The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-09-09

| took alarm and Withdrew before he had been
| notified OF Grants promise.
| InGrangc was next mentioned for Supcrin-
| thd.nt OF the Mint. and his friends then in
nsh1ngton procured his nomination through
ven. ilson. Nhllc tn" nomination WAS pend
| ing in The Scnat' it having been referred to the
Commiter on Finance OF which John sherman
! WIS Chairman. Tn" IN Is of his raSoally course
| toward his wife were laid before the Preside
| anu the senate. lie met the charges 10y eX-
hlbting cory Of ihc prctrn'lcd decree Of
| uNurc' and iHs stated in n despatch To the San
Francisco Ciron,cie. printed Dee ~. 1861 "a
| critic OF his marriage, with Miss Lzzic
| shown the genuine cert cate copied above
would have been 91uiyal.ni to conirssing that
| ne hnd lived with Ii2li" :. Andrews for nearly
| eighteen mont =. the while falsely representing
her to be his wife.
LaGrangc thus found himself nj .ho hend Of
me most important coming establishment Of
the Government II" had under his control a
small army OF employees. averaging about two
hundred persons. receiving large salaries. Tine
disbursements amounted ~ hundreds of thou-
sands ot dollars per unnum. and the bullion to
mllnons OF dollars. The duties OF his Office
Drought him directly into contau with the solid
nus ness men Of san Francis ~ and Of the whole
inciiit coast. His oil 'a position ut once gave
act with rcasonahic ds'rt1n 10 T." Win ma" h "g Of
friends ind command eminent success.
Brlore he had long enjoyed the fruits Of his
oill'". MS restless ambition moved him to at
tempt fresh laures. His aspirations pointed To
seal IA congress. and Il plan WIS ut once de.
Nis'd Tor securing tine necessary votes at the
approaching State Convention IN tins city H.
suor,fird N getting The support of several
,'uulN'S pl inc SN'pnl DiSffli. Illi.y Sargent
hring his chief competitors. For whiln the
tlglt IN the Convention was doubtful. but finally
thionsh the p'rt!naclty Of a Postmaster from
san joaquin county. that delegation turned the
scale in favor of Sarg mt, aud LaOruuge re-
mnincd in charge Of the Mint.
~" now KAN u mink about max ing money
with which To- equip himself Tor future strug-
Elrs. OPPORTUNITY. George VI. Pinney, whom
nr hnd shown ten years previously IN Wiscon-
renewed n,nnoy WAS dead broke" and
wanted To make money, too. After some thought
oil ~ Al Ftf
Nnc, ana other material belonging To the Mint
winch could he converted into coin for his per
sohal benefit, II h" only had a judirious agrnt
10 nHhe w" necessary negotiations. lnStlnr-
lively he turned 10 Plnn"v. and the result was "A
s,ri's nI irhhsa'tons pa the sale Of mat sria.- on
nhlnl, ana III th' purrilas" ot supplies 10y which
Ilurahsc acquired about 100000 ia II single
In making the purchases Of supplies he
adopted this ingenious plan: pinncv was in
Siructrd To 20 ~ rtsprctabl" hu-inn-s houses
with whom the VI mt had been ,lealf NJ. AMI rsn.
resent 10 them that there was NOR, money in the
purchhs. Of supplies than Was needed for the
current h-Hl year. while there was "a deficiency
IN the luhd Tor hr payment of employers that
IN orirrtu meet the requirements Of the service
u was necessary 10 make a temporary transfer
from th" ON" fund 10 the other until the b"an-
nlhg lhe next ils hi year; and That IN order to
max" thcs" transfers il WAS Proposed To have
ihe hlls Tor supplies released put IN for
ihrErr quaint u : tnun would be- needed AMI for
lhrS,r sums thnn IT would he necessary To- eX-
pend. 50 That th""NreS could he used in paying
employees. leaving the readlustmrnt of tine
funds Ia br made durinl, IN. ensuing fiscal
year 10y the delivery of supplies To- correspond
with the original bills. Thus one hill for cnen-
lrals and cru'brs WAS rendered by Taylor 4
Go. Tor s3,5'd amt the Articles were rated AZ the
iihrkrt prices. tut tn" firm furnished only half
th' ARTICLES Sp' He'd. AMI uinde hut "A fair profit
ON the amount furnished. Their hill wis eN-
umlnrl AMI approved 10y I.uOrange ami paid
IN luil at once. though they wrrr allowed
Tour months in which to deliver the supplies
without bonds or other security. The price Of
ne other haf was paid 10y the Mint 10 the
urn, anu returned t. laGrtnge through
flnury. Tier Wer" other crook ed tran-netipn.
IN which linney had no hand. and the total
amount rem .t'i 10y llaGrAnSe 10y means of
thrin mas not oecn. and probably never VIII be-,
rs 'rtainei.
A., Early as 1870 Sargent had charged that
N" MINT man lg"ment WAS thoroughly corrupt.
hul ~. ui-Hlurut appointment of his barber !
ana olh'r friends in the 'Stall -hmrnt seems |
tn linN" 'hNn- 4 his mint. At ANY rat. he !
MADE 10 effort TO correct abuses. In 1913, tx /
'rN. Pollock. in'n Director cot the VI Int in-ti-
tht'i an lnN"-t- a'iun. and frightened La
Hfhn." very hl,iiy. hut. wit the aid of P,nn.v /
WI" ~aA~ o. -ut NJ nearly all of one ni.nt ]
insisting lhNrau-' - plan has deien 'e. M. /
% u0'e Niii h cam" IN 81 'torious. IL was not /
uhll ihnN return from eNil" and his attack /
ul"n n- f"d raj t. .u. That lIGrll-.. became J.
p 'ri.u~y imp'riil"i Tho spr.lu. churgD. I
ilai" hy / nury h.iIre the comm --i.n hAy. /
t""h sustained ny TN" sworn testimony 90 ii, .
hllS % '-- men VITA whom tAc crooked trans /
"a NOAs 'Hrr bad.