rule of forty five days al.
lowed beyond the end of the fiscal year,
but as long as three or four months, in
which to make up the full amount Of re.
ceipts and expenditures as here given.
In the war, navy and Indian expendi.
lures, from 1860 to 1866, it appears that
many Of the figures are changed in the
finance report of 1870 for those periods,
after having been officially used by Con-
gress for years. Take the pension ex.
pendiCures that cover only one specific
purpose and look at the figures:
In the report Of $40 the eIpen-
dtures for pensions are stated
for the year l763-65 at SIs, 3iI, Gal 81
In the report Of 1869 the sans ex-
penditures for the same year
are stated at e,2el $40 20
Showing an increase in the re-
port Of 1870 ever the figures in
the report OF 1869 Of ST,o56 ,0iO IS
In the report OF 1870 the pension
expenditure for the year 1863
81 are stated at s4,9ss, i73 90
10 the report Of Is63-64 the same
expenditures for that year
(lse3-G4) are stated at {4,oT0 6s3 II
Showing an increase in the re-
port OF 1870 over the figures
stated ia the repor, Of 1858 OF $3.50 10
Ia the report Of 1870 the eIpen-
dtures for pensions ia the ear
1870 are stated at s.3lo, 2O2 II
Ia the report OF 1874 the same
expenditures for the same year
Us7O) are stated ~ % 402, 2n 20
Showing an increase ia the re-
port Of 1874 over 1870 OF So .O39 90
In the War Department expenses the
finance report Of 1871 shows that for the
year 1868 there is difference of g.
0l5 800 90 as compared with the state
ment for the same year in the finance
report of 1869. Between the figures Of
the report OF 1870 and that Of 1868 there
is difference in the Indian expenses
for 1868 of only s2,075,706 IS The
reports OF 1868, 1864 ard 1870 vary
widely as TO the loans and Treasury
notes issued in 1868. though these are
explained partly afterwards by mis-
chievous and irregular system Of book
keeping.
In the public debt statements the most
extraordinary alterations are found. In
the Registers report for 1871 the public
debt for the years 1862 to 1870, inciu.
siye, foots up SCI 81. In
the report for 1870. for the same years.
the public debt is stated TO be $I9,
5.208 63-showing n difference or in.
crease Of over 100000! On page 3
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