The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-11-17
ONE MORE DAY OF DEBATE.
THE Flow or CONVERSATIONAL ELO-
QUENCE NOT YET EXHAUSTED.
Senator Davis on che Mysteries Of Treasury
Department bookkeeping Mr.. Beck. sug-
gestion The Paris Exposition Again.

WASHINGTON. Nov. 1G.-In the Senate, Mr..
Hoar rep, Mass presented n remonstrance
| of officers OF Worcester. Mass. savings banks
against tho RECOMMENDATION Of silver. Referred.
Mr.. Dawes tI,ep Mass.l presented a similar
remonstrnncc from the national banks OF Salem.
| Mass. Referred.
| Mr. ingalls, tlicp.. Kan.l introduced n bill to
repeal the net authorizing the coinage of the
twenty-cent silver piece Referred.
| Mr.. Jones Dcm.. Fla.l submitted resolution
calling on the de facto Attorney General and
Secretary of the Interior for information as to
seizures Of logs. lumber. &c.. 10y agents and
marshals of the United States in Alabama.
Florida. and Mississippi.
| On motion OF Mr.. Conkling tRcp.. n W II was
amended 80 ~ to request Rutherford b. Hayes
to furnish the Information to the Senate. II not
| Incompatible with the public interest; and on
motion Of Mr.. Chaffee n.cp.. COL It was further
amended so M to include instructions given to
agents and marshas in all the Stat 81 and Ter
| rtgrics. The resolution was then agreed to.
| Mr. Davis tDnm.. W. NnD called up his r,so-
luton for the appointment of special COM
| mittee Of nNo Senators to inquire into alleged
| discrepancies In the books aud accounts OF the
Mr.. Morrill, dep. VI offered the following
Substitutes:
Re.r,. Thas committee Of three hc appointed 10 in
yestsals ,he finance relrs books and accoun Of the
is1l inclusive toasccr,an whether or not any actual
differences or discrcnancics exist aud also whether
aud report Oh, facts To- the senate. aud that said
e who "fis PSMg du 10 Of e d al Of s
senate ON vouchers approved by the committee
Mr.. Davis said that similar resolution had
been submitted 10y him ut the last session. and
me task OF investigation had been assigned to
the Committee on Finance. That already over
burdcned committee had been unable to make
the investigation aud lie had decided To- again
ask Tor special committee. He had not
been governed NJ all by partisan motives.
/ - Ipr ut
| Improper changes had been made IN the oli-
clal finance reports Of the Treasury Depart
m"nt' that these changes were made between
| 1869 and ISL and extended back to cover u
| period OF more than thirty years: that figures
anu amounts in the annual reports made 10y for
m"r Secretaries and Registers of the Treasury.
| AT r they had stood. in some instances. undis-
| turird ana unimpeqched for more than u quar-
ter OF century had been. without explanation.
| and certainly without authority. altered. and
DIN ,rent figures and amounts inserted. Par
tirulnrly had this been the ease in the state
mcnts Of the public debt. expenditures and
receipts Of the Government and these changes
IN the aggregate involved many millions Of
dollars. After quoting from various documents,
ne SAID that The statements made by the Stcre-
tary OF the Treasury IN the annual finance re-
ports and in the monthly debt statements as
also those made by the kegiste OF the Treasury
Tor a given year. often differed materially. For
n ,,6 Tor ne year 1899 4 ne il9anc. report
monthly debt statement on July /. 1853. gave II
as s2'G45 40 2g4 10. Again the Register in the
iinance rrport for 1869 stnted the public debt 10
be s24s9OO2. is0.5s. The Secretary in the
finance report for 1870 stated the public debt i'm
that gear to be 81 4sOG72 427.si. The difference
between these sums ought Ia show IN" decrease
of the public debt Tor 1870 IS $50 Oj2.77 but the
monthly debt statement for tn year 1870 stated
slo2 Gi3 ssO.s4. u To lsG9 the Parific railroad
dcn' was carried rs part Of the public debt; tut
s IN is,o !, WIS %sen from ths public ara and
amounting at thattimcto sjs G3s 800. which was
,3nSy an appaTgnt and not real redur-
tract"d the real decrease, 1890 O52 II
Tor ws s7o w appe@r iha x eo pgs dsn,
not decreased ms sci forth IN the monthly debt
statement. sl02 .Gi3.ssO.si TIE finance reports
in their annual statements OF the public delft.
