Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-06-08
WASHINGTON.
From our own Correspondent.

sloner OF Customs as to the receipts
and disbursements and the outstand-
ing balances i'll the Treasury Depart
ment, presents some very Interesting
figures which will command special at
tention at this time. Going back for
thirty years prior to 1860, the Com
missioner shows loss or deficiency in
receipts from customs Of S25 90 in
100000 For the fifteen years, from
1860 to 1865, the deficiency is only
$1,000 in 500, 100000. In the mat
ter of disbursements, the deficiency
for thirty years from 1880 to 1860
was $4,000 in $40, 100000, while for
the next fifteen years, from 1860 to
1875, it was but S54.0Oin 500, 00O.-
! W. These &C the irrefutable figures
Of an official exhibit. They cannot
be gainsaid or resisted. During the
thirty years from which the first state
ments are made, the Democrats were
in continuous power with slight inter
missions. Under their management
the deficiency rose up to twenty-five
dollars for every ten thousand. I'm
der Republican administration it drop
ped to nineteen dollarsa to every one
hundred thousand. The percentage
of advantage with the Republicans
over the Democrats is equally marked
in the disbursements. In these DAYS
of extravaganza every lover of his
country should ponder we'll the differ
ence between the Republican and
Democratic party in the cost Of admin
istering the Government. The great
difference in the treatment of a Re-
publican or Democrat by the Inves-
tigation Committees of tle Southern
Democracy is forcibly illustrated in
the cases of Government Printer Clapp
and Speaker Kerr. The Committee
in Mr. Clapp's case sat with closed
doors called many persons as witness
es whom Mr.. Clapp had discharged,
took hearsay reports as evidence, with
out giving Mr.. Clapp any opportunity
of confronting the witnesses with a
full determi nation to make Report
against him and TO give the printing
by Contract to Democrat who would
be perfectly willing to give a large
percentage of the same to the Demo
cratic campaign fund 1t should be
kept in mind that they were all this
time investigating an officer Of the
United States Senate who is not an
swerable to the House of Representa-
tives for his conduct In case the
Senate should undertake to investigate
an officer Of the House of Represent
atives what cry of usurpation OF
power would be raised by the entire
Democratic Press of the country. In
Speaker Kerr's case who is accused of
receiving money for the appointment
Of A. 2. Green to Lieutenancy in
in 1866. Mr., Kerr is, justly, notified
of the meeting, at once, and appears
before the Committee, who sit with
open doors, while his accuser is giving
his testimony. Lawrence Harvey who
was Assistant Doorkeeper at the time
the appointment was made swears that
he paid Mr. Kerr, who was Member
of Congress at that time, four hun.
and fifty dollars for procuring this ap-
pointment. Speaker Kerr swears that
he does not know Mr.. Harvey, and
that he never received anything for this
appointment. 1t is strikingly remark
able how. uniformly the leading Re
publican papers OF the country treat
this development with regret and hope
that Speaker Kerr may be able to sus-
tain his heretofore high and irreproach-
able character, while they cannot ov-
erlook the fact that many of the cir
cumstances require full explanation on
Mr.. kerr's part. 1t is established
that Gir. Green was appointed Lieu
tenant through the influence of Mr..
Kerr-that up to that time he had
never known Mr.. Kerr-that he was
the political opponent of Mr.. Kerr
and resident of an entirely different
State-tha in order to secure the an
pointment he solicited the aid of Har-
ney-that Harvey saw Kerr and said
the appointment could be obtained for
! $3.50. 00-that Green paid the money
to Harney-that Harvey told him he
handed the money over to Mr.. Kerr.
MIR * err muSt oynIoin Wbv Ala l .