The daily gazette., 1877-03-22
sa.rs piunaer at wa.ai.toa.

From tae ". 4. blH.
TAa public departments a. washington
are filled with jobbers and.collusionists,
most pf whom were appointed BY Repub-
lean Senators and Representatives, or
others high in the councils of that party
The developments Of the Whiskey Ring,
Of the mass of fraudulent claims which
passed through the accounting offices un-
challenged, and of the great contracts OBJ
tanned by false bidding, prove conclusively
that a system has existed for years where
by the Treasury has been .plundred oi
millidn ms by the corrupt convenience OF
officials. A frr7 4F
Indictments now pending at the
capital against Negley, Butler, and other
former members of Congress, show their
completely in some of these transaction,
and the meanes by which they were sue
cessfully carried ON. This system had
attained such perfection, and was so rami-
fed in its operations, that when Mr.. Bris-
tow commenced his war on the Whiskey
Ring, he was compelled to so outside the
department for aid, because he had no
confidence In the officers who surrounded
him.
The recent discovery that an immense
sum OF accured and unclaimed interest
on United States bonds has been paid to
a Ring of attorneys excites no surprise
whatever. 1t is only new feature Of
the corrupt system which brings before
the public long-suspected Assistant Sec
retary of the Treasury and a number OF
confidential clerks, some of whom Mr..
BoutW ell sent abroad in connection with
the sale Of Government bonds, and who
are believed to have profted by their OPP
portunities in that capacity.
Now, the interest account is SO kept in
the Treasury that the unclaimed divi-
dends could not possibly be known to
to outside parties without eollusion onthe
part of the clerks in charge Of the books
or others having access to the records.
Nor could payments of large sums OF
accrued interest be made upon powers of
attorney, representing a multitude of
claimants, without exciting suspicion and
inquiry, unless there was secret under
standing between the insiders and out
siders.
The offices of the Treasury, the Register
and the Secretary each had check on
this swindling operation, and each had to
be passed through in order to make il
successful. Consequently the rule of ad-
dition, division, and silence must have
included a number of officials in these
branches of the public service, and in one
of the auditors Office, where the interest
was adjusted.
Such a combination is startling, when
the vast interests controlled by the same
parties are considered. for if they would
unite 10 steal in one case, of course they
would not scruple to steal whenever a
chance offered. The persons implicated
in these transactions hold confidential
posts p the Treasury, and have been
trusted with its most delicate dealings
They saw high officials, at home and
abroad. selling their trusts 10 spectators
and they appear to have made that ex-
ample their model of duty.
Here and there sound spots may be
found in the public service, but it /.
generally rotten from the core to the cir
cumference. Nothing short of a severe
purgatlon can restore it to healthy con-
dition- But the plan of the transcenden
tai theorists at Washington is to cove
/ up the ulcers from the public view.