expenditures. and revenue all sulst'n tinliy
Pension Bureau on July Is. 1876, furni shed an
to 1870. inclusive there was paid for army and
navy pensions 1929. 39i POS So while the Se.re-
1870 stated the pension expenditures Tor thu
same period Ms 1850, 1894. The reports lid
not agree as to the amount q revenue collect-
changes increasing IN. revenue. as they did
the public debt. they decreased H. To his
mind thls WAS matter Of great moment. Now
that tn" country WIS comparatively free from
polltrM excitement. i seemed to him an OPP
prrtunr time to invest gat, Tn is Who'll. suhint
Mr. Brcs Dem. ~ submitted the following
as an hih'niineni 10 the substitute:
A a iae Senoce may reIi to the senate whether
ment, thc du,ics 81 one i Sht ~, AZ is
icct'n al N, rcveit. AMI hod hcin unn "r.i - y
Jaw To- pa, ~ 9ni aud tr duues Of the other SHAH he
sa 'ns IKE d g disbursement OF revenue collected aud
Mr. Beck said II the Irregularities complained
oi did oNist. he hoped the committee would de-
t"rminr upon IA" best method Of remedy ng
them, Many years experience on the Commit
tee Of Ways and Mems Of the other House had
convinced him that thu Secretary 81 the Trens-
ury 'uud not understand all the business ol Ills
department., II was tim" 10 look into the sub
-, Of dividing the Treasury.
Mr. Eaton Dem. Comm said the committee 10
examine III" several bran hes If the civil ser
VIC. had considered that subject.
Mr. Beck withdrew his amendment
Mr. Morrill, (R'p.. VI thought that all alogn-
TONS made by the senator from West Virginia
Mr.. Davr had hen satsia forily expla Md
ia~t year There WAS no use in having a large
committee with several clerks. The senator
himself could go Ia the Treasury department
aud have the fullest explanations. There never
had been IN unwarran'rd alteration made on
any book Of the department..
Mr. Thurman ID m OIiil said this subject
was not new Ia him. Though his recollection
OF the report submitted in ls1G by his colleague
At q" time lMr. ShermanL then Chairman Of
the senate Committee on Finance and the SEN
ator from New York tkcrnanl. was not vivid ha
was Yuii. sure II did not fully explain these al
Legged discrepancies although his colleague
lMr. sherman. having been Chairman Of the
Finance Committee for nearly eighteen years
was iully acquainted with all the financial
question was before the senate a year or two
ago, ia" senator from Massachusetts tBoutweln
"hanhN"ich To explain he discrepancies, rs w.ll
~ III" chairman Of tine Finance Committee lMr.
Sh'rnlnl' nut there WIS "A marked difference
IN their eA plnailons. lie hoped the inyrstiga-
non now asked Tor would bc ordered. He
moved Ia amend the resuiutl ON So as To provid.
mat the committee authorized hy il should not
Agreed To-.
Mr. Dawes Rep, Mass denied that there had
been any alteration Of the hooks and said Tint
the whole subject had been fully cXInained
Dir. Morrill, had not the slightest apprrhcn-
sion mat the Investigation would develop any
frnlld on the part of a secretary Of the Treasury
Mr.. crford Dem. w. Val said il would n1t
do 10 say TINT the discrepancies were brought
about by detective bOokkerping Such AN
can people.
Mr. Morrill, snd he would not oppose the res
olutiun, pruNidng the senator Offering il would
strike ont the preamble, and would limit tho
force 10 be- employed by tho committed to one
stenOgraphcr and one clerk.
Mr. Davis ntimated that he would do So
The Senate then adjourned until Monday.