The sun., 1878-08-10
Dark Secrets Well Guarded.

According to the recent report Of the First
Comptroller OF the Treasury, made in
answer to a resolution Of Senator DAVIS OF
West Virginia. the outstanding balances due
by Collectors of Internal Revenue amount to
50, 7G0, ,2i0.44. Some Of these balances date
back to 1870, when Grantism began to flour
ish. The Collectors were generally active
Republican politicians, so well protected by
Senators and Representatives in Congress
that serious pursuit Of them or their bonds
men for the recovery Of the stolen millions
was not undertaken.
Large as these defalcations are, they form
but a small item in the immense mass Of
stealings during the last thirteen years Of
peace. when every department Of the Govern
mcnt and all the subordinate places OF tho
least value have been continuously In tho
hands Of the Republican party. The full ex-
tent Of this plumber will never be known
without a change Of administration which
will place the public books, accounts, aud
vouchers in the hands Of honest and COM
petent men, whereby the frauds and forg-
cries may be exposed.
Even In that event, the whole truth may
not be brought to light since many Of the
proofs OF ilaarant corruption will probably
be carried OF or destroyed. The Navy
Department WAS four times set on fire
shortly before the exodus Of SECOR ROBE
Son, first in that part Of the building where
vouchers had been stored away. No cxpla-
nation OF those successive fires has removed
the belief that they were the acts of we'll
informed incendiary. and were directed to q
particular object. Many valuable records
,-..s. lot
sions by which chains of important evidence
were snapped asunder and guilty plunder-
ers were enabled to escape the penalties OF
| outraged Justice
All attempts at any thorough investlga-
tion Of the Treasury have failed, and will
continue 10 fail, while JOHN SHERMAN is at
it's head There is predetermined purpose
on the part of chiefs and clerks to conceal
the methods by which hundreds of millions
have been stolen. The system OF accounta-
bility, and checks, and bookkeeping, de-
| vised by ALEXANDER HAMILTON, and which
was never disturbed until the advent OF
! Grantsm, was radically changed, especially
In regard TO the statements OF the public
debt; and the figures for thirty years, which
had been universally accepted as correct,
were arbitrarily altered to conform 10 n new
order OF things, invented to hide overlssues
or other malpractices.
Until Mr.. boutwell, established this com
plicated system, the Register OF the Treas
ury, who is the only authorized bookkeeper
OF the Government, and In whose Office IL
deposited the final settlement Of all accounts
with the Treasury, made the official state
| ments Of the public debt. No other branch
OF the Treasury had the means of stating 1t
exactly. But Mr.. boutwell,, under pre-
texts that will not bear the test OF scrutiny,
assumed the responsibility of issuing state
ments from his own Office, which, when
compared with the Registers books, diff
| iercd by hundreds Of millions. And when
this startling discrepancy became the sub
lcct OF comment in Congress, he ordered the
late MIR. ALLISON, in an Official letter which
still exists to make the figures ON his books
correspond with the artificial and false iig.
urcs OF the Secretary. And his Assistant
Secretary, now Judge OF the Court OF
Claims, is known to have forced balances in
other cases.
A committee Of the Senate, with two
clerks, h now sitting, under resolution, tc
examine the charges made by Senator
DAVIS Of West Virginia In respect of these
alterations and contradictions ~ the debt
statements. But although glaring mistakes
involving millions have been discovered on
the books, 1t is wholly impractcablo to get
| at the bottom OF the enormous frauds with
out absolute possession OF all the sources oi
information, and cheerful cooperation on tho
part VI subordipates In the department wbc