The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1879-07-24


doubled the tax on sailors and had q
revenue Of over $3.50 600 a year 10 cup.
port the service with; that he had oh.
! tanned from Assistant Secretary Co
nant approval Of vouchers for 81 zoo
travelling expenses, while preparing a
report on cholera, which expenses.
without authority of law, were taken
from the hospital fund collected from
sailors that the register of the treas
nry's statement never sho we'd the true
condition OF the Marine hospital fund,
the registers figures being always
better than the facts, and that he was
not allowed to state the truth in his
report because it would differ from
the registers, and that there were Of
ten many unpaid bills.
The Marine hospital, at Pittsburgh,
was on Woodworth's recommends
tion for So, 900, verbal opinion be
ing obtained from tho first comptrol-
Ter that $4,000 already received from
sale of part OF the grounds could be
used for new building. Gen. Neg
ley engineered a bill through Con-
gross authorizing the sale and pur-
chase of a new site. The sale and
being made Negley on recommenda-
tion ofa commission of treasury clerks
designated by Assistant Secretary Co.
nant, for $50, 600, which, according 10
the beat information obtainable, was
worth 5000 or $1,000. Then the
first comptroller discovered that to
apply the $20O for a. new building
would be unlawful; and Gen. Negley
having got his $4,000 of sailors mon-
ey, the land remains unused.
| THE 1IINTs AND ASSAY OFFICES.
Superintendent Acton, of the New
York assay Office. has been in the hab-
it Of signing checks in blank and leav-
ing them thus in the paying clerks
possession. Last year eighty two
blank checks were found in the Office
with Actions signature. This is vir-
tual desertion of. his duty by Acton,
for he cannot know his clerks action
or supervise his payments. A rogue
in the paying clerks place, or thief
getting into the Office, could fill up a
check for million, and it might be
collected and the parties disappear
before detection. If necessary the
clerks counter signature could be forg
ed. Superintendent Dunning, Acton's
predecessor, repeatedly got checks
made to his own order for sums due
public creditors. Then he indorsed
the checks to the creditors and turned
in their receipts with the vouchers af-
terward. After time he grew slow
about turning in the vouchers, and
one day it was discovered that he had
collected $4,000 of these checks him
self.
Linderman bought ia his wife's |
name, in 1874, 15O shares of the Cali.
fornia and 125 shares of Consolidated !
Virginia, the :" Big Bonanza silver |
mines of Nevada, which were controll-
ed by Flood, O'Brien, Mackey and
Fair. For these he paid 80 per cent.
or less. about $25. 900. Before the COM
mittee he called these $25, 600 every
moderate means" of his wife's. In
March, 1875, he bought of the Consol-
idated Virginia Dore silver bullion,
valued by the sellers at 81, ,O23. 900, and |
paid them 81 10000 on account with
out waiting for the assay to show
whether it was correctly valued, or
SO per cent. Of the value as afterward
ascertained. The company got their
money two months before completion
of assay, and were thus enabled to |
make SIS 600 Interest. In June, 1875. |
he bought of them imported silver
bars valued by them at 81 SOC, 900, and
paid them 81 .4S5 900 down over two |
months before completion of assay,
and enabled them thus to make $25,-
600 interest, The assay showed the |
bullion worth but 81. .497 600, or $64,.
600 short of the valuation, SO that he
paid them in advance 9S.6 per cont. of
the value. running great risk of
over-paying.
October 19, 1877, the secretary of the
treasury signed at LiDderman's in
stance an order stopping the coinage
of the trade dollars. Linderman man.
aged to let the Nevada bank of San
Francisco, owned by the Consolidated
Virginia party, and the Anglo. Cali.
fornia bank, know of the suspension
the same day, though the public did
not know it till the next. The Sec
ond business day after the suspension
the price of the trade dollars had risen
4 per cent. and these banks, having
had notice, had bought up the dollars
and compelled traders with China to
buy of them at this higher price, Ex-
Governor Low telegraphed Linder-
nand soon after that the suspension
would drive all the silver bullion In
market to the Nevada refineries; but
this had no effect on Linderman.
o. H. Irish, chief of the bureau of
engineering and printing, published
last winter letter to Mr.. Atkins,
chairman of the House committee on
appropriations, seeking to discredit
Mr.. Glover's. statement about his bu-
reau.s In this letter he stated that the
bureau had completed and delivered
to the comptroller of the currency g.
800, 200 sheets of national bank notes
in the fiscal year 1878; but the report
Of the bureau shows that it delivered
3, 900 sheets more, The bureau book.
keeper swore that there could not pos
'ibly be mistake in the report; yet
showed that the report
that $4,000 more sheets
ot customs cigar stamps were deliv-
sredthan the bureau claimed to have
made
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