The daily gazette., 1878-06-01
[he BALTIMORE Gazette.
Balance the Books.

The Srna'e, it is evident, is going to re- |
fuse to allow the examination of the two
hundred million deficit in the Treasury.
Senator Davis skilled bank officer ac-
customed to examine books and vouch- |
ers, has stated upon his personal RESPONSE |
bility that the vast steal Is covered up by
forced balances and fraudulent entries,
and he says this after partial examina-
ton. He pleads for time to allow his
committee to go fully into the examina-
tion and for power to make such exami-
nations as may be necessary, but the
Senate which has still Republican ma
jority refuses to give him the necessary
authority. The House ought not to ad-
journ without taking this matter up
Every hour of delay is blunder if not a
criminal indifference to wholesale pecula-
ton from the United States Treasury,
There is enough in the discrepancies on
the face of the published reports of the
Register and Treasurer to necesstate an
examination. One of these departments
was devised as check upon the other,
| and yet the country looks on with placid
| Indifference at difference between them
to the extent of 35,000,000. Suppose
| a business man should find that his books
failed to balance by 1876 cents, would he
ever rest easy for moment until he had
discovered where the error was ? No, for
the failure to balance by 1876 cents may
cover up an error of crime of unknown
dimensions. Now in our Treasury books
the failure to balance of $135, 5,000,000 is
not only painful in itself, but it covers up
Heaven knows what of other rascalities.
Senator Davis has shown, too, from the
! face of the monthly debt statements and
the finance reports sent to Congress that
! there is system of increasing the debt
statements as if to cover up some fraud.
Senator Davis in speech to the Senate
!. said:
: For instance, / will take one year
If the Senator desires me to do so take
the year 1852: Secretary Chase, a.
,, will be remembered, made the report II
Congress in 1862. In round number
, he said the public debt was $515,000,
900, and ii was so reported by each Sec
t retary, and by Secretary Chase himsel
3 in after years up to 1860. When 70,
! take up the report of 1870, the debt o
. 1862 is put down at 24,000,000, al
increase In round numbers of $4,000,
1 600 in that particular year.
: This single year taken as sampl,
would go far toward accounting fol
0 the deficit. From 1862 to 1878 is six
: teen years and at the rate of ten million
=, per year would foot up large share o
:, :, the $500, 900, 900 which have been filche,
: from the Treasury by the .connivanc
8 of its officers. But this may be a small
part, and perhaps its full extent ma,
e never be known. The destruction O
6 tell tale documents was during Grant
: administration the cause of a large mum
!, ber of accidental fires. There may b,
: others. But fires cannot hide the deficit
The deficit is a hole that can only b'
filled up with money. There can be M
l lodging the issue when the committee
!. point out the hole and call for the money
1 or an explanation Of where 1t has gone
But every attempt to get at this has
? been foiled either in the Senate or in
j the Departments. Whenever Mr..
, Davis gels to work on this subject
r the Senate lays the subject on the table
, or goes into secret session or adjourns or
: in some other way votes Mr.. Davis
down. Mr.. Boutwell, SO long as he was
i, in the Senate was very Adolf at keeping
this matter out Of sight. Ii is true that q
!, Committee was appointed but the Depart.
ment officials embarass and dencumber the
work as much as possible. Now the
House ought not to adjourn until thi:
subject has been acted upon. The Po
ter Investigation can now be left to take
care of itself. The bowling question o.
the hour is where is that $500, 100000
and who got the money, and by what
methods did people go Into office very
poor and come oat millionaires